Locotrol equipped GP-38-2's

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Does anyone out there have any insight into Southern's logic for equipping a 2000 HP unit with Locotrol? I can understand units built for pulling "mega-trains" such as the GP-50's, SD-40-2's,SD-45's etc. but why such low horsepower units? Also, did the SD-45's keep the Locotrol gear to the end of their carreers, or did they lose it to eqip the GP-50's?

-- Chris Howard (www.chrreg@tri-comp.net), April 26, 2000

Answers

It was my understanding that Locotrol was initiated to expedite pumping of air to release brakes toward the rear.

(radio-man from Spencer Shops. '61-'74)

-- Kenneth Hoover (klhoover@infi.net), July 22, 2001.


It was my understanding that Locotrol was initiated to expedite pumping of air to release brakes toward the rear.

(radio-man from Spencer Shops. '61-'74. Still love to see'um.)

-- Kenneth Hoover (khooverl@netscape.net), July 22, 2001.


I understood that there were some lines on which SR wanted to continue running RC coal trains but could not either support the weight or curvature restrictions of the SD type power. I understood that this prompted SR to keep some of its GP35's and possibly some of the GP30's RC equipped later than expected. The 5200 series RC equipped GP38-2's were ordered for this ervice and kept around Knoxville or the Appalachia Division at first. At one point (1979) they were used Sheffield-Spencer on radio trains 173 and 152. This was when the SR and ATSF GP40X's were being tested on these trains. The RC equipped GP-38-2's led of course. SR normally did not mix 4- axle and 6-axle power.

Ben Lee

-- Ben Lee (Bengineer7@aol.com), July 23, 2001.


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