EMD FL9
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| EMD FL9 | |
|---|---|
| Class | EDER-5 (2000-2029), EDER-5a (2030-2059) |
| Locale | North America |
| Disposition | Retired from Metro North and ConnDOT, some in service in museums and excursion trains |
The EMD FL9 (New Haven Class EDER-5) is a model of
Design
Due to concerns about diesel emissions in the
EMD's answer was a new locomotive based on their existing
For electric operation, the FL9 was capable of using either an over-running or under-running third rail by means of retractable shoes operated by pneumatic cylinders. The first 30 locomotives also had a small DC
The electrical supply available from the third rail—660 V DC—was identical to the requirements of
Operation
New Haven trackage between Woodlawn and New Haven, Connecticut, 72 miles east from Grand Central, was electrified in the early 1900s at 11,000 volts, 25 Hz AC overhead. The New Haven was the pioneer of heavy mainline railroad electrification in the United States. Early plans to extend the catenary to Boston were never completed due to the perennial financial problems that plagued the New Haven almost continuously from the 1920s to its demise in 1969. This left a gap between New Haven and Boston, requiring trains between those cities to stop in New Haven to switch between diesel and electric locomotives. This extended travel time, which the New Haven sought to reduce.
The FL9s allowed through passenger trains from Grand Central Terminal to reach Boston, Springfield, and other non-electrified destinations without the need for an engine change at New Haven. They were purchased with the intent of allowing the eventual elimination of all New Haven electric locomotives and the abandonment of the electrification east of Stamford, Connecticut, 33 miles from Grand Central. The fact that the entire New York to Boston line is now electrified shows the short-sightedness of this concept, which had been adopted by the McGinnis management to avoid the cost of modernizing the New Haven's Cos Cob, Connecticut power plant. The New Haven to Boston electrification was finally completed by Amtrak in 1999.
Prior to the introduction of the FL9, all non-multiple unit New Haven passenger trains were hauled by electric locomotives between New York and New Haven, with a change to steam (before 1950) or diesel at New Haven. Meeting the weight limits of the Park Avenue Viaduct in Manhattan, the FL9 made it possible to eliminate the engine change and allow trains to reach Grand Central in less time. FL9s were used on the New Haven's premier name train, the Merchants Limited, which covered the 229.5 miles between Grand Central Terminal and South Station, Boston in 4 hours 15 minutes.
Introduction of the FL9 allowed the New Haven to scrap its entire fleet of pre-1955 electric locomotives, many of which were less than 25 years old. The FL9 had higher operating costs and lower performance than the electric locomotives it replaced, but was more flexible as it could go where electric locomotives could not. The only New Haven electrics surviving through the FL9 period were the
The FL9s were considered to be under-powered compared to the powerful electrics they replaced, which also had their problems. For other reasons, the New Haven never abandoned its electrification, negating the primary reason for purchasing the FL9s. Their ability to avoid the engine change in New Haven allowed them to remain in service on trains that travelled in non-electrified territory, and they could also be operated like conventional diesel locomotives.
Penn Central and beyond
In 1969, the New Haven FL9 fleet passed to
In 1983, Conrail passed its commuter operations to state agencies. In
By the beginning of the 21st century, the worn-out FL9s were approaching a service life of 50 years and were gradually replaced by newer, more powerful locomotives. The FL9s were restricted to branch lines near the end of their lives since they lost the ability to operate on third rail power. Metro-North and Connecticut DOT, along with the Housatonic Railroad, operated a "Farewell to the FL9's" fan trip from Stamford, CT to Canaan, CT and return on October 23, 2005. The last FL9 to see passenger service was in late 2009, the same year Metro-North retired all its remaining FL9s. Six ConnDOT-owned locomotives were sold to other operators or museums by the end of 2018.[9][10]
The dual-power concept pioneered by the FL9 has been continued by the
Original owners
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers |
|---|---|---|
| New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad | 60 | 2000–2059 |
Surviving examples
Several FL9s exist today, donated to several museums and railways.
- All Amtrak units were purchased by the Morristown and Erie Railway, New Jersey, but many were scrapped or cannibalized for parts.
- 488-489 operated on the Maine Eastern Railroad, pulling several excursion trains between Brunswick and Rockland, Maine until the railroad ceased operations in 2015. They were then used in excursion service at the Whippany Railway Museum until October 2020, when Morristown and Erie sold the two units to Webb Rail LLC.[11][12]
- 484 was first owned by the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. It was eventually transferred to the Orford Express in eastern Quebec, Canada, and operated until the line closed on October 8, 2020. Plans for the locomotive and the rest of the rolling stock are unknown.
- 2023 (formerly New Haven #2057) is preserved at the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum.[13]
- All remaining ConnDOT-owned units (2011, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2024, 2026, 2027) were sold to private owners by 2018, as follows:
- 2011 & 2026 are in service and maintained on the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad/Cape Cod Central Railroad in Massachusetts.
- 2014 & 2016 are in ownership of the Grapevine-Main Street station and The Fort Worth Stockyards.
- 2019 (formerly New Haven #2049) is in ownership of the Railroad Museum of New England. It was in operation at the Streamliners at Spencer event in North Carolina from May 29, 2014, to June 1, 2014. It is now used to pull RMNE's Northern Lights Limited holiday train on the Naugatuck Railroad during the winter season.[14]
- 2024 is in ownership of the Webb Rail LLC (WEBX).[15]
- 2027 was previously owned by the Providence & Worcester Railroad between the railroad's namesake cities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In December 2023, the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad/Cape Cod Central Railroadacquired the locomotive.
- The Railroad Museum of New England currently has two FL9s awaiting restoration: the oldest surviving FL9, New Haven No. 2005 (currently numbered as No. 2002)[14] as well as the very last EMD F-unit ever built, New Haven No. 2059 (current painted in Metro-North livery as Metro-North No. 2033).[16]
- Two FL9s, No. 2006 and No. 2013, are preserved at the Danbury Railway Museum. No. 2006 wears the New Haven Livery, while 2013 wears New York Central livery, despite the NYC never owning any FL9s.[17] It and No. 2012 were repainted that way by Metro North in 1999.
- Two former Metro-North FL9s, 2010 and 2028, are stored out of service on the Milford, NY.[18]
In popular culture
In 1978, FL9 #5048 was used in the filming of the original Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve. Still painted in New Haven livery, the unit was depicted pulling a commuter train past the entrance to Lex Luthor's hideout during the villain's introduction scene.[19]
See also
- List of GM-EMD locomotives
- List of GMD Locomotives
- British Rail Class 28 CoBo
- P32AC-DM- a similar dual-power locomotive derived from a diesel-electric locomotive.
- DM30AC- a similar dual-power locomotive derived from a diesel-electric locomotive.
References
- ISBN 0-395-70112-0.
- ISBN 978-0-7603-4007-3.
- ^ Hartley 1993, p. 35
- ^ Hartley 1993, p. 36
- ^ Pinkepank 1973, p. 101
- ISBN 1-84038-487-5.
- ^ White, Eric. "Rapido Trains HO scale FL9 diesel locomotive". Model Railroader (February 2016). Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ "New model trains for the week of March 3, 2015". Model Railroader. 2 March 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ Kadden, Jack (2005-11-06). "The Last Stop Draws Near: Catching Up With the FL9". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
- ^ "Connecticut sells its last FL9 locomotives | Trains Magazine". Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
- ^ "FL9 489". Webb Rail LLC. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "FL9 488". Webb Rail LLC. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ EMD FL9 Archived 2019-10-22 at the Wayback Machine Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum
- ^ a b otto.vondrak. "CDOT 2002 (NH 2005) and 2019 (NH 2049) – Railroad Museum of New England". Archived from the original on 2019-01-06. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
- ^ "Fl9 2024".
- ^ otto.vondrak. "New Haven 2059 (Metro-North 2033) – Railroad Museum of New England". Archived from the original on 2019-01-06. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
- ^ "Danbury Railway Museum Roster". www.danburyrailwaymuseum.org. Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "Motive Power | LRHS".
- ^ ""Superman" (1978) Goofs". IMDB.com. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
Further reading
- Cook, Preston (July 2008). "Something About F-Units". ISSN 0163-7266.
- Hollingsworth, Brian; Cook, Arthur F. (1987). The Great Book of Trains. New York: Portland House. ISBN 978-0-517-64515-4.
- Lamb, J. Parker (2007). Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive. Railroads Past and Present. Bloomington, Indiana: ISBN 978-0-253-34863-0.
- Marre, Louis A. (1995). Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years: A Guide to Diesels Built Before 1972. Railroad Reference Series. Waukesha, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-0-89024-258-2.
- ISBN 978-0-253-33979-9.
- ISBN 978-0-7603-0507-2.
- Solomon, Brian (2000). The American Diesel Locomotive. Osceola, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-0-7603-0666-6.
- Solomon, Brian (2005). EMD F-Unit Locomotives. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press. ISBN 978-1-58007-192-5.
- Solomon, Brian (2006). EMD Locomotives. St. Paul, Minnesota: ISBN 978-0-7603-2396-0.
- Solomon, Brian (2010). Vintage Diesel Power. Minneapolis, Minnesota: MBI Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7603-3795-0.
- Solomon, Brian (2012). North American Locomotives: A Railroad-by-Railroad Photohistory. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4370-8.
- Swanberg, J. W. (Spring 2015). "Playing With Fire: The Saga of the FL9". Classic Trains. Vol. 16, no. 1. pp. 78–83. ISSN 1527-0718.
- Hartley, Scott (March 1993). "The Unsinkable FL9". ISSN 0041-0934.
- Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-0-89024-026-7.
- Wilson, Jeff (1999). F Units: The Diesels That Did It. Golden Years of Railroading. Waukesha, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-0-89024-374-9.