A true behemoth of the diesel age – the General Electric AC6000CW in CSX livery – will soon be putting its 6,000 horsepower to work on Train Simulator 2015 routes!
Two decades ago, GE’s AC6000CW pushed the envelope
of diesel design to 6,000 horsepower as Gary Dolzall
reports. Now, the leviathan is coming soon to TS2015!
It was, in motive power terms, simply a feeding frenzy. Beginning in the early 1990s, A.C. traction (e.g., alternating current traction motors) was rapidly proving its value for heavy-haul freight duty, and by 1993 both Electro-Motive (with the SD70MAC) and General Electric (with its AC4400CW) were marketing and building potent AC-transmission freight diesels of 4,000+ horsepower. And the assumption was, driven by the advanced capabilities of A.C. traction, that more – lots more – horsepower would be the next step in diesel evolution.
Such was the perceived appetite for horsepower that both Electro-Motive and General Electric set their sights upon creating a single-power plant 6,000 horsepower diesel locomotive (which is to say one that was a full 50 per cent more powerful than existing productions models). And in the case of both EMD and GE, that leap would require a new power plant. To power its 6,000-horsepower locomotive (which would become the SD90MAC), EMD pushed forward development of the 265H diesel, which in 16-cylinder form could produce 6,000 horses. The 4-stroke 265H engine was a departure not only from EMD’s production standard, the 710-series engine, but also from the company’s long commitment to 2-stroke diesel technology. Similarly, GE had to look beyond its staple 7FDL-series engine and collaborated with Deutz MWM of Mannheim, Germany in the development of a 16-cylinder, 250mm bore, 320mm-stroke, twin-turbo 16 cylinder power plant – the 7HDL16A – which could produce 6,000 horses for GE’s new locomotive, which was designated AC6000CW.
Not surprisingly, Union Pacific – given its historical appetite for big motive power and lots of horsepower – was right at the front of the queue when it came to interest in both the EMD SD90MAC and GE AC6000CW. And eastern giant CSX, which would eventually purchase more than 600 General Electric AC4400CWs, was also keenly interested in the GE’s new 6,000-horspower A.C. traction offering.
The competitive rush between EMD and GE, while the new power plants were being designed and tested, was such that both builders offered ”convertible” versions of their new behemoths, which is to say they would build SD90MAC and AC6000CW locomotives that would initially be powered by existing power plants (the 4,300-horsepower 710G3 for the SD90MAC and 4,400-horsepower 7FHL16 for the AC6000CW) which could later be “swapped out” for the more potent power plants.
In preparation of AC6000CW production, General Electric at its Erie (Pennsylvania) plant assembled 14 preproduction HDL-powered units in 1995. Of these, one wore special GE green livery (and road number 6000), three were outfitted in CSX livery, and the remaining ten in Union Pacific colors. Also in 1995, GE began production of the “convertible” versions of the AC6000CW, of which 106 would eventually be built for UP.
When construction of production, HDL-series engine AC6000CWs began, CSX and Union Pacific proved to be the only U. S. buyers, with CSX eventually rostering 117 of the units and Union Pacific buying 80 (in addition to its 106 “convertibles”). Australia’s BHP Billiton also purchased eight AC6000CWs for ore-hauling service. Stretching 76-feet in length, carrying 5,500-gallon fuel tanks, weighing 425 tons, and wearing massive flared radiators, the GE AC6000CW did, indeed, look every bit a leviathan.
Unfortunately, both EMD and GE had overestimated the demand from locomotives of the high-power (and expense) of their respective behemoths. And whatever chance either the SD90MAC or AC6000CW might have had for expansive sales were dulled by both the EMD 265H and GE 7HDL16A experiencing significant teething issues. As it turned out, neither EMD nor GE would build other domestic production locomotives with these power plants, which left both models as something of mechanical orphans.
Not surprisingly, given the issues around the 7HDL16A engine, Union Pacific elected to never upgrade its “convertible” locomotives, which remain effectively AC4400CWs. And all three owners – UP, CSX, and Australia’s BHP – undertook programs to either improve the power plant’s reliability (which often included downgrading power output) or in a number of cases, replacing the 7HDL power plants with either a standard FDL or GEVO engine. And so, like many attempts that dot railroad motive power history, the AC6000CW was largely a case of “too big and too soon.”
All that said, in various guises the big GE AC6000CWs carry on in the U. S., lugging heavy tonnage and even priority intermodal traffic. And soon, this behemoth of a locomotive will be doing the same on TS2015 routes! Coming soon in its gray, yellow, and blue CSX delivery scheme, the GE AC6000CW will be an ideal heavy-haul freight locomotive on numerous TS2015 routes. The new diesel will come with three scenario for the CSX Miami-West Palm Beach route, and will also be a perfect fit for handling coal tonnage on the Norfolk Southern Coal District route (over which CSX shares operating rights). CSX’s AC6000CWs are also regularly employed in run-through arrangements, which means they can, and do, roam across much of the U. S., from Florida to Montana to California! – Gary Dolzall
Recommended additional reading at Engine Driver:
Electro-Motive’s SD70 Family
From Evolution to Domination
Big, Burly, Memorable: The SD80MAC
First to 4,000: The GE Dash 8-40C
Big from any angle, the GE AC6000CW features a modern North American cab up front (above) and massive rear radiators (below) that are required for cooling the locomotive’s 6,000-horsepower diesel engine. All screenshots by the author. Note: Content illustrated may still be in development.
In one of the three career scenario - entitled “Hialeah Hustle” - for the Miami to West Palm Beach route that accompanies the AC6000CW DLC, CSX 674 preparing to go to work on a rainy night at Hialeah Yard in Miami.
Near Pompano Beach, a pair of CSX AC6000CWs lend their collective 12,000 horsepower to roll stone tonnage north on the TS2015 Miami to West Palm Beach route.
Hauling a manifest freight southbound on the TS2015 Miami to West Palm Beach route, a pair of CSX AC6000CWs roll between signals near Mangonia Park (above), then pass a colorful trackside building (below) near West Palm.
With its massive horsepower rating, the AC6000CW will be an ideal addition for hauling tonnage on the TS2015 Norfolk Southern Coal District, over which CSX shares coal haul rights. A set of CSX AC6000CWs leading a train bound for the mines rolls down the east bank of the Monongahela River (above), then crosses into West Brownsville (below).
As an engineer of Dovetail Games’ upcoming General Electric AC6000CW, you’ll control the locomotive’s 6,000 horses from a modern console-style control stand.
The upcoming CSX AC6000CW DLC will include three types of freight equipment in CSX livery, including an open-top rock hopper and 2- and 3-bay covered hoppers.
Big power! Among the growing selection of CSX diesel power available for service on TS2015 routes are (left-to-right) the 4,000-horsepower GE Dash 8-40CW; the 5,000-horsepower Electro-Motive SD80MAC; and the 6,000-horspower GE AC6000CW.