EMD SD9

An SD9 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1954 and June 1959. An EMD 567C 16-cylinder engine generated 1,750 horsepower (1.30 MW). This model is, externally, similar to its predecessor, the SD7, but this model, internally, features the improved and much more maintainable 567C engine. The principal spotting feature are the classification lights on the ends of the locomotive, above the number board. The SD9's classification lights are on a small pod, canted outward. The last phase of construction had a carbody similar to the SD18 and SD24, and used two 48-inch (1,219 mm) cooling fans instead of four 36-inch (914 mm) cooling fans.

Four hundred and seventy-one SD9s were built for American railroads and 44 for export.

Original buyers

Preservation

Some SD9 locomotives can be found in museums and on tourist lines, and at least two are in service on a working railroad:

• Dakota Southern Railway uses SD9 506 and SD9E 4427 in revenue freight service.^[1]

• Colorado & Southern 839, later Burlington Northern 6234, was donated by successor Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. to the Minnesota Transportation Museum. It now operates on the museum's Osceola and St Croix Valley Railway. 6234 is an example of the last variation of SD9 locomotives produced, which used the SD18 carbody.
• The Nevada Northern Railway uses an ex-SP SD9 occasionally to pull their passenger trains.
• Southern Pacific 4404 is preserved at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California It has been sold, and is now awaiting pickup in the Union Pacific Portola yard. Southern Pacific 4450 was scrapped in August 2013.
• Milwaukee Road 532, rebuilt by the Milwaukee into an 'SD10', lives at the Whitewater Valley Railroad. It was originally their 2235.
• Nickel Plate Road 349 is preserved at the Mad River & Nickel Plate Railroad Museum. It was retired as Norfolk Southern #52, and was donated to the museum in December 2010. It has been restored to its Norfolk & Western appearance.
• The Portland and Western Railroad uses three SD9s for switching and industry service. PNWR 1852 operates out of their Albany, OR yard.
• The Western Rail Inc. owns 3 SD9m (SD9 rebuild) units. 13, 50, & 1886. 13 & 50 are Ex-Norfolk Southern, Exx-Norfolk & Western, née Nickel Plate Road. 1886 is Ex-Norfolk Southern, Exx-Southern, née Central of Georgia.
• BNSF still rosters several SD9's. 4 are known to have been rebuilt into SD9-3's, numbers 1550-1553, and have modern EMD cabs.
• An ex-Central of Georgia SD9, Black River & Western Railroad 9581, is currently on lease to Kinder-Morgan Newport News for yard duty.

Footnotes

References

• Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter’s Guide. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89024-026-4. 
• Sarberenyi, Robert. EMD SD9 Original Owners. Retrieved on August 27, 2006
• Komanesky, John. Preserved EMD Locomotives. Retrieved on May 18, 2009

External links

• Media related to EMD SD9 locomotives at Wikimedia Commons