UNION, Ill. — The first U.S. production AC-traction locomotive, BNSF Railway SD70MAC No. 9400, has been donated to the Illinois Railway Museum, IRM has announced.
The 4,000-hp EMD locomotive was the first unit in an order for 350 locomotives built between November 1993 and mid-1996, following several years of testing of diesels with AC traction motors. In announcing the acquisition, IRM notes in the donation announcement that the SD70MACs were also groundbreaking for their radial trucks, computerized control systems, sound-deadening wide cabs, and desktop engineer controls.
No. 9400 received stanless-steel handrails. It was part of a formal dedication ceremony in BNSF’s headquarters city of Fort Worth, Texas, in January 1994, a ceremony that also included Burlington E5 No. 9911A, Silver Pilot, and the Nebraska Zephyr trainset on loan from IRM. It now joins that locomotive and trainset in the IRM collection, which includes 29 other EMD or Electro-Motive Corp. locomotives.
The museum plans to restore the locomotive to operating condition and its original appearance. It is soliciting donations for that work as well as storage of the unit; donations can be made here.
Visit the IRM website for more on the museum.
After what IRM did to the running gear of much of their steam collection -scrapping- I wouldn’t hold my breath on any restoration.
A remarkable railroad career that ended a bit too soon for this giant veteran, built in December 1993…
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
This is great news!