Southern Pacific 9010

Infobox Locomotive
name=Southern Pacific 9010
powertype=Diesel
builder=Krauss-Maffei
buildmodel=ML-4000
builddate=1964
railroad=Southern Pacific Railroad
roadnumber=9010, renum 9113, renum SPMW 1, renum SPMW 1166, renum 8799
locale=Roseville, California, then flat territories, California
retiredate=1968 (as a locomotive), 1984 (as a "Camera Car")
disposition=Under cosmetic restoration
gauge=4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm)

Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) locomotive number 9010 is a KM ML-4000 diesel-hydraulic locomotive, built in 1964 by German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei. It generated 4000 horsepower from two V12 Maybach engines. It wore SP's "bloody nose" paint sceme its entire service career. It was initially retired in 1968, but was rebuilt by SP's Sacramento Locomotive Works into a "camera car." As camera car number 8799, it was retired in 1984 and donated to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. It was sold to the Pacific Locomotive Association and moved to the Niles Canyon Railway's Brightside Yard in Sunol, California in the summer of 2008. It is currently undergoing cosmetic restoration. It is the sole surviving KM ML-4000 build for use in North America, and the sole surviving diesel-hydraulic locomotive in North America.

Purpose and Service as a Locomotive

SP 9010 was delivered as part of the second order of ML-4000s in 1964. The first order were know as "cab units" due to their fully-enclosed car bodies similar to the EMD F-unit. The second order was known as the "hood units" due to their modern hood type bodies. SP's motive for ordering the German manufactured locomotives was due to the lack of horsepower in the available American locomotives at the time. SP owned a total of 21 ML-4000s all together. ML-4000s were originally used in freight service on SP's famous Donner Pass line over California's Sierra Nevada mountain range, as they were originally intended to replace the EMD F7, and had a special track set up a the Roseville, California locomotive shops specifically for servicing the locomotives. However, they were found unsuitable in mountain service after extensive testing and relegated to service in flat territories, often running in tandem with EMD F7s or EMD GP9s.

Retirement as a Locomotive

The ML-4000s and diesel-hydraulic locomotives in general began to be phased out in the late 1960s when American locomotive technology progressed and more horsepower was able to be generated by single-engine locomotives. While fairly new, ML-4000s began retirement in 1967, upon the arrival of high-horsepower American-made EMD SD40s, SD45s, and GE U33Cs. SP announced the end of its diesel-hydraulic program on February, 13th, 1968, and all ML-4000s except 9010 were retired and scrapped before the end of that year.

Purpose and Service as a Camera Car

SP 9010 was converted into a "camera car" between 1968 and 1969 at the Sacramento Locomotive Works, and emerged as SPMW #1. Due to SP's traffic computer requiring 4 digits, it was renumbered SPMW 1166. In June 1969 it was finally renumbered to SP 8799. Its purpose was to record films for a computerized locomotive simulator for engineer training. The most drastic change in appearance was the locomotive's short hood (or "nose"). It was completely rebuilt to house camera equipment and heavy, thick steel was used for collision protection. The front transmission was removed to house a generator to power the camera equipment. The generator drew fuel from the locomotive's original fuel tank. The two engines and rear transmission were left in but disabled, and were mainly left there for weight. All of the controls remained in the cab so that it could control a locomotive pushing behind it, much like a cab car is used on a commuter train. The camera car could be put on the lead of any train, but it mostly made special trips with just one locomotive behind it for power. Known locomotives that it used for power are a single EMD F7 B-unit and an EMD GP35. Its usual home appears to have been West Colton Yard in Southern California, and it would venture from there to shoot films.

Retirement as a Camera Car and Restoration as a Locomotive

The camera car was retired in 1984 and donated to the California State Railroad Museum in 1986. Initially, the museum removed its nose for the purpose of having a new nose built to replicate the nose that it had while it was a locomotive as part of its plan for restoration. However, that restoration never came. It sat in outdoor storage in a very forlorn state at the Sacramento Locomotive Works until it was sold to the Pacific Locomotive Association (PLA), along with several pieces of rolling stock. They were moved by the Union Pacific Railroad in the summer of 2008 from Sacramento to their interchange with Niles Canyon Railway at Hearst in Sunol, California. The Niles Canyon Railway then transferred SP 9010 to its Brightside Yard. Its restoration is now underway by volunteers of the PLA. Initial plans call for cosmetic restoration, including building a replica of the locomotive's original nose, and returning the locomotive to its original number, 9010. It will retain its cab controls so that it can be pushed by a locomotive providing power from behind. In the future, one of its two Maybach engines may be made operational.

References

* http://www.ncry.org/
* http://www.sbhrs.org/organization/block/08Summer_1.pdf
* http://espee.railfan.net/sp-camera_car.html