GE E60

Infobox Locomotive
name=GE E60


caption= E60MA 604 in Philadelphia
powertype=Straight electric
gauge=RailGauge|sg
builder=General Electric
builddate=1972 – 1976; 1982 – 1983
railroad=Black Mesa & Lake Powell
Amtrak
New Jersey Transit
Navajo Mine Railroad
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
Texas Utilities
Deseret-Western Railway
roadnumber=BM&LP 6000-6007
AMT 950-975 (Original)
NdeM EA001-EA039
totalproduction=73
length = 70 ft (21.33 m)
aarwheels=C-C
electricsystem=11,000 V AC, 25 Hz
11,000-13,500 V AC, 60 Hz
25,000 V AC, 60 Hz
50,000 V AC, 60 Hz|
weight= 193.5 tons (387,000 lb, 175,698 kg)
poweroutput=6,000 hp (4.48 MW)
topspeed=90 mph (145 km/h)
collectionmethod=Overhead AC
locale = Kayenta, AZ - Page, AZ
Amtrak's Northeast Corridor
Mexico City-Irapuato (Planned)

The GE E60 is a C-C electric locomotive made by GE Transportation Systems. The E60s were based on existing locomotives designed for freight service. There are several types of E60s: E60C, E60CP, E60CH and E60C-2.

E60C

Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad (BM&LP) ordered 6 E60Cs between 1972 and 1976 to transport coal 78 miles from the Black Mesa Mine near Kayenta, Arizona to the Navajo Generating Station power plant at Page, Arizona. These E60Cs have only single cabs and single pantographs. The E60Cs collect the power via 50,000 volt overhead catenary supplied by their power plant at Page, Arizona. [cite web | url=http://www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/bmlp.html | title=Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad | author=Wes Carr | accessdate=2006-09-07] The road numbers are between 6000 and 6005.

E60CP and E60CH

Amtrak ordered 26 E60s between 1974 and 1976. The E60s were split between 7 E60CP units (950, 952-957) with steam generators for older passenger equipment, and 19 E60CH units (951, 958-975) with newer head-end power (HEP) generators for the Amfleet and rebuilt Heritage Fleet equipment. These E60s had double cab and double pantographs. In 1976, the road numbers of 951 and 957 were swapped so that both the E60CP units (950-956) and the E60CH units (957-975) had numbers without interruption.

Their initial weight was 193.5 tons, which was more than double the optimum weight for passenger service and contributed to poor running during testing. The locomotives had a tendency to yaw sideways when accelerating, placing high stress on the rails. The Federal Railroad Administration only allowed the E60’s to operate at 90 mph, not the intended 120 mph after they derailed twice during testing.

By 1984, with the arrival of AEM-7 electrics, most of the E60 fleet went into storage. Ten units (958-963, 967, 971-973) were sold to New Jersey Transit in 1984. Two additional units, 966 and 968 were sold to the Navajo Mine Railroad. In 1995, New Jersey Transit sold E60 961 to the Navajo Mine Railroad. All New Jersey Transit E60s were scrapped by 1998 except 958 for preservation. In 2003, the Navajo Mine Railroad scrapped all of its E60s.

Between 1986 and 1988, those E60s that remained with Amtrak were rebuilt, reclassified and renumbered. All E60CPs had their steam generators removed, and four of these had HEP fitted. Those with HEP, both the E60CHs and the converted E60CPs, were rebuilt and renumbered as E60MA in the 600 series, where MA stands for Motor Alternating set. The road numbers of the E60MAs were between 600 and 610. The two remaining E60CPs without HEP were renumbered as 620 and 621. The E60MAs weighed 183 tons, 10.5 tons less than their original weight. The conversions between the old numbers and the new numbers are shown below.

When returned to service, they were used mainly on heavy, long-distance trains, such as the Crescent, Silver Meteor, and Broadway Limited, in addition to Clockers and special movements including circus and mail trains, or maintenance of way runs.

All Amtrak E60s were retired in 2003. In April 2004, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania acquired Amtrak E60 603 for preservation. NJ transit 958 was also preserved. All others were scrapped.

Road Number Conversions of Amtrak GE E60s

The table is based on Amtrak Locomotive and Car Notes by Geoff Sarbutt. [cite web | url=http://www.gobytrain.us/amtrak/notes/#E60 | title=Amtrak locomotive and car notes | author=Geoff Sarbutt | accessdate=2006-09-08]

E60C-2

Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (NdeM) ordered 39 E60C-2 locomotives built between September 1982 and December 1983. They were numbered EA001-EA039. These E60C-2s have double cabs and double pantographs. [cite web | url=http://www.trolleycar.org/observations/geissenheimer/geissenheimer020226.htm | title=Rail commentary | author=Harold Geissenheimer | publisher="Free Congress Foundation" | date=2002-03-09]

These locomotives were intended for use on a new double-track electric line between Mexico City and Irapuato, but economic conditions delayed the project and prevented its completion as planned. On February 24, 1994, 28 of the locomotives finally went into operation by NdeM on a shortened version of the project, but six of these soon wrecked. Eleven more were never placed in service and remained in storage. When the electric line was privatized in 1997, the 22 operating E60C-2s passed to Grupo Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM), and the unused 11 remained in storage in government ownership. Most of the catenary was soon removed for increased vertical clearance.

All of the E60C-2s have been offered for sale since, and 22 of them were sold back to GE for more GE AC4400CWs. 3 E60C-2s were sold to Texas Utilities (TXU) to serve the company's Martin Lake Line in 1999. [cite web | url=http://www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/txumartinlake.html | title=TXU - Martin Lake Line | author=Wes Carr | accessdate=2006-09-08] BM&LP acquired several E60C-2s to replace their own aging E60Cs. The Deseret-Western Railway acquired 7 E60C-2s to ship coal over the 35-mile stretch from the Deserado Coal Mine located near Rangely, Colorado to Deseret's Bonanza Power Plant located near Bonanza, Utah. [cite web | url=http://www.thedieselshop.us/DesWsn.HTML | title=Deseret Western Railway Motive Power | accessdate=2006-09-08] Seven were acquired in 2006 by the Montréal Agence Métropolitaine de Transport, in Québec.

Five units, EA011, EA016, EA014, EA025, and EA019, likely part of the Montréal Agence Métropolitaine de Transport group, were seen in transit on CSX on April 13, 2008, in Syracuse NY. The train hauling the units operates from Montreal to Selkirk (near Albany) NY. It is unknown if they had been sold or were en route to a contractor for modification.

References and notes

External links

* [http://www.dieselshop.us/GE_Electrics.HTML GE E-Series Electrics Roster]
* [http://www.geocities.com/guilford_350/geelectric.html The Locomotive Place - GE Electric Locomotives]
* [http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/about/roster/e60.htm The E60 Page by the RR Museum of PA]
* E60 Photos at [http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?locomotive=E-60 Railpictures.net] and [http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoList.aspx?mid=878 RR Picture Archives]
* [http://www.banksofthesusquehanna.com/MME60.html Amtrak Electrics] by Kenneth Arnerstedt
* [http://hebners.net/amtrak/ Amtrak Photo Archives]
* [http://www.trainweb.org/railpix/ampix5.html Stan's Railpix E-60 Photos]
* [http://www.mexlist.com/photo/eatx/front.htm NdeM E60C-2 Photo Gallery by Jorge Luna Helú]