GE E60

E60C

GE designed the E60C for use on the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad (BM&LP), an isolated 78 miles (125.5 km) line built to transport coal from the Black Mesa Mine near Kayenta, Arizona to the Navajo Generating Station power plant at Page, Arizona. The E60C is distinguished from later models by its single cab and pantograph. The BM&LP is electrified at 50 kV 60 Hz AC. It was the first such electrification in the world.

Thyristor rectifiers step down the AC to six GE780 traction motors, two per axle. The locomotive is rated at 6,000 hp (4.5 MW). A gearing of 85:21 permits a maximum speed of 72 mph (116 km/h). The locomotive is 63 ft 2 in (19.3 m) and weighs 426,000 lb (193,230 kg), including some 100,000 lb (45,359 kg) of ballast.

The BM&LP ordered six E60Cs between 1972–76; a typical train featured three locomotives working in multiple. The Union Pacific Railroad used the E60 as a benchmark when it investigated electrification in the early 1980s.

The Arizona State Railroad Museum took possession of ex-BM&LP E60C No. 6001 in 2010.

At this time March 2012, Black Mesa is operating six ex-NdeM E60s and the 6006. The 6001 was donated to a railway museum. Deseret Power Railroad located near Rangely, Colorado is also a 50kV operation and started out with two new E60s which were built in 1983 along with 39, 25 kV locomotives that were built for NdeM in Mexico. Deseret acquired two second hand NdeM units in 1998 and put one in service with their spare 50 kV transformer. Three additional NdeM units that had not been energized since manufacture were acquired in 2009, one is in service with a rewound main transformer, the operating is up to four units. BHP's Navajo Mine Railroad near Farmington NM operated with two secondhand ex-Amtrak E60Cs converted from E60CHs and E60MAs. A third ex-Amtrak unit was acquired from NJ Transit after a wreck. BHP now operates three ex-NdeM E60s, a fourth ex-NdeM unit is being acquired from Texas Utilities. The Deseret and NdeM E60s have the latest GE propulsion control including power factor correction and the wheelslip control borrowed from the Dash-7 diesels.

E60CP and E60CH

Amtrak assumed control of almost all private sector intercity passenger rail service in the United States on May 1, 1971, with a mandate to reverse decades of decline. Amtrak retained approximately 184 of the 440 trains which had run the day before. To operate these trains, Amtrak inherited a fleet of 300 locomotives (electric and diesel) and 1190 passenger cars, most of which dated from the 1940s–1950s.

Operation on the electrified portion of the Northeast Corridor was split between the Budd Metroliner electric multiple units and PRR GG1 locomotives. The latter were over 35 years old and restricted to 85 mph (137 km/h). Amtrak sought a replacement, but no United States manufacturer offered an electric passenger locomotive. Importing and adapting a European locomotive would require a three-year lead time. With few other options, Amtrak turned to GE to adapt the E60C for passenger service.

The new design was lighter, at 387,000 lb (175,540 kg), and longer, at 71 ft 3 in (21.7 m). A gearing of 68:38 permitted a maximum design speed of 120 mph (193 km/h). The design came in two variants: the E60CP had steam generators for older passenger equipment, while the E60CH had head-end power (HEP) generators for the new Amfleet cars. Both models had a cab and pantograph at each end. Reflecting the varied electrification schemes on the Northeast Corridor the Amtrak units could operate at three different voltages: 11 kV 25 Hz AC, 12.5 kV 60 Hz AC, and 25 kV 60 Hz.

Amtrak ordered 26 E60s in 1973; 15 on March 26, 1973, and a further 11 on October 12. The total cost of the order was $18.4 million. The initial mix was 15 CPs and 11 CHs, but Amtrak switched 9 of CPs to HEP as it ramped up acquisition of new Amfleet cars. Amtrak anticipated that E60-hauled Amfleet trains could displace both the GG1s and the mechanically-unreliable Metroliners.

The E60s began arriving in November 1974; they were the first locomotives to carry Amtrak's Phase II livery. Problems soon developed; the locomotives yawed sideways when accelerating, stressing the rails. Investigation after a derailment at Elkton, Maryland on February 24, 1975, revealed problems with the truck and bolster design. The Federal Railroad Administration restricted the maximum speed of the E60s to 85 mph (137 km/h). The failure of the E60 as a high-speed design led to Amtrak's acquisition of the successful EMD AEM-7.

As the AEM-7s arrived Amtrak began disposing of its E60s. It sold two E60CHs to the Navajo Mine Railroad in 1982. A grant from the Urban Mass Transit Administration enabled New Jersey Transit to buy ten of the E60CHs in 1984 for use on the North Jersey Coast Line. In 1995, New Jersey Transit sold E60 961 to the Navajo Mine Railroad. Although most New Jersey Transit E60s were scrapped by 1998 they were not used in revenue service after late 1990. 958 was saved for preservation. In 2003, the Navajo Mine Railroad scrapped all of its E60s.

Between 1986 and 1988, those E60s that remained with Amtrak were rebuilt, reclassified and renumbered. All E60CPs had their steam generators removed and four of these had HEP fitted. Those with HEP, both the E60CHs and the converted E60CPs, were rebuilt and renumbered as E60MA in the 600 series, where MA stood for Motor Alternator set. The road numbers of the E60MAs were between 600 and 610. The two remaining E60CPs without HEP were renumbered as 620 and 621. The E60MAs weighed 183 short tons (163 long tons; 166 t), 10.5 short tons (9.4 long tons; 9.5 t) less than their original weight.

When the E60s returned to service, they were used mainly on heavy, long-distance trains, such as the Crescent, Silver Meteor, and Broadway Limited, in addition to Clockers and special movements including circus and mail trains, or maintenance of way runs.

All Amtrak E60 units were retired in 2003. In April 2004, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania acquired Amtrak E60 603 for preservation. NJ Transit 958 was also preserved and was donated to the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey. All other units were scrapped.

E60C-2

Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (NdeM) ordered 39 E60C-2 locomotives, built between September 1982 and December 1983. They were numbered EA001-EA039. These E60C-2s have double cabs and double pantographs. The locomotives did not differ greatly from the E60C. They were geared at 83:20, for a maximum speed of 110 km/h (68 mph). Like the Amtrak models they had cabs at both ends. The locomotives are 69 ft 3 in (21.1 m) long and weigh 370,000 lb (167,829 kg). They employ six GE 752AF traction motors.

NdeM intended to use the locomotives on a new 155 mi (249 km) railway line between Mexico City and Querétaro. After delays, the line opened on February 24, 1994. Six of the locomotives wrecked in accidents; 11 were never taken out of storage. After privatization in 1997 Grupo Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) dismantled the electrification and placed the 22 operating E60C-2s up for sale; the 11 stored locomotives remained owned by the Mexican government. The availability of several dozen lightly-used electric locomotives sparked interest from several commuter operators, including Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT), Caltrain, and GO Transit.

TFM traded most of the E60C-2s to GE for GE AC4400CW diesel locomotives. Three were sold to Texas Utilities to serve the company's Martin Lake line, displacing GE E25Bs. BM&LP acquired several E60C-2s to replace their own aging E60Cs. The Deseret Power Railroad acquired 7 E60C-2s to ship coal over the 35-mile stretch from the Deserado Coal Mine located near Rangely, Colorado to Deseret's Bonanza Power Plant located near Bonanza, Utah. Seven were acquired in 2006 by the Montréal Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) in Québec. Texas Utilities discontinued electric operation in January 2011.