GE E60

GE E60

Amtrak E60CH No. 957 on the Northeast Corridor in 1980

Type and origin Power type Electric Builder General Electric Build date 1972–1983 Total produced 73

Specifications AAR wheel arr. C-C UIC class Co′Co′ Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Wheel diameter 42 in (1,067 mm) (E60C) 40 in (1,016 mm) (E60CP and E60C-2) Wheelbase 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m) (E60CP) Length 63 ft 2 in (19.25 m) (E60C) 70 ft 10 3⁄4 in (21.61 m) (E60C-2) 71 ft 3 in (21.72 m) (E60CP) Width 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) (E60CP) Height 14 ft 7 in (4.45 m) (E60CP) Loco weight 387,000–426,000 lb (176,000–193,000 kg) Fuel capacity 500 US gal (1,900 l; 420 imp gal) (E60CP) Water cap 4,800 US gal (18,000 l; 4,000 imp gal) (E60CP) Sandbox cap 56 cu ft (1.6 m3) (E60CP) Electric system(s) 11 kV 25 Hz AC 12.5 kV 60 Hz AC 25 kV 60 Hz AC 50 kV 60 Hz AC Current collection Pantograph Traction motors 6 × GE 780B (E60C) 6 × GE 752AF (E60C-2) Transmission Alternating current fed through multi-voltage transformer to silicon thyristor type rectifiers using phase angle control to provide direct current to six traction motors. MU working AAR Train heating Steam boiler (E60CP) HEP (E60CH and E60MA) Train brakes Air (schedule 26-L), dynamic Safety systems Cab Signal System, ATC

Performance figures Maximum speed 72–90 mph (116–145 km/h) Power output 6,000 hp (4.5 MW) Tractive effort 75,000–125,000 lbf (334–556 kN) (starting) 34,000–82,000 lbf (151–365 kN) (continuous)

Career Operators Amtrak Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad Deseret Power Railroad Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Navajo Mine Railroad New Jersey Transit Texas Utilities Locale Mexico City–Querétaro Northeast Corridor Western United States Retired 1998 (New Jersey Transit) 2003 (Amtrak) 2011 (Texas Utilities) Disposition Several in active service, three preserved, rest scrapped

The GE E60 is a family of C-C electric locomotives made by GE Transportation Systems. The E60s were produced in several variants for both freight and passenger use in the United States and Mexico. The first six were built in the 1970s for use on the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad, a dedicated coal-hauling route in Arizona, where they remained in use for decades. Amtrak, the national rail passenger carrier in the United States, bought 26 for high-speed services on the Northeast Corridor. The E60 failed in this role and would be replaced by the EMD AEM-7. Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, the state-owned railroad in Mexico, bought 39 for a new electrification project in the early 1980s. This project would be delayed into the 1990s, then scrapped after three years of use. Several E60s remain in use on mining railroads in the Western United States.

GE designed the E60C for use on the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad (BM&LP), an isolated 78 miles (125.5 km) line built to transport coal from the Black Mesa Mine near Kayenta, Arizona to the Navajo Generating Station power plant at Page, Arizona. The E60C is distinguished from later models by its single cab and pantograph. The BM&LP is electrified at 50 kV 60 Hz AC. It was the first such electrification in the world.

Thyristor rectifiers step down the AC to six GE780 traction motors, two per axle. The locomotive is rated at 6,000 hp (4.5 MW). A gearing of 85:21 permits a maximum speed of 72 mph (116 km/h). The locomotive is 63 ft 2 in (19.3 m) and weighs 426,000 lb (193,230 kg), including some 100,000 lb (45,359 kg) of ballast. The wheels had a diameter of 42 in (1,067 mm). The starting tractive effort was 125,000 lbf (556 kN); continuous 77,000 lbf (343 kN).