`Bessemer locomotives get new look, upgrade`

By Hal Johnson
Herald Writer

A few of the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad locomotives will have a different look as they rumble up the tracks beginning next week.

They will be the first four of 11 remanufactured locomotives the railroad bought to replace about a third of its fleet, said Gordon E. Lloyd, manager of locomotive maintenance. The new locomotives will be replacing ones that are 30 to 50 years old, he said.

As are the current fleet of locomotives, the new ones will have their distinctive bright orange color. However, the Bessemer emblem will be on the nose, instead of on the side.

The more distinctive change will be the air intake radiators on the sides near the bottom of the locomotive, instead of at the top. If someone is standing alongside the locomotive, “you will be able to see right through it,” Lloyd said.

The locomotives originally were built for the Southern Pacific Railroad, Lloyd said. Those trains had to climb up mountain tunnels. A lowered air intake radiator allowed the engine to be cooled better than if the air intake was at the top of the locomotive, he said.

The 3,000-horsepower locomotives will be able to haul more freight, Lloyd said. A current locomotive has 1,500 to 2,000 horsepower. That means there will be fewer locomotives on each passing train. A train with the new locomotives will have three locomotives instead of four, he said.

Better wheel adhesion means the wheels also can haul more freight, Lloyd said. An onboard computer controls wheel slippage, as well as engine performance and electrical power, he said.

The new fuel efficient locomotives are expected to cut the railroad’s maintenance costs, Lloyd said.

Seven locomotives are being acquired from Boise (ID) Locomotive Co. The railroad purchased another four locomotives from DiLuth Missabe and Iron Range, Proctor, Minn. All 11 new locomotives are expected to be on line this summer, he said.

The locomotives they are replacing will be sold to dealers for parts, Lloyd said.

Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad hauls coal and iron ore from southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia to the Great Lakes. Tracks pass through the Shenango Valley and Greenville.

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