EMD E9

EMD E9

UP #949 leads an excursion through Clinton, Iowa in August 1995.

Type and origin Power type Diesel Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) Model E9 Build date April 1954 – January 1964 Total produced 100 A units, 44 B units

Specifications AAR wheel arr. A1A-A1A Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Wheel diameter 36 in (914 mm) Minimum curve 57° (?) 104.79 ft or 31.94 m 27° (?) 214.18 ft or 65.28 m Length 70 ft 3 in (21.41 m) Width 10 ft 7 1⁄2 in (3.239 m) Height 14 ft 7 in (4.45 m) Loco weight A unit: 315,000 lb (143,000 kg), B unit: 290,000 lb (130,000 kg) Fuel type Diesel Prime mover (2) EMD 567C Engine type V12 Two-stroke diesel Traction motors (4) GM D37 Cylinders 12

Performance figures Maximum speed 117 mph (188 km/h) Power output 2,400 hp (1,790 kW) Tractive effort 56,500 lb (25,600 kg) starting, 31,000 lb (14,000 kg) continuous

Career Locale United States Disposition most scrapped, several preserved, none in revenue service though some used on special trains

The E9 is a 2,400-horsepower (1,790 kW), A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between April 1954 and January 1964. 100 cab-equipped A units were produced and 44 cabless booster B units, all for service in the United States. The E9 was the tenth and last model of EMD E-unit and differed from the earlier E8 as built only by the newer engines and a different, flusher-fitting mounting for the headlight glass, the latter being the only visible difference. Since some E8s were fitted with this, it is not a reliable way to distinguish the two.

The E9 has two 1,200 hp (895 kW), V12 model 567C engines, each engine driving one generator to power two traction motors.

The E9 uses twin 12 cylinder 567C engines developing a total of 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) at 800 rpm. Designed specifically for railroad locomotives, this Roots-blown, mechanically-aspirated 2-stroke 45-degree V-type, with an 8 ¹⁄₂ by 10 in (216 by 254 mm), bore by stroke, giving 567 cubic inches (9.29 L) displacement per cylinder, remained in production until 1966. Two D.C. generators, one per engine, provide power to four motors, two on each truck, in an A1A-A1A arrangement. This truck design was used on all E units and on MP 7100 and CB&Q 9908 power cars. EMD has built all of its major components since 1939.

The E9 powered American passenger and mail trains from the 1950s into the late 1970s. Many of America's finest trains — such as Union Pacific Railroad's "City" fleet, Burlington's "Zephyr" fleet and Southern Pacific Railroad's Coast Daylight and Sunset Limited — had E9s pulling them. E9s and their E7 and E8 kin ran throughout the country on lesser-known passenger trains, Chicago's network of commuter trains and many mail and express trains. As America's passenger train network shrank due to unprofitibility, Union Pacific, Rock Island and Illinois Central Railroad began using E9s on freight trains.