The GM10B was a solitary

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

testbed

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

with a power output of which was intended for use on high-speed freight services on the

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...

. Built by American locomotive builder

Electro-Motive Division Electro-Motive Diesel (abbreviated EMD) is a brand of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. Formerly a division of General Motors, EMD has been owned by Progress Rail since 2010. Electro-Motiv ...

(EMD) at its

La Grange, Illinois La Grange ( ; often spelled LaGrange) is a village (United States)#Illinois, village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,321 at the 2020 census. History The area around La Grange was first s ...

, plant in collaboration with

ASEA ''Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget'' ( English translation: General Swedish Electrical Limited Company; Swedish abbreviation: ASEA) was a Swedish industrial company. History ASEA was founded in 1883 by Ludvig Fredholm in Västerås ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. It entered service with

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals, the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...

in August 1976 and featured a B-B-B wheel arrangement, a first for the North American market, while having a high proportion of Swedish built components and design features created by ASEA.

History

At the time of its conception in 1976, high oil prices had a number of large US railroads contemplating electrification of their most heavily used lines while at the same time the only major US railroad with freight-hauling electrification, the

, had a fleet of aging locomotives which were in need of replacement. As a result, EMD, in conjunction with ASEA, developed the GM10B to provide motive power for high-speed freight trains while at the same time developing the similar GM6C for slow drag freight services. However, after the introduction of the locomotives circumstances changed as the oil prices declined, which wiped out the interest freight railroads had in electrification, all while diesel locomotive power and adhesion were improved. Meanwhile, the bankruptcy of Penn Central led to the division of the railroad's physical plant between

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, which inherited much of the electrified region, and

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...

. Increased access charges on the part of Amtrak led to Conrail ceasing electric operations in 1982, dismantling the electrification on its lines and avoiding Amtrak-owned rails. Due to this the two locomotives became surplus to operational requirements and were returned to EMD, remaining in the yard at the LaGrange plant until both were scrapped in the mid-1980s.

References

{{EMD misc GM10B Bo-Bo-Bo locomotives 11 kV AC locomotives 25 kV AC locomotives 50 kV AC locomotives Experimental locomotives Electric locomotives of the United States Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1976 Freight locomotives

History

See also

References