GP60 - MagnumMacKivler/RLCPT2 GitHub Wiki
EMD 5, one of 3 GP60 Demonstrator engines, is sitting in the yard fresh after being built. While they had SP style specifications, the demonstrators are now with the CSX railroad. Photo author unknown
The GP60 is the 4 axle locomotive in the 60 series (along with the 6 axle SD60); it is a sucessor to the GP50, and replaced the notoriously problematic 16-645F3B engine with the new 16-710G3A engine. The GP60 also had a redesign on the dynamic brake panels, and looks more rectangular than other GP locomotives. GP60 demonstrator locomotives also had a wedged standard cab design, however most railroads went for the traditional flat front cabs on their orders.
GP60 locomotives (along with GE's B40-8 locomotive series) were created with higher horsepower for railroads now focusing on high speed container and TOFC (Truck Trailer-On-Flat-Car) trains in particular, as well as faster, lighter freight trains that emerged in the 1980s. Because of this new found fast freight traffic, the Santa Fe railway requested EMD to make two special models, the GP60M and GP60B. The GP60B (for Booster) was a cabless GP60 locomotive; these would be sandwiched between two widecab GP60 locomotives (called GP60Ms, for Modified.)
Unfortunately, railroads soon found they could run the same trains with the 6 axle locomotives like the SD70 series, and use these locomotives on other trains, putting the GP60 as (as of 5/12/19) the last 4 axle locomotive made by EMD for mainline freight train service. Santa Fe, by extension, was the sole U.S. purchasee of a widecab 4 axle EMD locomotive, and was the last purchaser ever of any 4 axle B units to be made. (Another successor, the GP70, was cataloged but never sold any locomotives.)
As production ran between 1985 and 1994, 294 standard cab GP60s would be made (with notable purchases from regional south Texas "Texas Mexican Railway" (2) and the U.S. Department of Energy (1) for their "Savannah River Site" nuclear power site.) A total of 23 GP60Bs and 63 GP60Ms were also made, both for only the ATSF railroad.
An ATSF GP60M sits next to a Santa Fe sister unit in the promotional Maersk paint scheme near the Port of Los Angeles, 1990. Photo credit Joe Blackwell
A GP60B on a container train in Cajon, CA in 2000 (meaning this locomotive in Santa Fe paint is now owned by BNSF.) Photo credit Golden State Railfan
PT-Specific Information
| General Info | - |
|---|---|
| Prime Mover | 16-710G3A |
| Horsepower | 3800 HP |
| Truck Type | EMD "Blomberg" M |
| Axles | 4 |
| Traction Motors | 4 |
| Minimum Weight | 260,000 lbs ⚠ |
| Maximum Weight | 290,000 lbs ⚠ |
| Model Base Speed | 70 MPH |
| Top Speed | 70, 76, 82 or 88 MPH |
| Electrical System | - |
|---|---|
| Generator Max Current | 6600 amps |
| Max Traction Motor (TM) Current | 1650 amps |
| Max Continuous TM Current | 1205 amps |
| Traction Motor Type | DC |
| Factor of Adhesion | 25% |
| Transition Mode | Automatic |
| Transition Groups | 1 |
| Transition Shunts | 1 |
| Generator Transition | Yes |
| Traction Control | APR with sanding |
| Dynamic Braking (DB) Mode (if used) | Mechanical Blowers |
| DB Max Current | 700 |
| DB Max Continuous Current | 700 |
| Blended Braking | No |
| Miscellaneous | - |
|---|---|
| Head-End Power (HEP) | No |
| HEP Power Consumption | N/A |
| HEP Standby/Run Mode | N/A |
| Load Ramp Speed | 2 Amps/Tick |
| TM Overload Protection | No |
| Starter Mode | Manual Primer, Manual Start |
| Air Brake Schedule | 26L |
| Compressor CFM | 254 (WBO @ 900 RPM) |
| Main Reservoir Volume | 35 Cubic Feet |
###Notes:
⚠: Not verified or educated guess