The EMD MP15DC was a 1500 hp switcher

Switcher

A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...

-type diesel locomotive

Diesel locomotive

A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...

 model produced by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between 1974 and 1980. 351 examples were built. It replaced the SW1500

EMD SW1500

The EMD SW1500 was a diesel locomotive intended for switching service and built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between June 1966 and January 1974. 808 examples were constructed. It was closely related to the less powerful EMD SW1000 model, forming a line of switchers powered by the new...

 in EMD's catalog, and is superficially very similar to the predecessor model, using effectively the same engine (a V12

V12 engine

A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....

 EMD 645

EMD 645

The EMD 645 family of diesel engines was designed and manufactured by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. Intended primarily for locomotive, marine and stationary engine use, one 16-cylinder version powered the 33-19 "Titan" prototype haul truck designed by GM's Terex...

-series powerplant) in a similar design of hood and bodywork.

Like the Mexico-only SW1504

EMD SW1504

The EMD SW1504 was a diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. The type was sold only to Mexico's national railroad, Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México; 60 examples were built between May and August 1973...

, the MP15DC used Blomberg truck

Blomberg B

The Blomberg B was a "B" diesel locomotive truck. These trucks were the standard EMD four wheel truck from the FT up until the GP60. EMD introduced the truck in 1936. Unofficially it is named after Martin Blomberg, who joined the company the year before...

s exclusively, replacing the Flexicoil trucks or AAR

Association of American Railroads

The Association of American Railroads is an industry trade group representing primarily the major freight railroads of North America . Amtrak and some regional commuter railroads are also members...

 switcher trucks used on the SW1500. In EMD's eyes (among others) this made the new locomotive a road switcher

Road switcher

A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive used for delivering or picking up cars outside of a railroad yard. Since the road switcher must work some distance away from a yard, it needs to be able to operate at road speeds, it must also have high-visibility while it is switching, and it must...

 rather than a pure switcher, since it was capable of transition and road speeds up to 60 mph (100 km/h) or so; the designation thus meant Multi-Purpose locomotive, 1500 hp, DC generator. Originally the locomotive was simply designated the MP15; the arrival of the alternator/rectifier MP15AC

EMD MP15AC

The EMD MP15AC is a 1,500 hp diesel switcher/road-switcher locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between August 1975 and August 1984. 246 examples were built, including 25 for export to Mexico, and four built in Canada...

 in 1975 changed the name.

Original Buyers

Owner	= Quantity
American Cyanamid Company American Cyanamid American Cyanamid was a large, diversified, American chemical manufacturer, founded by Frank Washburn in 1907. It was the only United States firm manufacturing the polio vaccine of the Sabin type....	2
Aluminum Corporation of America Alcoa Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...  (Alcoa Alcoa Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries... )	1
Alton and Southern Railroad Alton and Southern Railroad The Alton and Southern Railway is a railroad in Illinois. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad that operates a switching railroad in the Greater St. Louis area.- Overview :...	1
Altos Hornos de Mexico Altos Hornos de México Altos Hornos de México , is the largest steel mining corporation in Mexico with installed capacity of 4.2 million metric tons of liquid steel.-History:AHMSA was founded in Mexico by American Harold R. Pape in 1942...	5
Arizona Public Service Arizona Public Service Arizona Public Service Company is the largest electric utility in Arizona and the principal subsidiary of publicly-traded S&P 500 member Pinnacle West Capital Corporation , which in turn had been formerly named AZP Group, when Arizona Public Service reorganized as that holding company in 1985.With...	1
Bauxite and Northern Railway Bauxite and Northern Railway The Bauxite and Northern Railway is a Class III railroad operating in the United States state of Arkansas. BXN operates over of track in Bauxite, Arkansas. Traffic consists of largely of alumina, and the railroad hauls 4,059 carloads per year...	2
Belt Railway of Chicago Belt Railway of Chicago The Belt Railway of Chicago , headquartered in Chicago, is the largest switching terminal railroad in the United States. It is co-owned by six Class I railroads — BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union...	4
Birmingham Southern Railroad Birmingham Southern Railroad Birmingham Southern Railroad is a subsidiary of Transtar, operator of several short-line railroad companies. The BS operates on 84 miles of track, providing switching services in the Birmingham, Alabama area.-History:...	2
BC Hydro BC Hydro The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...  (Canada)	3
Cambria and Indiana Railway	2
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...	15
Cities Service Company	1
W.R. Grace and Company	4
Graysonia, Nashville and Ashdown Railroad	1
Genesee and Wyoming Railroad Genesee and Wyoming Railroad Genesee & Wyoming Inc. is a short-line railroad holding company that owns or maintains interests in 63 railroads throughout six countries , and operates more than of owned and leased track, with more than under additional track-access arrangements...	2
Gulf Oil Gulf Oil Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies...	1
Georgetown Railroad Georgetown Railroad The Georgetown Railroad is a short-line railroad headquartered in Georgetown, Texas.-History:The original Georgetown Railroad Company was chartered on May 31, 1878, with a commitment to build a railroad the approximately 10 mile distance between Georgetown and Round Rock. The first board of...	2
Houston Belt and Terminal Railroad	5
Industrial Minera de Mexico	2
Kansas City Southern	4
Kelly's Creek and Northwestern Railroad	2
Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion Railroad Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion Railroad The Lake Erie, Franklin, and Clarion Railroad was a fifteen mile long short line that ran from a Conrail connection at Summerville, Pennsylvania, to Clarion, Pennsylvania, the county seat of Clarion County, and included a short branch from Sutton to Hedrick...	4
Louisville and Nashville Railroad Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...	10
Manufacturers Railway Manufacturers Railway Manufacturers Railway may refer to:*Manufacturers Railway , owned by Anheuser-Busch*Manufacturers Railway...	3
Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago	1
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...	62
North Louisiana and Gulf Railroad	4
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio at nearby Haselton, Ohio in the west and Connellsville, ...	25
Point Comfort and Northern Railroad	4
Quebec Iron and Titanium (Canada)	2
Reading Railroad	10
Rockdale, Sandow and Southern Railroad Rockdale, Sandow and Southern Railroad The Rockdale, Sandow and Southern Railroad is a Class III railroad operating in the United States state of Texas. It consists of of track between Rockdale and Marjorie, Texas.In 2005, the holding company RailAmerica purchased the railroad....	3
St. Louis - San Francisco Railway	5
St. Mary's Railroad St. Mary's Railroad The St. Mary's Railroad is a class III railroad operating in Georgia USA.-History:The St. Marys and Kingsland Railroad was founded in 1865 by Captain Lemuel Johnson. It received its charter from the state of Georgia, and its first two locomotives purchased were #207 and #308.The SM&K eventually...	2
Southern Railway Southern Railway (US) The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...	88
Southern Pacific Railroad Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....	12
Estech Inc. (Swift Chemical Co.)	1
Tennessee Eastman (Eastman Kodak Eastman Kodak Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892.... )	1
Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks The Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks is a terminal railroad according to the AAR. It operates on about of track and is a subsidiary of the Alabama State Port Authority located at the Port of Mobile in Mobile, Alabama.-Connections:...	7
Texas City Terminal Railroad	3
Texas and Northern Railway Texas and Northern Railway The Texas and Northern Railway is an eight-mile railroad connecting Lone Star, Texas, to the former Louisiana and Arkansas Railway, now a line of the Kansas City Southern Railway, between Daingerfield and Hughes Springs...	2
Union Railroad Union Railroad The following railroads have been named Union Railroad or Union Railway, usually because they connected or merged several other railroads. See joint railway for the concept of a railroad owned by more than one company.Freight carriers...	24
US Steel	15

Current owners

The 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....

 is perhaps the largest current user of the MP15DC, having 102 of the type in service (Strack, 2004). None were originally owned by the UP; instead, they were acquired by merger or takeover, or bought on the second-hand locomotive market. The vast majority (62) came from the 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...

, while locomotives were also acquired from the 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...

 (14) and Southern Pacific Railroad

Southern Pacific Railroad

The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....

 (9). A further 15 were acquired from the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad

Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad

The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio at nearby Haselton, Ohio in the west and Connellsville, ...

, being surplus to their requirements, while a further two have been leased from Helm.

The Alaska Railroad

Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad which extends from Seward and Whittier, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States, to Fairbanks , and beyond to Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright in the interior of that state...

 has four MP15DCs used as yard switching engines, numbered 1551-1554. Two were obtained from the Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion Railroad

Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion Railroad

The Lake Erie, Franklin, and Clarion Railroad was a fifteen mile long short line that ran from a Conrail connection at Summerville, Pennsylvania, to Clarion, Pennsylvania, the county seat of Clarion County, and included a short branch from Sutton to Hedrick...

; the other two were obtained from the Kelley's Creek and Northwestern Railroad.

Caltrain

Caltrain

Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...

 has two MP15DCs used for yard switching and work train service, numbered 503 and 504.

Specifications

Overall length:	47 ft 8 in	14.83 m
Between bolster centers:	24 ft 2 in	7.37 m
Truck wheelbase:	9 ft 0 in	2.74 m
Width over grabirons:	10 ft 0.75 in	3.07 m
Height above rails:	15 ft 0 in	4.57 m
Wheel diameter:	40 in	1.02 m
Fuel capacity:	1,100-1,400 US gal	4,200-5,300 L
Engine:	12-645E, V12 V12 engine A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....  Roots-blown Roots type supercharger The Roots type supercharger or Roots blower is a positive displacement lobe pump which operates by pumping fluids with a pair of meshing lobes not unlike a set of stretched gears. Fluid is trapped in pockets surrounding the lobes and carried from the intake side to the exhaust... diesel
Power:	1,500 hp	1,100 kW
Main generator:	D32 generator
Traction motors:	4 × D77/78 DC
Standard gearing:	62:15
Weight:	248,000 lb	112,000 kg

(GATX, 2005)