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"Tunnel Motor" diesel
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad #5371 was built in 1975. It is a 3000 HP General Motors model SD40T-2 diesel-electric freight locomotive. The 5371 was one of 73 engines of this type delivered to the D&RGW by the Electo-Motive Division (EMD) of GM. This locomotive used a Southern Pacific Railroad-inspired cooling radiator designed to prevent overheating in long tunnels and snowsheds. The large grilled air intake is located a the rear of the locomotive at catwalk level, rather than near the top of the long hood as on conventional units of this era. This design prevents ingesting hot gases into the cooling radiators while operating at low speeds. The 5371 was used for years on heavy unit trains of coal, as well as priority fast freight trains across the Rio Grande system between Ogden and Denver. In later years it was assigned to local and helper duty at appropriately-named Helper, Utah, prior to being retired in 2008. -Daniel B. Kuhn
Fun Facts
Designation: SD40T-2
Built: 1975 by General Motors, Electo-Motive Division
Length: 70 ft, 8 inches
Weight: 388,000 lbs
Engine: EMD 645E3, 16 cylinder, turbocharged, water cooled, 2 cycle, diesel fuel
Horse Power: 3,000
Generator Output: 2,240 kilowatts
Fuel Capacity: 4,000 gallons
Top Speed: 65 miles per hour
Other railroads that used this model: Southern Pacific
The Rio Grande bought the Southern Pacific in 1988 and continued to use the corporate name of the Southern Pacific. The Union Pacific acquired the Southern Pacific (Rio Grande) in 1996. |