The SD80MAC is a 5000 horsepower

Horsepower

Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...

 (3.7 MW) C-C diesel-electric locomotive

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...

. The SD80MAC uses a 20 cylinder version of EMD's 710G prime mover

EMD 710

The EMD 710 is a line of diesel engines built by Electro-Motive Diesel . The 710 series largely replaced the earlier EMD 645 series. The EMD 710 is a large two-stroke diesel engine that has a displacement per cylinder. Since its introduction, EMD has continually upgraded the 710G diesel engine...

, and is the first diesel locomotive to utilize a 20 cylinder engine since the SD45

EMD SD45

The EMD SD45 is a six-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between December, 1965, and December, 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 twenty-cylinder engine which generated 3,600 HP. This locomotive shared the same common frame with the EMD SD38, EMD SD39, EMD...

/ SD45-2

EMD SD45-2

An EMD SD45-2 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division beginning in 1972. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 20-cylinder engine which generated . Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the SD45-2 was an upgraded SD45.The main spotting difference between an SD45 and an...

. The SD80MAC introduced a wide radiator housing similar to GE

Gê

Gê are the people who spoke Ge languages of the northern South American Caribbean coast and Brazil. In Brazil the Gê were found in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Piaui, Mato Grosso, Goias, Tocantins, Maranhão, and as far south as Paraguay....

 locomotives and the placement of dynamic brakes

Dynamic braking

Dynamic braking is the use of the electric traction motors of a railroad vehicle as generators when slowing the Locomotive. It is termed rheostatic if the generated electrical power is dissipated as heat in brake grid resistors, and regenerative if the power is returned to the supply line...

 at the rear of the locomotive, which is a cleaner location, features that were incorporated into the SD90MAC

EMD SD90MAC

The EMD SD90MAC is a C-C diesel-electric hood unit locomotive produced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. It is, with the SD80MAC, one of the largest single-engined locomotives produced by that company, surpassed only by the dual-engined DD series...

 and SD70ACe models. Key spotting difference between the SD80MAC and SD90MAC include: no external rear sandbox on the 90MAC, rear number boards, and the placement of the front numberboards (above the cab

Cab (locomotive)

The cab, crew compartment or driver's compartment of a locomotive is the part of the locomotive housing the train driver or engineer, the fireman or driver's assistant , and the controls necessary for the locomotive's operation....

 windows on the SD80MAC, on the nose on most SD90MACs). The SD80MAC also has recessed red marker lights in the nose, an identifying feature unique to Conrail locomotives.

All 30 units built were delivered to Conrail

Consolidated Rail Corporation

The Consolidated Rail Corporation, commonly known as Conrail , was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeast U.S. between 1976 and 1999. The federal government created it to take over the potentially profitable lines of bankrupt carriers, including the Penn Central Transportation Company and...

, and the 28 production units were completed, tested, and painted at the former Pennsylvania Railroad

Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....

 shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania

Altoona, Pennsylvania

-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...

. In the Conrail split, Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...

 received 17 units (numbered 7200-7216) while CSX

CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...

 got 13 (800-812, being renumbered to 4590-4602). The former Conrail units were the first AC traction locomotives owned by Norfolk Southern, with the railroad waiting until late 2008 to order the General Electric ES44AC. While Norfolk Southern quickly removed the class lights, CSX did not and they can still be seen on the engines.

Chicago and North Western Railway ordered 15, along with Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

, but the orders were canceled and/or changed. Even Conrail ordered more, but its new owners changed the order to SD70s and SD70MACs, all of which would be built at the Juniata Shop in Altoona.

The SD80MAC is one of the most popular locomotives with railfans, partially due to its rarity. In 2009, the final two SD80MACs left in Conrail blue; NS 7210 ( former CR 4118 ) and NS 7208 ( former CR 4115 ). NS 7208 was the last unit Conrail painted SD80MAC to receive new paint under NS colors, being late winter of 2009. There are no more Conrail painted units of this model left.This engine type is also known as the Conrail Cadillac.

Technical

Prime Mover:

• EMD V20
  V20 engine
  A V20 engine is a V engine with 20 cylinders.Engines of this number of cylinders are not common in automobiles, but this configuration is used in some large diesel engines....
  
    710G3B-ES
  EMD 710
  The EMD 710 is a line of diesel engines built by Electro-Motive Diesel . The 710 series largely replaced the earlier EMD 645 series. The EMD 710 is a large two-stroke diesel engine that has a displacement per cylinder. Since its introduction, EMD has continually upgraded the 710G diesel engine...
  
  
• Idle - 200 rpm
• Full Speed - 904 rpm
• Lube Oil Capacity 510 US gal
• Cooling Water Capacity 342 US gal
• Fuel Capacity 5800 US gal

Main Alternator:

• EMD TA22-CA8A
• Maximum Voltage - 2600 V DC
• Maximum Current - 8100 A

Traction motors:

• 6 Siemens 1TB2830 AC motors mounted 3 each on 2 HTCR-2 Radial Self Steering trucks.
• Rated Output - 638 kW (855 hp)
• Gearing - 83:16
• Wheel Size - 44 in
• Max Revolutions - 3,435 rpm
• Starting torque - 16,300 N·m (12,000 lbf·ft)
• Continuous torque - 12,900 N·m (9,500 lbf·ft)
• Maximum voltage - 2,183 V

Performance:

• Maximum Speed - 80 mph (130 km/h)
• Starting Tractive Effort - 185,000 lbf (820 kN)
• Continuous Tractive Effort - 147,000 lbf (654 kN)
• Braking Effort - 96,000 lbf (430 kN)
• Weight - 210 short tons (191 t; 420,000 lb)