The EMD SW900 is a diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel (GMD) between December 1953 and March 1969.
Built concurrently with the SW1200, the eight-cylinder SW900 model had a single exhaust stack, and replaced the EMD SW8 model in EMD's catalogue. Power was provided by an EMD 567C 8-cylinder engine that generated 900 horsepower (670 kW). The "900" model number reflected EMD's change to a more horsepower-based naming system at the time. The last two SW900s built by GMD for British Columbia Hydro were built with 8 cylinder 645E engines rated at .
260 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads and 97 were built for Canadian railroads. Canadian production of the SW900 lasted three and a half years past EMD production. Seven units were exported to Orinoco Mining Co (Venezuela); two units were exported to Southern Peru Copper Co; and five units were exported to the Liberian American-Swedish Minerals Company. Total production is 371 units.
Some SW900s were built with the generators from traded in EMC Winton-engined switchers and were classified as SW900M by EMD. Units rebuilt from SW or SC model locomotives developed 600 or 660 horsepower with the older generators instead of the full 900 horsepower of the SW900.
In the early 1960s, the Reading Company sent 14 of their Baldwin VO 1000 model switchers to EMD to have them rebuilt to SW900 specifications. The Reading units retained the Baldwin switcher carbody and were rated at 1000 horsepower by EMD.
A cow–calf variation, the TR9, was cataloged, but none were built.
Rebuilds
SW900E In 1974, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company had decided to rebuild all ten of their EMD SW900 diesel locomotives at their own Houston Shops.
The rebuilds included the installation of a 12-cylinder EMD 645E engine, which increased the horsepower from to .
The rebuilds had also included the installation of a new electrical system, which included a newer generator, newer traction motors, and a newer control system. The rebuilds were done specifically to extend the life of the locomotives and to increase their power and reliability.
Original buyers Built by Electro-Motive Division, USA Railroad Quantity Road numbers Notes Electro-Motive Division demonstrator 1 6534 to River Terminal 991 6535 to Waterloo Railway 4Alabama By-Products Corporation 1 900 American Steel and Wire 4 3–6 Armco Steel Corporation 13 B80, 1203–1214 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 4 650–653 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 29 625–653 Birmingham Southern Railroad 5 91–95 General Motors-Buick Motor Division 2 792, 818 Canton Railroad 5 44–48 Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway 1 94 Champion Papers Inc 1 3 Chicago and North Western Railway 2 144–145 Chicago Great Western Railway 1 5 Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad 29 550–563, 900–914 550-563 are 600 h.p. SW900MColorado and Wyoming Railway 1 214 Texas Construction Material Company (Colorado River and Western Railroad) 1 201 Corinth and Counce Railroad 2 901–902 Cuyahoga Valley Railway 2 960–961 DeQueen and Eastern Railroad 1 D-4 Detroit Edison Company 1 214 Hammond Lumber Company (Feather River Railway) 1 102 Fernwood, Columbia and Gulf Railroad 1 900 Grand Trunk Railroad (of Maine) 2 7225-7226 Grand Trunk Western Railroad 13 7227–7232, 7262–7268 Granite City Steel Company 2 900–901 Great Lakes Steel Corporation 2 6-7 Hanna Furnace Company 1 17 Hercules Powder Company 1 61 Inland Lime and Stone Company 1 10 Jacksonville Terminal Company 3 37–39 Lancaster and Chester Railway 2 90–91 L&C 91 was the last EMD built SW900 in 11/65Lehigh Valley Railroad 12 106-107, 110, 120–127, 130 107,110 are 600 h.p. SW900M, 106 is 660 h.p. SW900MLiberian American-Swedish Minerals Company 5 201-205 Liberia, AfricaMcLouth Steel Corporation 2 6–7 Missouri Portland Cement Company 1 1 Monessen Southwestern Railway 3 28–30 New York Central Railroad 16 9631–9646 New York Central System (Cleveland Union Terminal Company) 3 9628–9630 Orinoco Mining Company 7 1090–1096 Venezuela, South America; 1093-1096 Built with Dynamic BrakesPhiladelphia Bethlehem and New England Railroad 2 51-52 Pickering Lumber Company 4 101–104 Raritan River Railroad 6 1–6 Reading Company 21 10-15, 1501–1515 10-15 are 660 h.p. SW900MRepublic Steel Corporation 12 345, 347–349, 354–359, 373–374 River Terminal Railway 10 90–98, 100 99 was EMD demoSand Springs Railway 3 100–102 Simpson Logging Company 1 900 Built with dynamic brakes. Last known operating SW900 with dynamic. South Peru Copper Company 2 9-10 Peru, South AmericaSouthern Pacific Transportation Company 10 4624–4633 Steelton and Highspire Railroad 2 21, 27 U.S. Steel Corporation 1 157 U.S. Sugar Corporation 3 154–156 Valdosta Southern Railroad 1 955 Virginia-Carolina Chemical Company 1 1 Waterloo Railroad 3 1–3 Waterloo 4 was EMD demo 6535Woodward Iron Company 1 62 Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company 5 900–904 Total 274
Built by General Motors Diesel, Canada Railroad Quantity Road numbers NotesAlgoma Steel 1 51 Aluminum Company of Canada ("Alcan") 1 1003 British Columbia Electric Railway / BC Hydro 12 900–911 to Southern Railway of British Columbia BC Hydro 911 was the last SW900 built in 3/69, all twelve built with road trucks and M.U. and sometimes referred to as SW900RSCanadian National Railways 54 7233–7261, 8535–8559 CN group 8535-8542 production started 12/53 first builtCanadian Pacific Railway 11 6710–6720 McKinnon Industries 1 47074 Midland Railway Company of Manitoba 1 1 Steel Company of Canada ("Stelco") 16 78–93 Total 97
See also List of GM-EMD locomotives List of GMD Locomotives
References
Extra 2200 South Volume 7 No.3 August September 1968 page 3
External links
EMD Serials EMD Trade In Serials EMD Export Serials GMD Serials