ATSF GP60M

ATSF GP60M

In the middle to late 1980s, Santa Fe had negotiated longer crew
districts with its various operating unions. With these extended
distances, the ATSF began to research the costs involved in redesigning
the basic locomotive cab, which had not changed all that much from the
early 1960s. Although cab design was slightly modified by EMD with the
introduction of its Dash 2 line in 1972, i.e. having clean cab
improvements, more improvements were still needed.

When the Santa Fe decided to redesign a new and comfortable cab,
the railway based its foundation on Canadian National's safety cab
design. The ATSF cab committee made a series of visits to study a CN
SD50F locomotive cab, as well as a BC Rail unit. From the visits, sense
was gained from both the improved operating layout, as well as the size
of the cab. One thing that continued to impress the design committee was
the use of a desktop workstation for the engineer. The other subjects
studied were improving chairs and interior illumination.

After returning from studying the cab, the Santa Fe arranged to
borrow from the Canadian National an SD50F locomotive for a series of
road tests. The purpose of the exams was to gather reaction from
operating crews on the SD50F cab, as well as any further improvements
that could be made. After a long, drawn-out skirmish with the U.S.
Customs Service, the lone CN SD50F, #5456, was allowed to make one
round-trip from Chicago to Los Angeles. The locomotive was paired up
with an SDF40-2, an FP45, along with two F45s on the Q-NYLA and Q-LANY.
When the train stopped for a crew change, the railroad extended the stop
so it could gather crew reactions to the SD50F cab.

Once the road test was completed, and Canadian National had its
SD50F locomotive returned, the Santa Fe cab committee designed at the
San Bernardino shops a plywood and plastic prototype of the new cab. It
was painted blue and yellow, and was given road number #1000. EMD had
also built its own prototype cab, based on feedback from the SD50F road
test.

Early in its research, the cab committee had discussed the
production of a GP60 with a cowl body. However, EMD had concluded that
the utilization of a cowl body, coupled with a safety cab, would be
pushing the weight envelope for four-axle locomotive, and theoretically
would have exceeded 305,000 lbs, which would have made the design one of
the heaviest four-axle locomotives ever built. So with weight now being
a primary concern, the Santa Fe ruled out the possibility of this
design.

After addition renditions, the Santa Fe cab was now formalized
with EMD, and featured ditch lights, a six-foot centerline door, moving
the nose headlight to the left, and a little off center, as well as
numberboards above the windshield, and a tear-drop front windshield.
Interiorly, the newly designed cab contained small speakers located
above the cab on both sides, as well as sliding windows, a second
speedometer on the conductor's side, as well as conductor desktop, and
an improved dsktop for the engineer.

When Santa Fe gained its second order for the GP60, the order
arrived with the ATSF-designed Safety Cab, and was numbered in the
100-162 series, for a total of 63 units. The order began arriving in May
1990. The first two units, #100 and #101, had their maiden trip with
FP45's #96 and #92 on the Q-NYLA train.

Besides having the Safety Cab, this second order of EMD GP60s also
received the updated Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme - applied to all
'Super Fleet' locomotives. Less subtle changes included factory installed
ditch lights, and a fuel tank that was set towards the back of the
locomotive to help offset the weight of the safety cab.

This order of GP60Ms weighed in at 282,000 pounds, and produced
63,070 pounds of tractive effort at 10.5 mph. All of the 63 locomotives
within the order received the Warbonnet paint scheme, except for one
engine, #146. This locomotive was painted in the modified baby-blue
warbonnet paint scheme f

Author: NorfolkSouthern37, Justin Cornell

ATSF GP60M
• config.txt 11.93KB
• fx_loco.gs 15.75KB
mesh_alpha_numbers
alphanumber_0a.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_0b.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_0c.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_1a.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_1b.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_1c.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_2a.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_2b.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_2c.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_3a.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_3b.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_3c.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_4a.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_4b.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_4c.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_5a.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_5b.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_5c.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_6a.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_6b.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_6c.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_7a.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_7b.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_7c.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_8a.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_8b.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_8c.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_9a.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_9b.tga 17.04KB
alphanumber_9c.tga 17.04KB
mesh_art
mesh_art_512.texture.txt 71 bytes
mesh_art_512.tga 1.00MB
mesh_art_icon.texture.txt 73 bytes
mesh_art_icon.tga 33.04KB
mesh_body
body.im 1.08MB
body.lm.txt 335 bytes
body_a.im 661.10KB
body_b.im 433.61KB
body_c.im 222.06KB
body_d.im 63.53KB
bonnets.bmp 3.00MB
cab.texture.txt 26 bytes
cab.tga 97.04KB
digit_3a.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_3a.tga 4.04KB
digit_3b.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_3b.tga 17.04KB
digit_4a.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_4a.tga 4.04KB
digit_4b.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_4b.tga 17.04KB
digit_5a.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_5a.tga 4.04KB
digit_5b.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_5b.tga 17.04KB
digit_6a.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_6a.tga 4.04KB
digit_6b.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_6b.tga 17.04KB
env_map.bmp 192.05KB
env_map.texture.txt 30 bytes
fan.texture.txt 26 bytes
fan.tga 13.04KB
fang-fang.texture.txt 43 bytes
fang.bmp 65.05KB
fang.texture.txt 27 bytes
fang.tga 193.04KB
gp60a.bmp 3.00MB
gp60a.texture.txt 28 bytes
gp60b.bmp 3.00MB
gp60b.texture.txt 28 bytes
horn.bmp 6.05KB
horn.texture.txt 27 bytes
map0-map0.texture.txt 43 bytes
map0.bmp 65.05KB
map0.tga 193.04KB
map3.texture.txt 27 bytes
map3.tga 13.04KB
numbrd.bmp 24.05KB
numbrd.texture.txt 29 bytes
shade.im 520 bytes
shadow-shadow.texture.txt 47 bytes
shadow.tga 65.04KB
windows.texture.txt 30 bytes
windows.tga 25.04KB
mesh_shadow
black.texture.txt 28 bytes
black.tga 812 bytes
shadow.im 461.51KB
• screenshot.jpg 30.77KB

This content is copyright 2006 Justin Cornell and Virtual-Motive-Division, all rights
reserved.

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