EMD BL2
| EMD BL2 | |
|---|---|
Diesel-electric | |
| Builder | General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) |
| Model | BL2 |
| Build date | September 1947 – May 1949 |
| Total produced | 59 |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Configuration: | |
| • AAR | B-B |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Prime mover | EMD 16-567B |
| Engine type | V16 |
| Generator | EMD D-12A |
| Traction motors | (4) EMD D-17-B or D-27-B |
| Cylinders | 16 |
| Performance figures | |
|---|---|
| Power output | 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) |
| Tractive effort | 56,200 lbf (250 kN) |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | See "original Owners" |
| Locale | United States |
The EMD BL2 is a model of
History
EMD's diesel program was well underway by the late 1940s thanks to the success of the company's
EMD developed the BL1, basing it on the
In response to feedback from the railroads, the visually-identical BL2 was built with a heavier frame and draft gear and MU capability.[3] The production BL2 used the standard Woodward, Inc. electro-hydraulic governor and notched throttle as used in the F3 (as opposed to the air-actuated throttle with which the BL1 was originally built). The BL2 could be equipped with a train-heating steam generator for passenger service, identified by an exhaust stack between the panes of the front windshield. The B&M, C&O and Rock Island ordered such units.[4]
Limiting the locomotive's success were several mechanical and ergonomic drawbacks. The BL2 was expensive and time-consuming to build because of its unique carbody design. Rather than being built in small segments which could be moved to another area for final assembly, the BL2 had to be built entirely in once place.[3] The mechanical components in the engine compartment were difficult to access and maintain, reducing its appeal among railroad shop crews. The locomotive's carbody lacked the full-length walkways of a true switch engine (a mistake not repeated on the subsequent "GP" series of diesels or other road switchers), making it difficult for the brakeman or switchman to move from one point on the locomotive to another during switching operations. Finally, although the industrial designers at EMD tried to build a carbody that evoked high-class passenger trains while retaining the utilitarianism of railroad work, the design never became popular. EMD applied the lessons learned from the BL2's lack of success in developing the GP7.[3]
Original owners
| Railroad | Quantity | Road Number |
|---|---|---|
| Bangor and Aroostook | 8 | 550-557 (later 50-57) |
| Boston and Maine Railroad | 4 | 1550–1553 |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railway¹ | 14 | 80-85 (Ordered by Pere Marquette Railroad prior to merger), 1840–1847
|
| Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad | 2 | 1600-1601 (later 200-201) |
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway ("Monon") |
9 | 30-38 |
| Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad | 5 | 425-429 |
Electro Motive Division |
1 | 499 (BL1 demo, sold to C&EI 1602, later 202) |
| Florida East Coast Railway | 6 | 601-606 |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad | 8 | 4104-4111 |
| Western Maryland Railway | 2 | 81-82 |
| Total | 59 |
Preservation
The following BL2s have been preserved:
- Monon #32; Kentucky Railway Museum [1].
- Baltimore, Maryland.
- Western Maryland Railroad #82; Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad [3].
- Janesville & Southeastern #52, ex-Bangor and Aroostook #52; née-Bangor and Aroostook #552 National Railroad Museum [4], Green Bay, Wisconsin; operated on Saratoga and North Creek Railway #52 [5]. To be leased to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museumas of June 2021.
- Bangor and Aroostook #54; Lackawaxen and Stourbridge Railroad [6], Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
- Bangor and Aroostook #56; currently owned by Saratoga and North Creek Railway #56 [7]. Formerly Janesville, Wisconsin. Leased to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in operational condition as of September 2023.[5]
- Bangor and Aroostook #557; Cole Transportation Museum [8], Bangor, Maine.
 |
References
- ISBN 0-395-70112-0.
- ^ OCLC 38738930.
- ^ a b c d e f Gardner, Bill (October 1982). "EMD GP7: EMD's Trendsetter". Mainline Modeler.
- ^ Lettenberger, Bob (February 2023). "Ask Trains". Trains. Kalmbach. p. 46.
- ^ "Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum debuts rare EMD BL2 (with video)". Trains. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
Additional Reading
- Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
- Dover, Dan; Skinger, Ed; Cuisinier, Win. "BL2..... A Final Study". Extra 2200 South (46): 20–24. Drawings by Win Cuisinier (Preston Cook).
