Southern Pacific 9010
Encyclopedia
Southern Pacific Railroad
(SP) locomotive number 9010 is a KM ML 4000 C'C'
diesel-hydraulic locomotive, built in 1964 by German
manufacturer Krauss-Maffei
(currently supplying locomotives as Siemens Transportation Systems
). SP 9010 generated 4000 hp from two 2000 HP V16
Maybach MD870 diesel engine
s. It was painted to Southern Pacific's 1958 standard, the so-called "bloody nose" colors of Scarlet and Lark Dark Gray, for its entire operating career. It was renumbered to SP 9113 in late 1965, rebuilt extensively at SP's Sacramento General Shops (later Sacramento Locomotive Works) during the latter half of 1966, and was initially retired in 1968. It was revived and rebuilt by Sacramento General Shops into a "camera car" for the purpose of shooting motion picture background plates for a ground-based locomotive training simulator. As camera car number 8799, it was retired in 1984 and donated to the California State Railroad Museum
in Sacramento, California
. It was de-accessioned by CSRM and acquired by the Pacific Locomotive Association
and moved to the Niles Canyon Railway
's Brightside, California rail yard in the summer of 2008. It is currently undergoing cosmetic and mechanical restoration. At the date of its inception, its type represented the highest-horsepower six-axle diesel locomotives in the world. SP 9010 is the sole surviving ML 4000 C'C' built for use in North America
, and the sole surviving mainline diesel-hydraulic locomotive in North America. (Several diesel-hydraulic switchers exist in service and in museums).
. SP 9010 was a member of the second production order of fifteen locomotives. These were called "Series" units by KM, but were popular known as "hood units" after the more modern narrow-hood carbody with external walkways. SP's stated motives for ordering the German-manufactured locomotives were a desire for more power per axle, better adhesion to the rails, freedom from electrical malfunctions, and fewer locomotives in 'consist' than the available American
diesel-electric locomotives of the time. SP owned a total of 21 ML 4000 C'C' locomotives, and a total of 24 of the diesel-hydraulic type. ML 4000s were originally used in freight service on SP's famous Donner Pass
line over California's Sierra Nevada, as they were originally intended to replace the EMD F7
, and had a special track set up at the Roseville
locomotive shops specifically for servicing the locomotives, with German mechanics and supervisors from K-M taking U.S. residence. However, the locomotives were found unsuitable in mountain service after extensive testing and relegated to service in the flat territory of the San Joaquin Valley
, often running in tandem with EMD F7s or EMD GP9
s.
s, SD45
s, and GE U33C
s. SP announced the end of its diesel-hydraulic program on February 13th, 1968, and from that date forward, any wear or damage requiring major repair or overhaul would result in the retirement of that unit.
SP 9113 was sidelined on September 18, 1968 with damage to the number 9 cylinder of the forward Maybach V-16. Scrapping of the Krauss-Maffei fleet took place at Associated Metals in Sacramento, California. SP 9113 was excluded from that process.
.
SP 9113 when being rebuilt carried the unofficial identity 'SPMW #1'. The railroad's traffic computer required 4 digits, and so it emerged from the shop bearing a small SPMW 1166 stencil. In June 1969 it was renumbered to SP 8799, in standard Southern Pacific locomotive lettering configuration. The most drastic change in appearance was the locomotive's short hood (or "nose"), which had been removed. In its place, a custom structure was fabricated to house twin Mitchell 35-millimeter film cameras and Nagra III timecode magnetic recording equipment, with stand-up headroom and two seats salvaged from another KM for operators. Heavy, thick steel was used for collision protection and to replace lost weight. The front Voith
L830rU transmission was removed to create space for the camera enclosure, while the Number 1 radiator compartment was emptied of radiators and ancillary equipment to house an Onan skid-mount generator to power the camera equipment. The two engines and rear transmission were simply disabled, principally being retained for weight. All gearboxes and Cardan
(universal) shafts were removed; gears were left in place on the six axles. All of the controls remained in the cab so that it could control a locomotive pushing behind it, much like a cab car is used on a commuter train. The camera car could be put on the lead of any train, but it primarily operated as special trips with just one locomotive behind it for power. Known locomotives used for power are a single EMD F7 B-unit, an EMD GP-9, an EMD GP35
, and a Cotton Belt (St. Louis Southwestern) SD45T-2.
Initially re-assigned to Roseville, California and making filming runs over portions of the SP's Donner Route, it was relocated in the 1970s to what became its permanent home at West Colton Yard in Southern California
.
in the summer of 2008 from Sacramento to their interchange with Niles Canyon Railway at Hearst, California. The Niles Canyon Railway then transferred SP 9010 to its Brightside Yard. Restoration is now underway by volunteers of the PLA.
The restoration process includes the building of a replica of the locomotive's original nose, and returning the locomotive to its original 1964 appearance with its original road number, 9010. It will retain its cab controls so that it can be pushed by a locomotive providing power from behind. All gearing was removed during the Camera Car conversion, and mechanical attention is primarily focused on the restoration of systems necessary for multiple-unit operation. Investigation continues into the mechanical integrity of the Number 2 Maybach MD870, which appears in good condition but lacks a Cardan shaft connection to the Brown Boveri/BBC Dynastarter, and so is currently unable to be power-rotated. Many mechanical sub-systems are being repaired or restored with the intent to facilitate the resumption of self-powered operation at a future date.
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....
(SP) locomotive number 9010 is a KM ML 4000 C'C'
KM ML-4000
The Krauss-Maffei ML 4000 C'C is a diesel-hydraulic locomotive, built between 1960 and 1969 by German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei in Munich, Germany. It generated 4000 horsepower from two Maybach V16 engines...
diesel-hydraulic locomotive, built in 1964 by German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
manufacturer Krauss-Maffei
Krauss-Maffei
The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG or simply Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer and defence company based in Munich, Germany...
(currently supplying locomotives as Siemens Transportation Systems
Siemens Transportation Systems
Siemens Mobility is a division of the German Siemens AG conglomerate. The Mobility sub-division brings together Siemens competencies in rail, road, and air traffic solutions....
). SP 9010 generated 4000 hp from two 2000 HP V16
V16 engine
A V16 engine is a V engine with 16 cylinders. Engines of this number of cylinders are uncommon in automotive use.A V16 engine is perfectly balanced regardless of the V angle without requiring counter-rotating balancing shafts which are necessary to balance Straight-4 and odd number of cylinder...
Maybach MD870 diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s. It was painted to Southern Pacific's 1958 standard, the so-called "bloody nose" colors of Scarlet and Lark Dark Gray, for its entire operating career. It was renumbered to SP 9113 in late 1965, rebuilt extensively at SP's Sacramento General Shops (later Sacramento Locomotive Works) during the latter half of 1966, and was initially retired in 1968. It was revived and rebuilt by Sacramento General Shops into a "camera car" for the purpose of shooting motion picture background plates for a ground-based locomotive training simulator. As camera car number 8799, it was retired in 1984 and donated to the California State Railroad Museum
California State Railroad Museum
The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the state park system of California, USA, interpreting the role of the "iron horse" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in Old Sacramento at 111 I Street....
in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
. It was de-accessioned by CSRM and acquired by the Pacific Locomotive Association
Pacific Locomotive Association
The Pacific Locomotive Association is an organization dedicated to the preservation of the physical aspects and atmosphere of Pacific Coast railroading during the period from 1910 to 1960....
and moved to the Niles Canyon Railway
Niles Canyon Railway
The Niles Canyon Railway is a heritage railway running through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and the Niles district of Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, USA. The railway is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Niles Canyon Transcontinental...
's Brightside, California rail yard in the summer of 2008. It is currently undergoing cosmetic and mechanical restoration. At the date of its inception, its type represented the highest-horsepower six-axle diesel locomotives in the world. SP 9010 is the sole surviving ML 4000 C'C' built for use in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and the sole surviving mainline diesel-hydraulic locomotive in North America. (Several diesel-hydraulic switchers exist in service and in museums).
Purpose and service as a locomotive
SP 9010 was delivered as part of the second order of ML 4000 C'C' units in the Spring of 1964, road numbers 9003-9017. (ML: Mechanical Locomotive; 4000: net horsepower; C'C': two powered bogies/trucks with three connected axles each.) The first order of six locomotives -- three for SP and three for the Denver and Rio Grande Western) -- were called "Prototypes" by KM, but were popularly known in the U.S. as "cab units" due to their fully enclosed car bodies, similar to the EMD F-unitEMD F-unit
EMD F-units were a line of Diesel-electric locomotives produced between November 1939 and November 1960 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors-Diesel Division. Final assembly for all F-units was at the GM-EMD plant at La Grange, Illinois and the GMDD plant in London, Ontario...
. SP 9010 was a member of the second production order of fifteen locomotives. These were called "Series" units by KM, but were popular known as "hood units" after the more modern narrow-hood carbody with external walkways. SP's stated motives for ordering the German-manufactured locomotives were a desire for more power per axle, better adhesion to the rails, freedom from electrical malfunctions, and fewer locomotives in 'consist' than the available American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diesel-electric locomotives of the time. SP owned a total of 21 ML 4000 C'C' locomotives, and a total of 24 of the diesel-hydraulic type. ML 4000s were originally used in freight service on SP's famous Donner Pass
Donner Pass
Donner Pass is a mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, located above Donner Lake about nine miles west of Truckee, California. It has a steep approach from the east and a gradual approach from the west....
line over California's Sierra Nevada, as they were originally intended to replace the EMD F7
EMD F7
The EMD F7 was a Diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1949 and December 1953 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors and General Motors Diesel . It succeeded the F3 model in GM-EMD's F-unit sequence, and was replaced in turn by the F9. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La...
, and had a special track set up at the Roseville
Roseville, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Roseville had a population of 118,788. The population density was 3,279.4 people per square mile...
locomotive shops specifically for servicing the locomotives, with German mechanics and supervisors from K-M taking U.S. residence. However, the locomotives were found unsuitable in mountain service after extensive testing and relegated to service in the flat territory of the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
, often running in tandem with EMD F7s or EMD GP9
EMD GP9
An EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in the United States, and General Motors Diesel in Canada between January, 1954, and August, 1963. US production ended in December, 1959, while an additional thirteen units were built in Canada, including...
s.
Retirement as a locomotive
The ML 4000s and diesel-hydraulic locomotives in general began to be phased out in the late 1960s, as American locomotive technology progressed and more power with better adhesion control was able to be generated by single-engine diesel-electric locomotives. Maintenance requirements had exceeded the average levels of comparable domestic locomotives, and a planned upgrading of the entire KM "Series" fleet was halted after only four of the 15 were so modified. ML 4000s began retirement in 1967, coincident with the arrival of high-horsepower American-made EMD SD40EMD SD40
The EMD SD40 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and August 1972.-Design:Like its predecessor in EMD's catalog, the SD35, the SD40 is a high-horsepower, six-motor freight locomotive....
s, 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...
s, and GE U33C
GE U33C
The GE U33C is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between 1968 and 1975. 375 examples of this locomotive were built for North American railroads.-Original Owners:-External links:* Thompson, J. David. ....
s. SP announced the end of its diesel-hydraulic program on February 13th, 1968, and from that date forward, any wear or damage requiring major repair or overhaul would result in the retirement of that unit.
SP 9113 was sidelined on September 18, 1968 with damage to the number 9 cylinder of the forward Maybach V-16. Scrapping of the Krauss-Maffei fleet took place at Associated Metals in Sacramento, California. SP 9113 was excluded from that process.
Purpose and service as a camera car
SP 9113 (ex-9010) was converted into a "Camera Car" between 1968 and 1969 at the Sacramento General Shops. Its purpose was to record picture and audio to create the background motion plates and sound effects for a computerized locomotive simulator for engineer training, developed by Conductron-Missouri, a subsidiary of McDonnell-Douglas. This pioneering six-axis-of-motion locomotive simulator was housed in a fixed base operation in Southern California. Called the "Southern Pacific Engine Service Training Center", it was located in Cerritos, CaliforniaCerritos, California
Cerritos is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956...
.
SP 9113 when being rebuilt carried the unofficial identity 'SPMW #1'. The railroad's traffic computer required 4 digits, and so it emerged from the shop bearing a small SPMW 1166 stencil. In June 1969 it was renumbered to SP 8799, in standard Southern Pacific locomotive lettering configuration. The most drastic change in appearance was the locomotive's short hood (or "nose"), which had been removed. In its place, a custom structure was fabricated to house twin Mitchell 35-millimeter film cameras and Nagra III timecode magnetic recording equipment, with stand-up headroom and two seats salvaged from another KM for operators. Heavy, thick steel was used for collision protection and to replace lost weight. The front Voith
Voith
The Voith GmbH, which is headquartered in Germany, is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with worldwide operations....
L830rU transmission was removed to create space for the camera enclosure, while the Number 1 radiator compartment was emptied of radiators and ancillary equipment to house an Onan skid-mount generator to power the camera equipment. The two engines and rear transmission were simply disabled, principally being retained for weight. All gearboxes and Cardan
Cardan
Cardan may refer to:* Gerolamo Cardano or Jerome Cardan , a Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer, and gambler* A universal joint, U joint or Cardan joint, a joint in a rigid rod that allows the rod to 'bend' in any direction...
(universal) shafts were removed; gears were left in place on the six axles. All of the controls remained in the cab so that it could control a locomotive pushing behind it, much like a cab car is used on a commuter train. The camera car could be put on the lead of any train, but it primarily operated as special trips with just one locomotive behind it for power. Known locomotives used for power are a single EMD F7 B-unit, an EMD GP-9, an EMD GP35
EMD GP35
An EMD GP35 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between July 1963 and December 1965 and by General Motors Diesel between May 1964 and January 1966. Power was provided by an EMD 567D3A 16-cylinder engine which generated .Many railroads traded in Alco and...
, and a Cotton Belt (St. Louis Southwestern) SD45T-2.
Initially re-assigned to Roseville, California and making filming runs over portions of the SP's Donner Route, it was relocated in the 1970s to what became its permanent home at West Colton Yard in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
.
Retirement as a camera car and restoration as a locomotive
The camera car was retired in 1984 and donated to the California State Railroad Museum in 1986. Initially, volunteers removed the camera "nose" and opened up the highly modified cab windows to 1964 profiles, with the goal of restoration to original appearance. However, that restoration was halted. It sat in outdoor storage exposed to weather and vandals, and much of the copper wiring and a good portion of the Behr radiator assemblies were stolen. It was de-accessioned by CSRM and donated to the Pacific Locomotive Association (PLA) in 2008, along with several pieces of rolling stock. They were moved by the Union Pacific RailroadUnion 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....
in the summer of 2008 from Sacramento to their interchange with Niles Canyon Railway at Hearst, California. The Niles Canyon Railway then transferred SP 9010 to its Brightside Yard. Restoration is now underway by volunteers of the PLA.
The restoration process includes the building of a replica of the locomotive's original nose, and returning the locomotive to its original 1964 appearance with its original road number, 9010. It will retain its cab controls so that it can be pushed by a locomotive providing power from behind. All gearing was removed during the Camera Car conversion, and mechanical attention is primarily focused on the restoration of systems necessary for multiple-unit operation. Investigation continues into the mechanical integrity of the Number 2 Maybach MD870, which appears in good condition but lacks a Cardan shaft connection to the Brown Boveri/BBC Dynastarter, and so is currently unable to be power-rotated. Many mechanical sub-systems are being repaired or restored with the intent to facilitate the resumption of self-powered operation at a future date.