EMD E3
Encyclopedia
The EMC E3 was a 2000 hp, A1A-A1A passenger train locomotive
manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation of La Grange, Illinois
. The EMC demonstrator #822 was released from La Grange for test on September 12, 1938. The cab
version, or E3A, was manufactured from September, 1938 to June, 1940, and 17 were produced. The booster
version, or E3B, was manufactured in March, 1939 and September, 1939, and 2 were produced. The 2,000 h.p. was achieved by putting two 1,000 hp, 12-cylinder, model 567 engines in the engine compartment. Each engine drove its own electrical generator
to power the traction motor
s. The E3 was the fourth model in a long line of passenger diesels of similar design known as EMD E-units.
Compared with other passenger locomotives made by EMC and EMD before and after these models, the noses of the E3, E4, E5
,and E6
cab units had pronounced slants when viewed from the side. Therefore, these four models have been nicknamed "slant nose" units. Some units made before these models were called "shovel nose" units because they looked like old coal shovels. Some units made during and after these models were called "bulldog nose" units, because they looked like a bulldog's snout.
. Today, it is owned by the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation Rail Division, and is on long term loan to the North Carolina Transportation Museum
, in Spencer, North Carolina
. It is ex-Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
E3A #501. It is stored in operating condition, and will be run occasionally.
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation of La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, a suburb of Chicago, is a village in Cook County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 15,608 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. The EMC demonstrator #822 was released from La Grange for test on September 12, 1938. The cab
A unit
An A unit, in railroad terminology, is a locomotive equipped with a driving cab, or crew compartment, and the control system to control other locomotives in a multiple unit, and therefore able to be the lead unit in a consist of several locomotives controlled from a single position...
version, or E3A, was manufactured from September, 1938 to June, 1940, and 17 were produced. The booster
B unit
A "B" unit, in railroad terminology, is a locomotive unit which does not have a driving cab, or crew compartment, and must therefore be controlled from another, coupled locomotive with a driving cab . The term booster unit is also used. The concept was largely confined to North America...
version, or E3B, was manufactured in March, 1939 and September, 1939, and 2 were produced. The 2,000 h.p. was achieved by putting two 1,000 hp, 12-cylinder, model 567 engines in the engine compartment. Each engine drove its own electrical generator
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
to power the traction motor
Traction motor
Traction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....
s. The E3 was the fourth model in a long line of passenger diesels of similar design known as EMD E-units.
Compared with other passenger locomotives made by EMC and EMD before and after these models, the noses of the E3, E4, E5
EMD E5
The EMD E5 was a , A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor, General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois, and produced exclusively for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad , and its...
,and E6
EMD E6
The EMD E6 was a , A1A-A1A, passenger train locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor, General Motors Electro-Motive Division, of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, or E6A, was manufactured from November, 1939 to September, 1942, and 91 were produced...
cab units had pronounced slants when viewed from the side. Therefore, these four models have been nicknamed "slant nose" units. Some units made before these models were called "shovel nose" units because they looked like old coal shovels. Some units made during and after these models were called "bulldog nose" units, because they looked like a bulldog's snout.
A units
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electro-Motive Corporation (demonstrator) | |
822 | to Kansas City Southern Railway #1 |
| Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad... |
|
500, 501 | 501 was wrecked before delivery and rebuilt by EMC as an E6A. It has been preserved. |
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859... |
|
11 | |
| Chicago and North Western Railway Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s... |
|
5001A, 5001B, 5002A, 5002B |
Initially used in A-A back-to-back pairs on the Twin Cities 400 Twin Cities 400 The 400 was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago and Saint Paul, with a final stop in Minneapolis... . |
| Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:... |
|
625, 626 | |
| Florida East Coast Railroad | |
1001, 1002 | |
| Kansas City Southern Railway Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states... |
|
2, 3 | |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific... |
|
7000, 7001 | |
| Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.... |
|
LA-5 | |
| Total | 17 |
B units
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859... |
|
11A | |
| Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.... |
|
LA-6 | |
Surviving units
Only one E3 survives today. It was formerly owned by the late Glen Monhart, and operated on excursions in WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Today, it is owned by the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation Rail Division, and is on long term loan to the North Carolina Transportation Museum
North Carolina Transportation Museum
The North Carolina Transportation Museum is a transport museum in Spencer, North Carolina.The museum is largely devoted to the state's railroad history, however its collection also includes exhibits of automobiles and aircraft....
, in Spencer, North Carolina
Spencer, North Carolina
Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,355.-History:...
. It is ex-Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
E3A #501. It is stored in operating condition, and will be run occasionally.