The EMD GP60 is a model of 4-axle ( B-B)

diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...

built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1985 and 1994. The GP60 was EMD's first engine that was classified as a "third-generation" locomotive. Hidden behind the electrical cabinet doors on the rear wall of the cab, the GP60 concealed a trio of

microprocessors A microprocessor is a computer processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circuitry r ...

that monitored and managed a host of engine, cooling system and control functions. The engine's on-board microprocessors replaced hundreds of wiring circuits, dozens of relays and all but one module card, making it an improvement among EMD's engines. Power was provided by a 16-

cylinder A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...

710G3A diesel engine, which could produce . This locomotive was 59 feet 9 inches long and featured a fuel tank. The GP60 series shared the same frame as the GP59. Cabless 'B' units of this locomotive model were also built; they were known as GP60B models. Units built with a North American Safety Cab were designated GP60M. These latter two types were purchased exclusively by the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

. A total of 294 GP60, 23 GP60B and 63 GP60M units were built by EMD. Due to the mainstream focus of railroads on powerful six-axle units, and strict emissions standards, aside from the collaborations with Motive Power Incorporated, the GP60 is the last new EMD "Geep".

Railroads and models

Santa Fe followed its 40 standard-cab GP60s with an order for 63 custom GP60Ms. The GP60M featured North American Safety cabs, and was the only 60 Series B-B locomotive with this feature. The nose has a headlight that is slightly offset to the right to accommodate the front door. The first new units delivered in the road's revived "Super Fleet" Warbonnet Paint Scheme. Santa Fe GP60Ms 100–162 were delivered between May and September 1990. 23 GP60

B unit A B-unit, in railroad terminology, is a locomotive unit (generally a diesel locomotive) which does not have a control cab or crew compartment, and must therefore be operated in tandem with another coupled locomotive with a cab (an A-unit) ...

s were built, all for Santa Fe. Taking advantage of the cabless configuration, the

dynamic brake Dynamic braking is the use of an electric traction motor as a generator when slowing a vehicle such as an electric or diesel-electric locomotive. It is termed " rheostatic" if the generated electrical power is dissipated as heat in brake grid re ...

equipment on the GP60B was moved forward and away from the prime mover. Santa Fe 325–347 were the only GP60Bs. Some of these remain in service with

BNSF BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

; one of them, GP60B 347, was rebuilt into a standard GP60 by applying the cab of a Union Pacific

SD40-2 The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C diesel–electric locomotive built by EMD from 1972 to 1989. The SD40-2 was introduced in January 1972 as part of EMD's '' Dash 2'' series, competing against the GE U30C. Although higher-horsepower locomotives were av ...

to the locomotive in 2010. Rio Grande's first (and last) 60 series units were GP60s 3154–3156, built to SP specs in May 1990. Southern Pacific purchased the first, last, and largest fleet of GP60s, ordering 195 units between December 1987 and February 1994. Nearly half of the SP Fleet was lettered for subsidiary Cotton Belt, but an even hundred were directly Southern Pacific. Two units built for the Texas Mexican Railway were returned to lessor Helm Financial after Kansas City Southern acquired the "Tex Mex". The pair operated for a while in lease service on CSX, then were briefly on the roster of the Vermont Railway System (VRS) as its 381–382 before that carrier deemed them unsuitable for its operations. 381 was even repainted into VRS red and white before being returned to Helm in 2004. These units were then sold to BNSF as No. 168 and No. 169.

Original owners

References

External links

* Sarberenyi, Robert.
EMD GP60, GP60M, GP60B, and GP59 Original Owners
' {{Santa Fe "Super Fleet" GP60 B-B locomotives Diesel–electric locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1985 Locomotives with cabless variants Freight locomotives Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway locomotives Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad locomotives Norfolk Southern Railway locomotives Southern Pacific Railroad locomotives