DD40X

[jacone55]

Where can I get info on this locco

[highridge]

If you are referring to the Bachmann N Scale DD40AX, my experience has been that they will not couple to anything else, as the non adjustable Arnold Rapido couplers are at the incorrect height, and apparently Bachmann are either unable or unwilling to correct the problem.

[zachary4179]

DDA40X — The Centennial Survivors

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Railroading out east means a lot of short runs, closely spaced cities, and relatively flat terrain. The only major obstacles are the Appalachian Mountains and water crossings. Out west, railroading is a whole different game. Stops are few and far in between, the grades are miles long, and the mountains are three times higher. You need serious horsepower, helper engines, and speed to move cargo across the western plains and Rocky Mountains.
To meet the challenge, Union Pacific has been searching for the ideal road locomotive for nearly a century. In the 1940's, they had the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotives. Their million pound plus tractive pull could meet the challenge, but the high cost of maintenance for steam engines doomed the Big Boy to retirement after only a decade in service. Another attempt at the ideal locomotive was the Big Blow, a gas turbine locomotive. They were very powerful and relatively reliable, but they were also thirsty. The cost of oil doomed the Big Blow to an early retirement. The UPRR badly missed the 8,000 to 10,000 horsepower that the Big Blow could produce. Typical diesel road locomotives of that era were around 2,000 horsepower, so it would take 4 or 5 to make up for the big turbine. In fact, UPRR came up with a specification that they needed 15,000 horsepower at the head of a train, and they wanted it done with only 3 prime movers.

General Motors Electromotive Division came up with an earlier idea of joining two 2,500 horsepower GP35 units on a single chassis, resulting in a 5,000 horsepower DD35 unit. There was no room for a cab on the DD35, so the train was pulled by a GP35, two DD35's, and another GP35. That resulted in 15,000 horsepower, but using 4 prime movers. While the DD35 turned out to have reliability problems, the concept itself was proven.



EMD went back to the drawing board, and came up with a new version of the double GP35, powered by pair of GM 645 diesel engines. The 645 had a huge 645 cubic inches of displacement per cylinder. This new locomotive was designated a DDA40X. The D designation means a truck (set of wheels) with 4 axles, the A means a unit with a cab, the 40 was the next good sounding number greater than 35, and the X stood for experimental. The first DDA40X was delivered in May of 1969, which was the 100th anniversary of the golden spike. As a result, the DDA40X was given the nickname Centennial.

The Centennial was a winner in road service. They averaged 22,000 miles of use per month, racking up an average of 2-million miles per locomotive by the time they were retired for the first time in 1980. All of the Centennials were put into storage when the railroad economy took a nose dive in the 1979 to 1981 timeframe. The Centennials would get a second chance at life when an improving economy in 1984 resulted in the DDA40X being recalled to service. The rail traffic increase started to ease by the end of 1984, and the now elderly Centennials were retired for good.

The Centennial was the largest diesel locomotive to go into active railroad service. Largest here means largest diesel in physical size at 98 feet in length. They were also the most powerful diesels at 6600 horsepower until the alternating current revolution saw dramatic power advances on road locomotives in the late 1990's. UP purchased 47 Centennials, of which, 13 survive, 11 in museums, one in a boneyard, and one in active service as part of the UP heritage fleet.

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Cab Number State City Location
6900 NE Omaha Kenefick Park
6901 ID Pocatello Ross Park
6911 Mexico Mexico City Institute Of Technology
6913 TX Dallas Age Of Steam Museum
6915 CA Pomona Southern California Railway
& Historical Society
6916 UT Ogden Union Station Museum
6922 NE North Platte Cody Park
6925 SD Chamberlain Dakota Southern Railroad
6930 IL Union Illinois Railway Museum
6936 WY Cheyenne In Service With UPRR
6938 AR North Little Rock Jenks Shops
6944 MO Saint Louis National Museum Of Transportation
6946 CA Portola Portola Railroad Museum

[Hskerfn]

I don't know if anyone has passed on any info on the Centennial at the Illinois Railway Museum at Union or not tbut there is talk that they are considering getting that unit up and running again for use on the grounds there.   That would be interesting.