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TheEMD FL9 (New Haven Class EDER-5) is a model ofelectro-diesel locomotive, capable of operating either as a traditionaldiesel-electric locomotive or as anelectric locomotive powered from athird rail. Sixty units were built between October 1956 and November 1960 byGeneral Motors Electro-Motive Division for theNew York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (the "New Haven").[1] The locomotives were designed to allow diesel powered trains to enterGrand Central Terminal, where non-electric locomotives are forbidden. The FL9s continued in passenger service under the New Haven's successors, with the final units in revenue service retired byMetro-North Railroad in 2009. A number of FL9s have been preserved at museums or with private owners.
Due to concerns about diesel emissions in theEast River Tunnels and the underground tracks ofGrand Central Terminal andPenn Station, passenger trains entering New York City have long been required to use electrical power, as coal and later diesel exhaust would pose a hazard to human health in the confined underground spaces. At the same time, much of the New Haven's trackage was not electrified beyond New Haven. To allow passenger trains to travel to New York City from non-electrified lines without requiring a change of locomotives, the New Haven Railroad purchased a class of locomotive that could switch between diesel and electric power on the fly.
EMD's answer was a new locomotive based on their existingFP9, but lengthened to accommodate additional equipment, such as a larger train heating steam boiler and third rail contact shoes. Due to the additional weight, the locomotive was equipped with a three-axle rear truck, giving it an uncommonB-A1Awheel arrangement.Flexicoil trucks were used due to this type of truck having more room for fitting thethird rail shoes.[2]
For electric operation, the FL9 was capable of using either an over-running or under-running third rail by means of retractable shoes operated by pneumatic cylinders. The first 30 locomotives also had a small DCpantograph for use within New York City'sGrand Central Terminal, where long gaps exist in the third rail because of the complex trackage that includes numerousrailroad switches.[3] For operation into thePennsylvania Railroad'sPennsylvania Station, the FL9 used theLong Island Rail Road's third rail system.[4]
The electrical supply available from the third rail—660 V DC—was identical to the requirements ofdiesel locomotivetraction motors, enabling a fairly easy conversion to a dual-power locomotive. A DC electric compressor provided air for the brake system until the diesel engine was started.[citation needed] Two batches of FL9s were built; an initial 30 (including the original test units 2000 and 2001, originally built with aBlomberg fronttruck, but later upgraded following testing) from October 1956 through November 1957 with the older 1,750 hp (1,305 kW) V16EMD 567C engine; and an additional 30 between June and November 1960 with the newer 1,800 hp (1,342 kW) V16EMD 567D1 engine.[5][6] All units were painted in the bright McGinnis scheme of red-orange, black and white and theHerbert Matter designed "NH" logo. FL9s were initially fitted with theHancock air whistle, a trademark of New Haven units of this time, instead of the standardair horns on diesel locomotives.[citation needed]
New Haven trackage between Woodlawn and New Haven, Connecticut, 72 miles east from Grand Central, was electrified in the early 1900s at 11,000 volts, 25 Hz AC overhead. The New Haven was the pioneer of heavy mainline railroad electrification in the United States. Early plans to extend the catenary to Boston were never completed due to the perennial financial problems that plagued the New Haven almost continuously from the 1920s to its demise in 1969. This left a gap between New Haven and Boston, requiring trains between those cities to stop in New Haven to switch between diesel and electric locomotives. This extended travel time, which the New Haven sought to reduce.
The FL9s allowed through passenger trains from Grand Central Terminal to reach Boston, Springfield, and other non-electrified destinations without the need for an engine change at New Haven. They were purchased with the intent of allowing the eventual elimination of all New Haven electric locomotives and the abandonment of the electrification east of Stamford, Connecticut, 33 miles from Grand Central. The fact that the entire New York to Boston line is now electrified shows the short-sightedness of this concept, which had been adopted by the McGinnis management to avoid the cost of modernizing the New Haven's Cos Cob, Connecticut power plant. TheNew Haven to Boston electrification was finally completed by Amtrak in 1999.
Prior to the introduction of the FL9, all non-multiple unit New Haven passenger trains were hauled by electric locomotives between New York and New Haven, with a change to steam (before 1950) or diesel at New Haven. Meeting the weight limits of the Park Avenue Viaduct in Manhattan, the FL9 made it possible to eliminate the engine change and allow trains to reach Grand Central in less time. FL9s were used on the New Haven's premier name train, theMerchants Limited, which covered the 229.5 miles between Grand Central Terminal andSouth Station, Boston in 4 hours 15 minutes.
Introduction of the FL9 allowed the New Haven to scrap its entire fleet of pre-1955 electric locomotives, many of which were less than 25 years old. The FL9 had higher operating costs and lower performance than the electric locomotives it replaced, but was more flexible as it could go where electric locomotives could not. The only New Haven electrics surviving through the FL9 period were theGeneral ElectricEP5 "Jets" of 1955 as well as the freight serviceGeneral ElectricE33s purchased secondhand from theVirginian Railway in 1959. Even though one EP5 was as powerful as three FL9s, the powerful "Jets" were doomed by poor maintenance, and the last were retired in 1977, after having been regeared for freight service by inheritorPenn Central in 1973. In keeping with the New Haven's policy of dual service utilization of locomotives, FL9s were used at night to move aTrailer-on-FlatCar (TOFC) train, with difficulty, in one direction betweenCedar Hill Yard in New Haven andOak Point Yard inThe Bronx. Assigned to this train in the other direction, an EP5 locomotive could easily outrun automobile traffic on the adjacentConnecticut Turnpike.
The FL9s were considered to be under-powered compared to the powerful electrics they replaced, which also had their problems. For other reasons, the New Haven never abandoned its electrification, negating the primary reason for purchasing the FL9s. Their ability to avoid the engine change in New Haven allowed them to remain in service on trains that travelled in non-electrified territory, and they could also be operated like conventional diesel locomotives.
In 1969, the New Haven FL9 fleet passed toPenn Central upon the merger of thePennsylvania Railroad andNew York Central Railroad, as theICC required the newly formed company to assume control of the bankrupt New Haven. Some were repainted in Penn Central schemes, while others remained in their former New Haven paint. When theNew York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) began funding these commuter services in 1970, many were repainted blue with a bright yellow nose, although they remained Penn Central-owned. The locomotives passed toConrail upon its formation in 1976 from the bankrupt PC. Twelve FL9s were sold toAmtrak, six of which wereremanufactured byMorrison-Knudsen starting in 1978 and remained in Amtrak service until at least 1996.
In 1983, Conrail passed its commuter operations to state agencies. InNew York State, the MTA formedMetro-North Railroad as a subsidiary company to operate these, and operations inConnecticut under contract with that state. The locomotives were repainted in Metro-North colors (more commonly in a silver, blue, and red scheme;[7] some in a silver and blue scheme[8]), and a large number of them, now in some cases over 25 years old, were rebuilt and modernized. Ten rebuilt for theConnecticut Department of Transportation (CDT) were painted in the original New Haven paint scheme in recognition of their original operator. This tradition has continued with other remanufactured locomotives in the CDT'sShore Line East service pool, as well as on four newGE Genesis IIP32AC-DMdual-mode locomotives and sixBrookville BL20GHDiesel-electric locomotives.
By the beginning of the 21st century, the worn-out FL9s were approaching a service life of 50 years and were gradually replaced by newer, more powerful locomotives. The FL9s were restricted to branch lines near the end of their lives since they lost the ability to operate on third rail power. Metro-North and Connecticut DOT, along with theHousatonic Railroad, operated a "Farewell to the FL9's" fan trip from Stamford, CT to Canaan, CT and return on October 23, 2005. The last FL9 to see passenger service was in late 2009, the same year Metro-North retired all its remaining FL9s. Six ConnDOT-owned locomotives were sold to other operators or museums by the end of 2018.[9][10]
The dual-power concept pioneered by the FL9 has been continued by theP32AC-DM andEMD DM30AC, both which remain on Amtrak, Metro-North and theLong Island Rail Road.
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers |
|---|---|---|
| New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad | 60 | 2000–2059 |
Several FL9s exist today, donated to several museums and railways.
In 1978, FL9 #5048 was used in the filming of the originalSuperman movie starringChristopher Reeve. Still painted in New Haven livery, the unit was depicted pulling a commuter train past the entrance toLex Luthor's hideout during the villain's introduction scene.[19]
