EMD SD70ACU
The EMD SD70ACU is a 6-axle 4,500 hp (3,400 kW) diesel-electric locomotive originally built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as an SD9043MAC, and rebuilt by Norfolk Southern and Progress Rail. They are operated by two railroads, Norfolk Southern railway and Canadian Pacific.
| EMD SD70ACU | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Canadian Pacific 7029 near Fort Macleod in February 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The SD70ACU began under Norfolk Southern, who rebuilt its EMD SD90MACs to this configuration at its shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The first locomotive entered the rebuilding process in September 2015, which was number 7299. As of 2019, all 110 units have been released into active service.
All of the SD70ACUs will be rebuilt with the latest EMD cab which meets current FRA crashworthiness standards. The Siemens electronics will be replaced with Mitsubishi electronics. The rebuild also includes the installation of Ultra Cab II, locomotive speed limiter (LSL), and cab signals. The trucks will be rebuilt only as needed and they are not getting traction motors swapped out.
In 2018, Canadian Pacific started a similar rebuild program with its long dormant SD90MAC fleet. Unlike NS, the work on these rebuilds was not be done in-house, but by Progress Rail at its Mayfield, Kentucky and Muncie, Indiana facilities.
Canadian Pacific
In 2018, it was announced that Canadian Pacific came to an agreement with Progress Rail to rebuild 30 of Canadian Pacific's long dormant SD90MAC fleet into a similar rebuild as what Norfolk Southern had done. The new Canadian Pacific SD70ACUs are numbered 7000–7029. In 2019, CP decided to rebuild its remaining 28 SD90MACs. It had originally purchased 61 SD90MACs, but three were retired and scrapped in 2012. To make up for the loss, CP purchased two SD90MACs from Union Pacific for another batch of 30 rebuilds; these are to be numbered 7030–7059.[1][2]
On September 16, 2019, Progress Rail rolled out two SD70ACU rebuilds in Canadian Pacific heritage paint schemes, and it was announced that there were to be ten units in total. CP 7010 to 7014 would be painted in the Tuscan red and grey paint scheme with script writing that was used between 1960 and 1968. Units numbered from 7015 to 7019 wear a similar paint scheme with block lettering that was used between 1949 and 1959.[3]
On November 11, 2019, five units with commemorative military themes were released during Canadian Pacific's Remembrance Day Ceremony. These units are numbered 7020–7023, with 7024 being renumbered to 6644 (for the date 6/6/44) in honor of D-Day. All five commemorative military units feature Canadian Pacific's unique Support Our Troops logo, as well a Canadian and American flag on opposite sides of the locomotive.[4][5]
See also
- EMD SD70 series - A list of the many variants of SD70s EMD has produced
References
- "Juniata Diesel Conversions SD90MAC to SD70ACU for Norfolk Southern". 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
- Toth, Chris R. "NSDash9.com".
- Progress Rail to upgrade CP units Railway Age June 26, 2018/
- First Canadian Pacific SD70ACU locomotives delivered Trains August 22, 2019
- Canadian Pacific releases two SD70ACU heritage locomotives Trains September 16, 2019
- CP details paint schemes on commemorative locomotives Trains November 12, 2019
- Commemorative locomotives transported undercover into Canada for big reveal CBC News November 11, 2019
External links
Media related to EMD SD70ACU locomotives at Wikimedia Commons