The EMD SW9 is a model of diesel

switcher A switcher, shunter, yard pilot, switch engine, yard goat, or shifter is a small railroad locomotive used for manoeuvring railroad cars inside a rail yard in a process known as ''switching'' (US) or ''shunting'' (UK). Switchers are not inten ...

locomotives A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the u ...

built by

General Motors Electro-Motive Division Progress Rail Locomotives, doing business as Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), is an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. The company is owned by Caterpillar through its sub ...

between November 1950 and December 1953. Additional SW9s were built by General Motors Diesel in Ontario Canada from December 1950 to March 1953. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 12-cylinder engine, producing . 786 examples of this model were built for American railroads and 29 were built for Canadian railroads.

Design and production

The SW9 was EMD's successor to the SW7. Like the SW7, the SW9 retained a power output of 1,200 hp and the same general design. It differed in lacking the upper hood vents found in the SW7, and with the installation of a 567B engine to replace the 567A found in the SW7. Starting in October 1953 a number of SW9s were built with the 567BC engine. In December 1953, one locomotive, Weyerhaeuser 305, was built with a 567C engine. The 567C was subsequently installed on the SW9's successor, the SW1200. In addition to the single units produced, ten TR5

cow-calf In rail transport, a cow-calf (also cow and calf) locomotive is a set of switcher-type diesel locomotives. The set usually is a pair; some 3-unit sets (with two calves, also known as herds) were built, but this was rare. A cow is equipped with a ...

paired sets were produced (eight for the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

, and two for the Union Railroad of Pittsburgh). The Union Railroad also bought an additional two TR5B "calves".

Original buyers

SW9 locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, USA

SW9 locomotives built by General Motors Diesel, Canada

TR5 locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, USA

SW1000R

In 1994

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

acquired nine SW9s from various railroads and had them rebuilt by the

National Railway Equipment Company National Railway Equipment Company is an American railroad equipment rebuilding, leasing, and manufacturing company, headquartered in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. NREC sells new and rebuilt locomotives to railroad companies worldwide, with an emphasis ...

. These switchers were reclassified as EMD SW1000R.

References

External links

* {{Diesel_Switchers SW0009 SW0009 B-B locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1950 Diesel-electric locomotives of the United States Locomotives with cabless variants Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Standard gauge locomotives of Canada Diesel-electric locomotives of Canada Shunting locomotives