What an odd looking critter!! I'm assuming she was destined for foreign shores?
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Nope, it was intended for freight service on the Northeast Corridor, but Amtrak wanted freight off its line, and no railroads in the area, mainly Conrail, purchased the unit. Tests were successful, but it didn't appeal to anyone.
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hmmm, sure is a goofy looking locomotive with the huge "Forehead" above the windows. What Railroad was testing this unit?
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| Posted by TMW on December 28, 2005 | |
That Unit is on its operating soil. It prduces an incredible amount of Horsepower. There were i think 2 made.
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Looks like a "bitsa" to me, looking at the way that (GP30?) cab has been modified
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The GM10B was a entirely new (IE, no piecemill/rebuild) locomotive that EMD and the swedish firm ASEA (same group involved with the AEM7) built in 1976. The hope was that with the earlier fuel crisis that railroads would start electrifying and thrus make a market for this and its 6000HP brother, the GM6C. This of course never materialized. The GM10B and GM6C were then marketed towards conrail, who operated the 1975 and the 1976 (pictured above). However conrail never placed a order, and when the plug was pulled on Conrail electrifiyed operations in 1983, the GM6C and GM10B went back to La Grange where they sat in storage untill the early 2000's (2002?) when they were beleved to be scraped.
The GM10B was never a greatly reliable locomotive, Commonly suffering from control electronics issues, and the center truck had a habit of derailing on curves and switches. At 10000HP it does however take the honor of being the most powerful domestic locomotive ever built.
The EMD electric program wasnt totally fruitless however, the BCR GF6C's are very simular in design to the GM6C.
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The locomotive was originally numbered 1976 I believe for the Bicentennial year. Why was it renumbered? For Conrail testing maybe?
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