CSX Q400 With a Pair Struggling GEVOs

CSX Q400-04 on the west leg of the Hyattsville wye struggling up to the main. This train had to stop at the apex for a MARC commuter to clear. These two ES44DC's, CSX #5446 and #5315, are having a hard go at the short grade leading up to the Capital Sub mainline.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• CSX
• freight
• train
• ES44DC
• GEVO
• struggle
• wye
• MARC
• railroad
• bubba2781

[mommabeardee]

stop the bell

[bubba2781]

It does get on your nerves.

[UnIonPacCheyenne]

CSX's ES44DC (DC traction motor) locomotives produce 110,000 lbs. continuous tractive effort. SD40-2 can only produce 83,000 lbs. continuous tractive effort.

CSX's ES44AC (AC traction motor) locomotives can produce over 200,000 lbs. continuous tractive effort. EMD's are not able to produce continuous tractive effort anywhere near as high as CSX GEs

[roundhouser]

Dont sound like too hard of a struggle to me. You gotta remember that the train is going around a sharp curve so that puts a lot of strain on you anyways. And the ES's are rated one of the highest tractive effort engines availible. They will reduce tractive effort in some situations to keep from pulling a train apart.

[502nuts]

@randknu remember that CSX orders the heaviest GE's built and adds high adhesion programming thus the "AH" designation. They weigh over 430000 and can make over 130000 continuous while others like KCS,UP and NS order their locos lighter. UP orders with controlled tractive effort programming (C45ACCTE) to limit tractive effort we want to get over the hills with our coal without using 5 locos, and we do it every day with CW44AH's,CW60AC's and ES44AH's all heavier than any other road's.

[randknu]

@UnIonPacCheyenne I don't know where you get your facts from but 200 000 lbs is just udderly ridiculus. ES44AC and SD70ACe is both rated at about 160 000 lbs. And even that number is mostly a marketing hype. The fact is that even with the modern steerable trucks and AC traction control you rarely get more than 130 000 lbs before the wheels start slipping.

[SouthShoreTrain]

@bubba2781 E-bells are even more annoying

[CSX2665]

im surpised the train didnt come so overpowered like usual

[csxdispatcher]

@UP5140SD70M

not really the 4700-4800 macs suck big time...can't even pull a empty train up a small hill in the rain on the BBRR without stalling...

ACe not much better

[UP5140SD70M]

@emdfan78 Yeah very true

[UP5140SD70M]

@csxdispatcher Yea they suck bigtime pulling a coal train. 2 aces can pull but sd70macs are better

[trainiax]

@UnIonPacCheyenne

The stock ES44AC does have about an 8,000 lb advantage over the SD70ACe in both starting and continuous tractive effort.

But seriously - ES44DC vs. SD40-2? You can hardly compare units that are 3 decades apart. The best comparison with the ES44DC would be the SD70M-2. CSX doesn't have any, but they have significantly higher rated tractive effort than the ES44DC.

[SaltineCrackaAss]

I think you're confusing the noise with struggle. Any bend or curves is seem like a struggle.But its not.

[trainiax]

I'd wager that a properly equipped/ballasted EMD AC would come close to CSX's heavy GE AC units. A standard ES44AC doesn't even reach 200,000 lbs in rated starting tractive effort (let alone continuous) making it about 3-5% above the SD70ACe.

Curiously, the stock ES44DC has the lowest T.E. ratings of the four main EMD and GE models. The SD70M-2 is rated higher all around, including a whopping 21,000 lb advantage in starting T.E. I'm curious as to how both would compare to a heavy ES44DC.