TheEMD DE30AC andDM30AC are a class of 46 locomotives built between 1997–1999 byElectro-Motive Division in the Super Steel Plant inSchenectady, New York, for theLong Island Rail Road of theMetropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York. Originally divided equally between the two types, the fleet currently consists of 24 DE30AC locomotives (diesel power only) and 20 DM30AC locomotives (diesel or third rail power).
EMD DE30AC/DM30AC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() DM30AC 501 at New Hyde Park | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[2] |
Details
editThe DE30AC and DM30AC locomotives replaced agingGP38 locomotives, with GP38s used topush and pull diesel trains and other locomotives converted intopower packs (cab control) used to providehead-end power for the trains. The bodies of the DE30AC and the DM30AC are extremely similar; the difference is the ability of the DM30AC to use electric third rail while the diesel engine is off, enabling the locomotive to use theEast River Tunnels intoNew York Penn Station. This permits direct service from non-electrified lines in eastern Long Island via the western electrified main lines all the way to Penn Station. A few such trains a day run on thePort Jefferson,Montauk, andOyster Bay branches, usually during peak times. Due to their height, the DE30AC and DM30AC locomotives, as well as theC3 bilevel railcars that they typically haul, cannot fit through the63rd Street Tunnel, and are thus unable to serveGrand Central Madison station.[4]
Single engines run with six cars or fewer, in which case the engine is on the east end of the train and a C3 cab car is on the west (Manhattan-facing) end. Generally, two engines are used when there are seven or more cars. Running in electric mode requires two DM30ACs per train regardless of train length.
Accidents
edit- DM30AC 503 was damaged in an accident atHuntington on October 23, 2000, when a defective shoe beam caused a 750-voltshort circuit with the locomotive'sthird rail contact shoe, which in turn caused the locomotive to catch fire.[5] It sat in the LIRR'sMorris Park Facility and had been stripped for spare parts to maintain the remainder of the fleet until July 2018, when it was scrapped.
- DM30AC 511 was damaged in an accident on May 25, 2019. It hit a 14-unit long train stopped at the siding east ofSpeonk station, which is 13 units long; this caused the locomotive to lose a third rail shoe and sustain frame damage.[6] It is now sitting in theMorris Park Facility, most likely to be used for parts before being scrapped.[7]
In addition, DM30AC 507 suffered an electrical cabinet failure. Unlike 503 and 511, it was salvaged by being converted into a DE30AC locomotive, renumbered to 423, and returned to service.
Planned replacement
editIn December 2020, theMetropolitan Transportation Authority of New York board approved aFederal Transit Administration-funded $335 million contract for 27 dual-mode locomotives, based on theSiemens Charger design. The order also includes additional options for up to 144 more locomotives, of which 66 could go to the LIRR.[8][9] As a part of the Long Island Railroad's Capital Program, the railroad is exercising Option 3 of the previously awarded contract to order up to 44 new dual-mode locomotives, which would likely replace the older DE30AC and DM30AC locomotives.[10][11]
Gallery
edit- DE30AC #401
- DM30AC #515
- The cab of engine #513
- Third rail conductor shoe on DM30AC #514.
- The remnants of engine #503
- The cab of engine #503
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"New 710ECO Repower Products Provide High Performance for Low and Medium Horsepower Applications"(PDF).Electro-Motive Diesel. March 2008. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on August 28, 2016.
- ^abcd"Diesel-Electric Passenger Locomotives DE30AC and DM30AC"(PDF). Siemens AG. RetrievedJanuary 14, 2011.[dead link]
- ^LaMay, Robert A. (1998)."Long Island Rail Road's DE30 and DM30 Locomotives".Railpace. Archived fromthe original on June 23, 2018. RetrievedAugust 31, 2008.
- ^"Chapter 28: Comments and Responses on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement".East Side Access Environmental Impact Statement(PDF).MTA Capital Construction. March 2001.Archived(PDF) from the original on March 15, 2018. RetrievedFebruary 2, 2018.
- ^Demoretcky, Tom; Mason, Bill (October 24, 2000). "LIRR Fire Delays Port Jeff Branch".Newsday. p. A.28.
- ^Castillo, Alfonso A. (October 30, 2019)."Track circuit failure caused LIRR train derailment in Speonk, report states".Newsday. RetrievedAugust 4, 2023.
- ^"Long Island Railroad Wrecks".TrainsAreFun. 2006.
- ^"Joint Metro-North and Long Island Committees Meeting". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2020. pp. 128–132.
- ^"Metro-North set to buy dual-mode locomotives from Siemens".Trains Magazine. December 14, 2020. Archived fromthe original on January 31, 2021. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2021.
- ^"MTA considers $788 million deal for new locomotives".Newsday. December 17, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 3, 2025.
- ^"MTA Set for Record-Breaking Progress in 2025 after Board Approves Transformational Capital Projects".MTA. RetrievedJanuary 3, 2025.
External links
edit- Media related toEMD DE30AC locomotives at Wikimedia Commons
- Media related toEMD DM30AC locomotives at Wikimedia Commons
- EMD DE30AC/DM30AC Sell Sheetvia Archive.org