GMD GF6C

EMD GF6C

EMD GF6C locomotive #6001 at the Railway & Forestry Museum in Prince George, BC.

Type and origin
Power type	Electric
Builder	General Motors Diesel
Serial number	A4340–A4346
Model	GF6C
Build date	1983–1984
Total produced	7

Specifications
AAR wheel arr.	C-C
UIC class	Co′Co′
Gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm)
Trucks	EMD HTC
Wheel diameter	42 in (1,067 mm)
Length	68 ft 10 in (20.98 m)
Loco weight	396,000 lb (180,000 kilograms)
Electric system(s)	50 kV AC Catenary
Current collection	Pantograph
Traction motors	6 × EMD E88X

Performance figures
Power output	6,000 hp (4.47 MW)

Career
Operators	BC Rail (BCOL)
Numbers	BCOL 6001–6007
Locale	British Columbia, Canada
Disposition	6 scrapped, 1 preserved

The GF6C was an electric locomotive for freight duties built by General Motors Diesel in collaboration with ASEA of Sweden.

Seven of these locomotives were built in 1983 and 1984, for use on the BC Rail's electrified Tumbler Ridge subdivision.

Similar to EMD's GM6C testbed locomotive, the GF6C used a frame and running gear that was identical to that of EMD's popular SD40-2 diesel-electric locomotive,^[1] but had a wide cab and carbody similar to that of GMD's SD40-2F.

BC Rail chose electrification for the Tumbler Subdivision because of the long, non-ventilated tunnels, as well as steep grades and sharp curves. The line served the Quintette and Bull-Moose coal mines, and hauled coal from said mines to an interchange with CN, where diesel power took over to haul the coal to Prince Rupert where it was loaded onto deep-sea coal carrier ships.

A combination of the declining coal market, and lack of coal being produced from the Quintette mine led to the electric system being shut down due to low traffic, and high maintenance costs. The system transferred over to diesel hauled trains after the last electrically hauled train left the Teck loadout (Bull-moose mine) on October 1, 2000.

In 2004, the Paul D. Roy family purchased locomotive 6001 and donated it to the Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum in Prince George; the remaining six locomotives were scrapped. 6001 is currently preserved and in remarkable condition, and, according to the museum's curator and park manager, is still operable if provided with 50 kV of electricity.

References

↑ Marre, Louis A, & Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1989). The Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI. ISBN 0-89024-088-4.

British Rail	Class 57 Class 67

Córas Iompair Éireann	Class 001 Class 071 Class 121 Class 141 Class 181

CFL (Luxembourg)	Class 1600

Danish State Railways	Class ME Class MX Class MY Class MZ

Iarnród Éireann	Class 201

Indian Railways	Class WDM-4

Israel Railways	JT 42BW JT 42CW

Northern Ireland Railways	Class 111

Norwegian State Railways	NSB Di 4

NJ Transit	Alstom PL42AC

RENFE (Spain)	Class 310 Class 319 (early versions) Class 319 (later versions) Class 333 Class 334

SNCB (Belgium)	HLD 51 HLD 52 HLD 53 HLD 54 HLD 55 HLD 61 HLD 62 HLD 65

Swedish State Railways	T41 T43 T44

Vossloh	Euro

Experimentals

See also: List of GM-EMD locomotives

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