EMD SD70

EMD SD70 series

BNSF 9211 Lincoln, NE 10-19-2014

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) Model SD70, SD70I, SD70M, SD70M-2, SD70MAC, SD70ACe, SD70ACe/LCi, SD70ACS, SD70ACe-T4, SD70ACE-BB, SD70ACe/45, SD70ACu Build date 1992 – current Total produced SD70: 122 SD70I: 26 SD70M: 1,609 SD70M-2: 331 SD70MAC: 1,109 SD70ACe: 2,091 SD70ACe/lc: 194 SD70ACS: 38 SD70ACe-T4: 103 SD70ACe-BB: 80 SD70ACe/45: 80

Specifications AAR wheel arr. C-C (UIC: Co'Co' ) B-B-B-B (UIC: Bo'Bo'Bo'Bo') for SD70ACe-BB Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge for the North American market; 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) for Brazil; 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) for Brazil Prime mover EMD 16-710-G3 2-stroke diesel; EMD 12-1010J 4-stroke diesel for SD70ACe-T4 Engine type V16; V12 for SD70ACe-T4 Cylinders 16 12 for SD70ACe-T4 Transmission Diesel electric

Career Operators see article Numbers see article

C-C (UIC: Co'Co' )

The EMD SD70 is a series of diesel-electric locomotives produced by Electro-Motive Diesel in response to the GE Dash 9-44CW. Production commenced in late 1992 and since then over 4,000 units have been produced; most of these are the SD70M and SD70MAC models. All locomotives of this series are hood units with C-C trucks.

Prior to the SD70ACe and SD70M-2 models, all SD70 models were delivered with the self-steering HTCR radial truck. The radial truck allows the axles to steer in curves which reduces wear on the wheels and railhead. With the introduction of the SD70ACe and SD70M-2 models, EMD introduced a new bolsterless non-radial HTSC truck as the standard truck for these models in an effort to reduce costs. The HTCR-4 radial truck is still an option.

All SD70ACe and SD70M-2 locomotives are, from the factory, equipped with one Nathan Airchime K5LLA-R1L airhorn mounted on a high-profile base. Due to height clearance restrictions, production models of the SD70ACe-T4 will be equipped with one K5LLA airhorn, mounted on a low-profile base, facing forward, and one "dual tone" K-13B airhorn, mounted over the rear headlight, facing rearward.

The SD70 uses the smaller standard cab or spartan cab, common on older 60 Series locomotives, instead of the larger, more modern comfort cab. This makes it hard to distinguish from the nearly-identical SD60, the only difference being the use of the HTCR radial truck instead of the HT-C truck mounted under the SD60. The main spotting feature is the difference in length between the two models - the SD60's 71 feet, 2 inches vs. the SD70's 72 feet, 4 inches. The SD70 also rides higher as its frame is approximately ¹⁄₂ inch (13 mm) higher than the SD60's. This model is equipped with direct current (DC) traction motors, which simplifies the locomotive's electrical system by obviating the need for computer-controlled inverters (as are required for alternating current (AC) power). It is equipped with the 4,000 horsepower (3,000 kW), 16-cylinder EMD 710 prime mover. One hundred and twenty-two examples of this model locomotive were produced for Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), Conrail (CR), Illinois Central Railroad (IC) and Southern Peru Copper Corporation (SPCC). Conrail's assets were split between Norfolk Southern (PRR) and CSX Transportation in 1999, and all 24 of Conrail's SD70 units went to NS. Other than the CR paint scheme these units were built to NS specifications and numbered (2557 - 2580) in series with their SD70's.