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GE E60
The GE E60 is a family of six-axle 6,000 hp (4.5 MW) C-C electric locomotives made by GE Transportation Systems (GE) between 1972 and 1983. The E60s were produced in several variants for both freight and passenger use in the United States and Mexico. GE designed the locomotive for use on the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad (BM&LP), a dedicated coal-hauling route in Arizona, which began operation in 1973. That same year GE adapted the design for high-speed passenger service on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. The largest customer was Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (NdeM), the state-owned railroad in Mexico, which bought 39 for a new electrification project in the early 1980s.
The E60s were successful in the coal-hauling role. They ran on the BM&LP for decades and remain in use on several mining railroads in the Western United States. The passenger variants failed in their intended role. Problems with the truck design caused derailments above 90 miles per hour (140 km/h), rendering the locomotives unusable for high-speed service. By the end of the 1970s Amtrak abandoned the E60 in favor of EMD AEM-7 locomotives manufactured by Electro-Motive Division. In Mexico, the NdeM's project was delayed into the 1990s, then scrapped after three years of use. Most of the NdeM's electric locomotives never ran and were traded back to GE for diesels. Some were sold to various mining railroads.
The Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad (BM&LP) was a new railroad built to transport coal from the Black Mesa Mine near Kayenta, Arizona to the Navajo Generating Station power plant at Page, Arizona. It was 78 miles (125.5 km) long and isolated from the national railroad network. The BM&LP was electrified at 50 kV 60 Hz AC, and was the first such electrification to use this voltage in the world. The railroad was intended to run as a conveyor belt, with trains cycling between the coal mine and the plant. To operate this conveyor belt, GE Transportation Systems (GE) designed the E60C, though it was suitable for general mainline freight operation.
The heavy loads of coal on BM&LP drove GE's design choices on the E60C. GE chose a six-axle (C-C) design, with 42 in (1,067 mm) wheels instead of the standard 40 in (1,016 mm) wheels. This was necessary because of the locomotive's 85:21 gearing. With this gearing a maximum speed of 72 mph (116 km/h) was possible, although the standard operating speed on the BM&LP was 35 mph (56 km/h). A transformer steps down the high-voltage AC which is then rectified with thyristor bridges to provide DC power to six GE780 traction motors, one per axle. The locomotive is rated at 6,000 hp (4.5 MW), with a starting tractive effort of 125,000 lbf (556 kN) and a continuous tractive effort of 77,000 lbf (343 kN). Physically the locomotive is 63 ft 2 in (19.3 m) long and weighs 426,000 lb (193,230 kg), including some 100,000 lb (45,359 kg) of ballast.
GE made a number of changes when it redesigned the E60C for passenger use. The new design was lighter, at 387,000 lb (175,540 kg), and longer, at 71 ft 3 in (21.7 m). A gearing of 68:38 permitted a maximum design speed of 120 mph (193 km/h). The starting tractive effort was considerably lower at 75,000 lbf (334 kN), with a continuous rating of 34,000 lbf (151 kN). Unlike freight locomotives, passenger locomotives have to supply heat to passenger cars. In the 1970s Amtrak operated both old-style steam-heated cars and new Amfleet cars with head-end power (HEP). GE designed two variants to handle these use cases: the E60CP had steam generators, while the E60CH had HEP generators. Both models had a cab and pantograph at each end. Reflecting the varied electrification schemes on the Northeast Corridor the Amtrak units could operate at three different voltages: 11 kV 25 Hz AC, 12.5 kV 60 Hz AC, and 25 kV 60 Hz. The wheels had a more standard diameter of 40 in (1,016 mm).
GE revised the design in the early 1980s for use by Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (NdeM) on its new electrification project. The E60C-2, like the passenger variants, had double cabs and double pantographs. They were geared at 83:20, for a maximum speed of 110 km/h (68 mph). Although geared differently from the E60CP/CH it also used 40 in (1,016 mm) wheels. The locomotives are 70 ft 10+3⁄4 in (21.6 m) long and weigh 370,000 lb (167,829 kg). They employ six GE 752AF traction motors. The tractive effort was similar to the original E60C: 117,000 lbf (520 kN) starting and 82,000 lbf (365 kN) continuous. NdeM adopted 25 kV 60 Hz electrification. A later buyer, the Deseret-Western Railway, like the Black Mesa and Lake Powell, adopted 50 kV 60 Hz AC.
The planned weight of a loaded coal train at the Black Mesa and Lake Powell (BM&LP) was 11,424.5–12,989.5 short tons (10,364.1–11,783.9 t). GE intended that the E60Cs work in multiple, three per train, to handle this load. The BM&LP ordered a total of six locomotives between 1972–1976, allowing it to operate two trains at once. The BM&LP acquired six former Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México E60C-2s after the latter discontinued electric operations in the late 1990s. These displaced the original E60Cs. The Arizona State Railroad Museum of Williams, Arizona took possession of ex-BM&LP E60C No. 6001 in 2010.
Amtrak assumed control of almost all private sector intercity passenger rail service in the United States on May 1, 1971, with a mandate to reverse decades of decline. It retained approximately 184 of the 440 trains which had run the day before. To operate these trains, Amtrak inherited a fleet of 300 locomotives (electric and diesel) and 1190 passenger cars, most of which dated from the 1940s–1950s.
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GE E60
The GE E60 is a family of six-axle 6,000 hp (4.5 MW) C-C electric locomotives made by GE Transportation Systems (GE) between 1972 and 1983. The E60s were produced in several variants for both freight and passenger use in the United States and Mexico. GE designed the locomotive for use on the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad (BM&LP), a dedicated coal-hauling route in Arizona, which began operation in 1973. That same year GE adapted the design for high-speed passenger service on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. The largest customer was Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (NdeM), the state-owned railroad in Mexico, which bought 39 for a new electrification project in the early 1980s.
The E60s were successful in the coal-hauling role. They ran on the BM&LP for decades and remain in use on several mining railroads in the Western United States. The passenger variants failed in their intended role. Problems with the truck design caused derailments above 90 miles per hour (140 km/h), rendering the locomotives unusable for high-speed service. By the end of the 1970s Amtrak abandoned the E60 in favor of EMD AEM-7 locomotives manufactured by Electro-Motive Division. In Mexico, the NdeM's project was delayed into the 1990s, then scrapped after three years of use. Most of the NdeM's electric locomotives never ran and were traded back to GE for diesels. Some were sold to various mining railroads.
The Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad (BM&LP) was a new railroad built to transport coal from the Black Mesa Mine near Kayenta, Arizona to the Navajo Generating Station power plant at Page, Arizona. It was 78 miles (125.5 km) long and isolated from the national railroad network. The BM&LP was electrified at 50 kV 60 Hz AC, and was the first such electrification to use this voltage in the world. The railroad was intended to run as a conveyor belt, with trains cycling between the coal mine and the plant. To operate this conveyor belt, GE Transportation Systems (GE) designed the E60C, though it was suitable for general mainline freight operation.
The heavy loads of coal on BM&LP drove GE's design choices on the E60C. GE chose a six-axle (C-C) design, with 42 in (1,067 mm) wheels instead of the standard 40 in (1,016 mm) wheels. This was necessary because of the locomotive's 85:21 gearing. With this gearing a maximum speed of 72 mph (116 km/h) was possible, although the standard operating speed on the BM&LP was 35 mph (56 km/h). A transformer steps down the high-voltage AC which is then rectified with thyristor bridges to provide DC power to six GE780 traction motors, one per axle. The locomotive is rated at 6,000 hp (4.5 MW), with a starting tractive effort of 125,000 lbf (556 kN) and a continuous tractive effort of 77,000 lbf (343 kN). Physically the locomotive is 63 ft 2 in (19.3 m) long and weighs 426,000 lb (193,230 kg), including some 100,000 lb (45,359 kg) of ballast.
GE made a number of changes when it redesigned the E60C for passenger use. The new design was lighter, at 387,000 lb (175,540 kg), and longer, at 71 ft 3 in (21.7 m). A gearing of 68:38 permitted a maximum design speed of 120 mph (193 km/h). The starting tractive effort was considerably lower at 75,000 lbf (334 kN), with a continuous rating of 34,000 lbf (151 kN). Unlike freight locomotives, passenger locomotives have to supply heat to passenger cars. In the 1970s Amtrak operated both old-style steam-heated cars and new Amfleet cars with head-end power (HEP). GE designed two variants to handle these use cases: the E60CP had steam generators, while the E60CH had HEP generators. Both models had a cab and pantograph at each end. Reflecting the varied electrification schemes on the Northeast Corridor the Amtrak units could operate at three different voltages: 11 kV 25 Hz AC, 12.5 kV 60 Hz AC, and 25 kV 60 Hz. The wheels had a more standard diameter of 40 in (1,016 mm).
GE revised the design in the early 1980s for use by Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (NdeM) on its new electrification project. The E60C-2, like the passenger variants, had double cabs and double pantographs. They were geared at 83:20, for a maximum speed of 110 km/h (68 mph). Although geared differently from the E60CP/CH it also used 40 in (1,016 mm) wheels. The locomotives are 70 ft 10+3⁄4 in (21.6 m) long and weigh 370,000 lb (167,829 kg). They employ six GE 752AF traction motors. The tractive effort was similar to the original E60C: 117,000 lbf (520 kN) starting and 82,000 lbf (365 kN) continuous. NdeM adopted 25 kV 60 Hz electrification. A later buyer, the Deseret-Western Railway, like the Black Mesa and Lake Powell, adopted 50 kV 60 Hz AC.
The planned weight of a loaded coal train at the Black Mesa and Lake Powell (BM&LP) was 11,424.5–12,989.5 short tons (10,364.1–11,783.9 t). GE intended that the E60Cs work in multiple, three per train, to handle this load. The BM&LP ordered a total of six locomotives between 1972–1976, allowing it to operate two trains at once. The BM&LP acquired six former Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México E60C-2s after the latter discontinued electric operations in the late 1990s. These displaced the original E60Cs. The Arizona State Railroad Museum of Williams, Arizona took possession of ex-BM&LP E60C No. 6001 in 2010.
Amtrak assumed control of almost all private sector intercity passenger rail service in the United States on May 1, 1971, with a mandate to reverse decades of decline. It retained approximately 184 of the 440 trains which had run the day before. To operate these trains, Amtrak inherited a fleet of 300 locomotives (electric and diesel) and 1190 passenger cars, most of which dated from the 1940s–1950s.