Re: GE diesel proposal for WP&YR

With eight motors rated at 375 hp each that comes to 3000 hp total total.

The Rumo B-B+B-B locomotive in the photo that I put up is a "Evolution Series locomotive" rated at 4400 hp with a 12-cylinder engine. The new White Pass locomotives might be able to need only an 8-cylinder diesel engine.

So, certain aspects of the units for the White Pass can be smaller. However, the use of the bolster connected trucks raises the frame height and most likely to total height of the locomotive body. The diesel would then stand much higher than the passenger cars; this is a concern the manager is quoted about in the Railway Age article. And then there may be clearance concerns with the tunnels, etc.

If GE cannot get the overall height down to something the White Pass can utilize, then the company may end up purchasing a 3-foot gauge version of the meter gauge C-C diesels that GE has been selling. Some of these are running in Bolivia and some on order for a connection line in Chile. The new locomotives for Chile are rated at 2300 hp but also use the 12-cylinder diesel apparently due to the high altitude.

Brian Norden



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/2018 04:21PM by Brian Norden.