Re: IRCA 600 class

Picking nits: Since these are articulated GE actually considers the wheel arrangement to be C+B+C. The builder's plate should be stamped as model: C+B+C 240/240 10GE747.

Summary of a September 1950 Railway Age article written by GE:

Purchased by United Fruit subsidiary Campania Agricola de Guatemala and operated by International Railways of Central America. Operated with two on head end and two cut into the middle of the train handling 40 car trains from Santa Maria to Palin, where head end power takes train to Guatemala City. One 15 mile section has an average grade of 3.11% with an average of 5 degree curves and eight hairpin turns. Maximum grade is 3.6% with 15 degree curves where train speed drops to 8 mph.

Each locomotive has a continuous tractive effort of 37,600 at 9.5 mph and a maximum speed of 40 mph, and a maximum tractive force of 72,000 pounds at 30% adhesion. (My note: By comparison SPng #1 with the same traction motors and gearing was rated at 15,800 pounds continuous tractive effort.) The center truck does not have a bolster to carry weight but weight is transferred from the outboard trucks by ball and socket articulated joints.

56'-10" between pulling faces, 12-6 tall over roof (13-5 overall), 9-7 wide, 230' maximum curve (should be about 25 degrees), 800 gallons of fuel (tank just in front of cab inside hood), 120 short tons, Alco 12-244 engine at 1500 hp (max) rated at 1200 traction hp. Traction motors connected 2 series, 4 parallel with 4 steps of traction motor field shunting. Traction motors connected in full series for dynamic braking. Graph shows maximum braking effort as 27,500 pounds at 12 mph, 21,000 at 10 mph dropping out(?) below 9 mph.

Based on this information it appears that they did make some test runs before labor issues caused them to be parked. Anyone care to figure out how many steam locomotives would be needed to be comparable to 4 of these with 150,400 pounds total tractive effort? Actually it would be even higher as at 8 mph short time rating they would be around 180,000 pounds!

I think Columbia got 5 similar units in 1952.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2016 03:20PM by Dan Robirds.