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SD26

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Railway transport

   CAPTION: SD26

   SD26
   Santa Fe #4654, one of eighty SD26 rebuilds, descends the Cajon Pass on
   December 31, 1975. The unit's "blower bulge" (just aft of the cab) and
   displaced roof-mounted "torpedo tube" air reservoirs, its signature
   features, are clearly visible.
   Power type Diesel-electric
   Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD);
   rebuilt by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
   Model SD26
   Build date January 1973 —
   January 1978
   Total production 80
   AAR wheel arr. C-C
   Gauge 4  ft 8^1⁄[2]  in (1435  mm)
   Length 60 ft 8.5 in (18.50 m)
   Total weight 328,000  lb (128,000  kg)
   Prime mover EMD 16-645E3
   Engine type 2-stroke diesel
   Aspiration Turbocharger
   Displacement 10,320 in³ (169.1 L)
   Cylinders V16
   Cylinder size 9.1 in × 10 in
   (231 mm × 254 mm)
   Transmission DC generator,
   DC traction motors
   Top speed 89  mph (143  km/h)
   Power output 2,625 hp (1,968 kW)
   Tractive effort 82,000 lbf (365 kN)
   Locomotive brakes Straight air / Dynamic
   Train brakes XR air
   Career Santa Fe Railway,
   Guilford Rail System
   Locale North America
   Disposition All but three scrapped

   The SD26 was essentially an EMD SD24 diesel locomotive that was
   specially modified by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in the
   mid-1970s. In an effort to spare the cost of purchasing new motive
   power, the Santa Fe elected to expand on the success of its CF7 and
   other capital conversion programs and extend the life of its fleet of
   80 aging SD24s by rebuilding them at its San Bernardino, California
   workshops from January, 1973 through January, 1978.

   The rebuilt locomotives saw service throughout much of the Santa Fe
   system. Over half the SD26s were retired by Santa Fe in 1985 and
   replaced with state-of-the-art equipment, while a year later the
   remaining units were sold to Guilford Transportation Industries, two of
   which are still in service today.

History

Development

   The first locomotive to go through the SD26 Program was Santa Fe #4533,
   a 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) C-C unit built by General Motors' Electro-Motive
   Division of between 1958–1960, which entered the San Bernadino shops in
   January, 1973.

   Its four roof-mounted " torpedo tube" air reservoir tanks were removed
   to allow for the installation of a new inertial air filtering system
   (SD24s lacked a central air filtration system), which was located
   directly behind the locomotive cab. The resulting "blower bulge" or
   "hump" became the most obvious visual identifier of the SD26. Two of
   the air tanks were reinstalled toward the back roof on either side of
   the radiator section fans, while the other pair was situated on either
   side of the dynamic brake fans.

   The original EMD 16-567D3 prime mover was removed and replaced with the
   newer EMD 16-645E3 engine, which boosted the horsepower rating to 2,625
   and gave rise to the 26 designation. The SD24's unreliable electrical
   system was replaced with upgraded circuitry, consisting of new wiring
   harnesses and EMD's new " Dash 2" circuit cards. The unit was
   retrofitted with extended-range dynamic brakes as well.

   The footboards were reconfigured, the locomotive bell was removed from
   the front pilot and mounted midway between the radiator fans and
   dynamic brake fans, and a roof-mounted beacon and cab air conditioning
   system was installed. The unit retained its one-piece windshield and
   nose-mounted locomotive classification lights. When all of the
   modifications were complete, the locomotive was given a fresh coat of
   Yellowbonnet paint and reassigned as #4633 (all SD26s were given a
   100-place "bump" in numbering to reflect their new class).

   Over the next 5 years, all of the SD24s on Santa Fe's roster would
   undergo similar modifications (the last one being #4508) though not all
   received air conditioning, which was omitted from the following units:
   #4603, #4604, #4607, #4608, #4620, #4623, #4625, #4629–#4631,
   #4636–#4638, #4640, #4643, #4646, #4648, #4651, #4652, #4655, #4656,
   #4659, #4663, #4665, #4668, #4671, #4674, #4677, and #4678.

   Santa Fe #4554, an EMD SD24, waits on the "whiskers" of the turntable
   at Bakersfield in 1974, prior to its being converted to an SD26.

   Santa Fe #4634 is seen at the company's San Bernardino shops midway
   through its conversion from SD24 to SD26 in 1976.

Subsequent alterations

   In the early-1980s, all of the stock one-piece windshields were
   replaced with two-piece units similar to those used on the EMD GP20, a
   move intended to bring standardization of windshield glass to several
   classes of Santa Fe locomotives and thereby reduce maintenance
   stockpiles. A "second generation" EMD-style traction motor blower
   housing was fitted to the left side of later rebuilds.

   Ten of the units (#4601, #4603–#4607, #4612, #4617, #4618, and #4675)
   were outfitted as "drone" or " slug" units for work in the Kansas City
   and Barstow hump yards. Ten others (#4611, #4627, #4629, #4640, #4645,
   #4648, #4667, #4674, #4677, and #4678) were configured with Remote
   Control Equipment (RCE) for use in coal, grain, potash, and molten
   sulfur unit train service.

In service

   The majority of SD26s were placed in both general freight and
   intermodal service in the Kansas City — La Junta — Albuquerque — El
   Paso freight pool, while others spent their years running up and down
   the railroad's Coast Lines. The units became known "slushbuckets" among
   railfans in reference to their distinctive turbocharger sound, which
   was considerably more subdued than that produced by either the EMD GP40
   or SD40, both of which utilized the same powerplant. #4625 was wrecked
   near Rustler Springs, Texas in August of 1974 and was subsequently sent
   to the scrap yard.

Afterlife

   Changing philosophies regarding motive power expenditures led the Santa
   Fe to begin trimming its SD26 roster in the Spring of 1985, when 44 of
   the locomotives were retired and traded to EMD in exchange for 15 new
   GP50s. The other 35 units were sold off at the end of 1986 for use on
   the Guilford Rail System (GRS), which, at last count, had two of the
   units in operation (#621 and #643; former Santa Fe #4607 and #4673).
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD26"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
