If the locomotive has a wide nose (a.k.a. Casey Thomason photo, Trains magazine collection The nose It was photographed in June 2012 at Muncie, Ind. This Norfolk Southern EMD SD70ACe, in an Illinois Terminal heritage scheme, displays definitive EMD heritage in its nose and dynamic brake intakes. But on third-generation EMDs like the SD40T-2, the dynamic brake was found in a narrow bulge or “blister” near the middle of the long hood. Modern Electro-Motive Division/Electro-Motive Diesel engines, like the SD70ACe, have a radiator that looks like an inverted wedge, with radiator grids that angle sharply outward from the end of the long hood. On third-generation models like the Dash-8 series, the radiator has a fairly thin profile, giving it the appearance of a “flying wing.” On modern GE diesels, like the ES44AC, it’s thicker, but a similar shape. On General Electric models, this is usually shaped like a rectangular slab at the back of the long hood, supported by a slightly angled radiator grid below it. The first thing to look at when spotting EMD vs GE diesels is the shape of the dynamic brake radiator and intake. I will caution you, though, that none of these are definitive, because hundreds of different diesel models have been built (and occasionally rebuilt) over the years, and design features change, sometimes radically. If all you have to go on is a quick impression of the locomotive’s shape, there are a few things you can go by. Kevin Piper photo, Trains magazine collection in August 2009, displays many of the characteristic spotting features of a modern GE diesel, including the builder’s plate on the sill. General Electric ES44AC, seen at Abbott, Neb. Others may have the model of the locomotive in small print on the side of the cab or on the sill. Some locomotives have a small panel, plate, or label at the bottom of the cab or on the sill near the front of the locomotive. The most definitive spotting feature, if you can see it on a locomotive going by at 40 mph, is the builder’s plate. But there are some distinctive features that can give you a pretty good guess when spotting EMD vs GE diesels. While repeated observation can discern commonalities in the products of a certain locomotive manufacturer, in most cases you can also find those same spotting features in some of the competition’s products. – Neil BergerĪ: The differences between modern locomotives are subtle, especially since practically every diesel being released these days seems to come with the same North American Comfort Cab. I know this leaves me open for a sales pitch for a number of Kalmbach books covering this topic. I’m more interested in Loco Spotting 101 – the down and dirty when you see a locomotive moving at 40 mph. My question: Are there some features that will help with spotting EMD vs GE diesels I see on railroads today? Is there a family resemblance? What distinguishes a GE U-Boat from an EMD Geep? I know you’re going to get into technical stuff like truck design or the type of windshield wiper blades or the wattage of the ditch lights. Q: In the good old days, it was fairly easy to distinguish among the major diesel locomotive players, especially the carbody units from Alco, Baldwin, and Electro-Motive Division (EMD).
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