EMD MP15AC

The EMD MP15AC is a 1,120 kW (1,502 hp) diesel switcher/road-switcher locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between August 1975 and August 1984. A variant of the EMD MP15DC with an AC transmission, 246 examples were built, including 25 for export to Mexico, and four built in Canada.

EMD MP15AC
CP 1422. ex-SOO 1552, nee Milwaukee Road 486.
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderGeneral Motors Electro-Motive Division, General Motors Diesel, Canada
ModelMP15AC
Build dateAugust 1975 – August 1984
Total produced246
Specifications
Gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Prime mover645E
Engine typeV12 two-stroke diesel
Displacement7,740 cu in (126.8 L)
Cylinders12
Cylinder size9 in × 10 in (229 mm × 254 mm)
bore x stroke
Performance figures
Power output1,500 hp (1,120 kW)
Career
NicknamesLittle Beaver
LocaleNorth America

Development

The MP15DC’s standard Blomberg B trucks were capable of transition and road speeds up to 60 mph (97 km/h), allowing use on road freights. Soon there was a demand for a model with an advanced AC drive system. The MP15AC replaced the MP15DC’s DC generator with an alternator producing AC power which is converted to DC for the traction motors with a silicon rectifier. The MP15AC is 1.5 ft (457 mm) longer than an MP15DC, the extra space being needed for the rectifier equipment. The alternator-rectifier combination is more reliable than a generator, and this equipment became the standard for new diesel-electric locomotive designs.

The MP15AC is easily distinguished from the DC models. Instead of the front-mounted radiator intake and belt-driven fan used on all previous EMD switchers, these have intakes on the lower forward nose sides and electric fans. Side intakes allowed the unit to take in cooler air, and the electric fans improved a serious reliability issue found in its earlier DC sisters.[1][2]

Engine

The MP15 used a roots-blown 12-cylinder 645E engine.[3] The engine is rated at 1,500 hp (1,120 kW).[4] The 645 series, introduced in 1966, was EMD’s standard engine through the 1980s.[1] [5]

The six largest buyers, Milwaukee (64), Southern Pacific (58), Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (45), Nacionales de México (25), Long Island (23), and Louisville & Nashville (10), were all buying AC road locomotives. 36 more units were sold to 8 other customers.

gollark: It also has a CLI mode, which early versions of my in-browser emulator thingy used.
gollark: Yes.
gollark: And yet some people use outdated emulators!
gollark: Unless they host it themselves.
gollark: It's not like I'll let people run stuff for *free*.

See also

References
  1. Pinkepank, Jerry A.; Marre, Louis A. (1979). Diesel Spotters Guide Update. Kalmbach Books. pp. 4–9. ISBN 0-89024-029-9.
  2. Johnston, Howard; Harris, Ken (2005). Jane's Train Recognition Guide. HarperCollins Publishing. pp. 414, 425. ISBN 978-0-06-081895-1.
  3. "Proceedings of the American Railway Engineering Association". American Railway Engineering Association: 106. 1974. Specifications are standard throughout for GM locomotives fitted with the Series 645 engine; MP15 has a 12- cylinder 645E roots-blown version.
  4. Solomon, Brian, 1966- (15 June 2016). The field guide to trains : locomotives and rolling stock. Minneapolis, Minnesota. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-7603-4997-7. OCLC 928614280.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Pinkpank, Jerry A (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Books. p. 26. LCCN 66-22894.
  • Marre, Louis A. & Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1989). The Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-89024-088-4. LCCN 88083625. OCLC 19959644.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.