HR616 - FresnoSubber/Fresno-and-Co.-Trainbuild-Tomfuckery GitHub Wiki

Are you looking for an ALCo/MLW equivalent to what EMD and GE were coming up with in the 1980s (SD50, SD60, C36-7, C39-8, C40-8)? If the answer is yes, then this is the locomotive for you!

Marketing ploy aside, MLW (later Bombardier) and their Australian licensee, Comeng, were looking to shed themselves of their dependence on GE electrical gear on their locomotives. Comeng first looked to Mitsubishi Electric (yes, the same people who make air conditioning units as well as the inverters and other electronics in the most recent Progress Rail/EMD products such as the SD70ACe and its Tier 4 counterpart), fitted the last six of the New South Wales Government Railways 442 Class "Jumbos" and all fifty 80 Class diesel locomotives, along with ten 85 and fifty 86 Class electric locomotives with MELCO rotating equipment. They proved not up to the task in a diesel-electric application due to, ironically, electrical unreliability, and the search for another supplier ended with Hitachi, but unfortunately not a single diesel locomotive fitted with the venerable 251 engine was built using their electrical gear. The closest we ever got was the cancelled second order for 15 HR616s for CN, which BBD pushed hard to convince them to extend it to cover the engineering costs, but CN declined.

Thanks to the existence of the aforementioned 442 and 80 Class locomotives and the known fact that BBD looked to Hitachi for their ill-fated rotating equipment needs, we're able to piece together how an HR616 could've performed with rotating equipment that is NOT from General Electric.

RLC PT2 Specific Information

General Info -
Engine ALCo 16-251E (1)
Power Output 3,000hp (1)
Truck Type Dofasco ZWT-3 Hi-Ad
Axles 6
Traction Motors 6
Minimum Weight 379,800lbs
Maximum Weight 420,000lbs
Model Base Speed 62mph
Top Speed 62mph, 65mph, 71mph, 81mph, 87mph

Electrical System Hitachi
Alternator Max Current 4,050A
Max Traction Motor (TM) Current 1,350A
Max Continuous TM Current 900A
Traction Motor Type DC (HT HS15250A)
Factor Of Adhesion 29%
Transition Mode Fully Automatic
Transition Groups 2, 2, 2
Transition Shunts 1, 0.75, 0.5 ⚠
Alternator Transition No
Traction Control APR + Sand
Dynamic Braking (DB) Mode (if used) Mechanically Driven Blowers @ 50% ⚠
DB Max Current 750A (2)
DB Max Continuous Current 750A
Blended Braking No

Electrical System Mitsubishi Electric
Alternator Max Current 3,000A (MELCO 2-B2-288P-01)
Max Traction Motor (TM) Current 1,000A
Max Continuous TM Current 610A
Traction Motor Type DC (MELCO MB-451-BVR)
Factor Of Adhesion 29%
Transition Mode Fully Automatic
Transition Groups 2, 2, 2 ⚠
Transition Shunts 1, 0.75, 0.5 ⚠
Alternator Transition No
Traction Control APR + Sand
Dynamic Braking (DB) Mode (if used) Mechanically Driven Blowers @ 50% ⚠
DB Max Current 550A (2)
DB Max Continuous Current 550A
Blended Braking No

Miscellaneous -
Head End Power (HEP) No
HEP Consumption N/A
HEP Stand By/Run Mode N/A
Load Ramp Speed 1A/Tick
TM Overload Protection No (3)
Starter Mode Latched Prime, Manual Start
Air Brake Schedule 26-L
Compressor CFM 247.5cu-ft (WABCo 3CDC @ 1,100rpm)
Main Reservoir Volume 35.9cu-ft

Notes

1: The HR616 could be optioned with different engines and horsepower ratings depending on what was ordered. CN's units were built with the stock option which was the 16-251E rated at 3,000hp, but it was also offered with a 16-251F (3,600hp) or a 16-251+ (4,000hp) when that became available in 1984.

2: If extended range dynamic brakes are desired, max DB current is 800A for Hitachi equipped units and 620A for MELCO units.

3: Those equipped with Hitachi electrical gear would have Overload Protection.

⚠ Not verified or educated guess.