EMD SW900

EMD SW900

A pair of Southern Railway of British Columbia SW900s

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division (EMD); General Motors Diesel (GMD), Canada Model SW900 Build date December 1953 – March 1969 Total produced EMD: 274; GMD: 97

Specifications Prime mover EMD 567C Engine type Two-stroke diesel Aspiration Roots-type supercharger Cylinders 8

Performance figures Power output 900 hp (670 kW)

Career Locale North America South America Africa

An 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. Power was provided by an EMD 567C 8-cylinder engine that generated 900 horsepower (670 kW). Built concurrently with SW1200, the eight-cylinder units had a single exhaust stack. The last two SW900s built by GMD for British Columbia Hydro were built with 8 cylinder 645E engines rated at 1,000 horsepower (750 kW).

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 Mining Co. 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.

Original buyers

Built by Electro-Motive Division, USA

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Electro-Motive Division demonstrator	1	6534	to River Terminal 99
	1	6535	to Waterloo Railway 4
Alabama 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. SW900M
Colorado 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 11/65
Lehigh Valley Railroad	12	106-107, 110, 120-127, 130	107,110 are 600 h.p. SW900M, 106 is 660 h.p. SW900M
Liberian-American Mining Co	5	201-205	Liberia, Africa
McLouth 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
Northern Pacific Railway	1	100	NW #100 was traded in on this unit
Orinoco Mining Company	7	1090–1096	Venezuela, South America
Philadelphia 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. SW900M
Republic Steel Corporation	12	345, 347–349, 354–359, 373–374
River Terminal Railway	10	90–98, 100	99 was EMD demo
Sand Springs Railway	3	100–102
Simpson Logging Company	1	900	Built with dynamic brakes.
South Peru Copper Company	2	9-10	Peru, South America
Southern 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 6535
Woodward Iron Company	1	62
Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company	5	900–904
Total	274

Built by General Motors Diesel, Canada

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Algoma 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 SW900RS
Canadian National Railways	54	7233–7261, 8535–8559	CN group 8535-8542 production started 12/53 first built
Canadian 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
• EMD Serials http://www.utahrails.net/ajkristopans/SWITCHERS201Aand567.php
• EMD Trade In Serials http://www.utahrails.net/ajkristopans/TRADEINJOBS.php
• EMD Export Serials http://utahrails.net/ajkristopans/GMEXPORT2_22-Sep-2015_update.txt
• GMD Serials http://www.utahrails.net/ajkristopans/GENERALMOTORSDIESEL.php

References

• Extra 2200 South Volume 7 No.3 August September 1968 page 3