The EMD SW1000 was the first model the builder produced originally designed to use its new model 645 prime mover. Built during the mid-1960s it was essentially a second-generation unit. The model featured classic SW series styling (although slight changes were made to the overall carbody) and size with reasonable power. Unfortunately, EMD found it tough to sell the SW1000, as many found the more powerful SW1500 (built during the same time as SW1000) more to their liking (additionally, sales for switchers began to decline in the 1960s as lines found that their older first generation units could be reassigned to secondary and yard duty). Interestingly, despite only a little more than 100 SW1000s built several remain in operation on short lines and in industrial services.
You can even find them in continued service on Class I's, such as BNSF Railway. As a result, of the more than 100 examples built between 1966 and 1972, there are none known yet to be preserved at either a museum or in operation with a tourist line. This will likely change, however, in the future as units are retired and replaced.
The EMD SW1000 began production in the summer of 1966 offering a new prime mover and slightly updated carbody. The builder stuck with the typical overall length found in other SW models at just over 44-feet (although the locomotive was about four inches longer than previous designs). However, while the taper near the cab remained, the hood featured harder lines with less beveling and a wider, boxier cab that no longer included an arched roof. The design also went back to a single, conical stack, as had been used on the earlier SW8 model. The SW1000 featured EMD's new model 645 prime mover (the 645E) that was an eight-cylinder engine cable of producing 1,000 horsepower. Once again EMD kept the model light at 115 tons and using General Motors' new model D77 traction motors the unit could produce a respectable continuous tractive effort of 36,000 pounds continuous and 57,500 pounds starting (the same as the SW900).
A History Of The Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
EMD's General Motors Diesel
Early Switchers: SW, SC, NW, NC
SW9
SW900
SW1001 Variant
SW1200
SW1500
F2
F3
F7
FP7
F9n
New Haven's FL9
F40PH Series
F45 Series
GP7
GP9
GP15 Series
GP18
RS1325
GP20
GP30
GP35
GP38 Series
GP40 Series
GP50
SD35
SD38 Series
SD40/SD40-2 Series
SD45 Series
SD50
SD60 Series
SD70 Series
SD75M/I Variant
Conrail's SD80MAC
SD90MAC
SD70ACe
Of note, beginning with the SW900, EMD began using the number designation of the model to refer to its horsepower rating instead of simply using it to list its sequential order in the series. This dated back to the days of the Electro-Motive Corporation, which had debuted the switcher series in the latter half of the 1930s. Sales for the EMD SW1000 never came around and while it had a relatively long production period, by the time the last unit rolled out of LaGrange, Illinois in October, 1972 just 114 had been built with another 5 constructed for foreign companies. Surprisingly, despite the unit's poor sales performance its reliability and versatility had not diminished as you can still find the SW1000 operating in numerous settings all across the country.
Interestingly, the company's Ontario plant, General Motors Diesel, did not take any orders for the SW1000. However, five units were sold to foreign companies in Jamaica and Mexico. Two years after the release of the SW1000, EMD cataloged the SW1001, which remained in production for nearly twenty years. This model was a bit more successful but nothing all that spectacular (especially for their standards of the time). The final model that proved truly successful for the company was the aforementioned SW1500, which sold nearly 1,000 examples. Additionally, EMD found quite a bit of interest with its MP15 series, the final switcher model it has ever cataloged do date, which ended production in 1987.
Owner | Road Number(s) | Quantity | Date Built |
---|---|---|---|
Appalachian Power Company | 1 | 1 | 1969 |
Armco Steel Corporation | B81 | 1 | 1966 |
Birmingham Southern Railroad | 10-17 | 8 | 1967-1971 |
Burlington | 9310-9321 | 12 | 1966 |
Burlington Northern | 375-394, 427-449 | 43 | 1970-1972 |
Central Foundry Division, General Motors | No Number | 1 | 1972 |
Corn Products Corporation | 68-69 | 2 | 1966-1969 |
Cuyahoga Valley Railway | 1050 | 1 | 1966 |
Denver & Rio Grande Western | 140-149 | 10 | 1966-1968 |
Detroit Edison Company | 216 | 1 | 1967 |
Duluth & Northeastern Railroad | 35 | 1 | 1967 |
E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company | 106-107 | 2 | 1966-1967 |
Eastman Kodak Company | 8 | 1 | 1968 |
Great Lakes Steel Corporation | 58 | 1 | 1971 |
Hampton & Branchville Railroad | 120 | 1 | 1967 |
Houston Belt & Terminal Railway | 40-42 | 3 | 1968 |
Inland Steel Company | 115-118 | 4 | 1966-1967 |
Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation | 102-103 | 2 | 1967-1969 |
Mobile Chemical Corporation | 2 | 1 | 1966 |
New Orleans Public Belt Railroad | 101-106 | 6 | 1971 |
Public Service Company Of Indiana | 1 | 1 | 1969 |
Wisconsin Electric Power Company | No Number | 1 | 1968 |
Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company | 905-914 | 10 | 1967-1969 |
In any event, aside from the fleet still operated by BNSF Railway, today you can find SW1000s in operation with Terrace Bay Pulp, Cloquet Terminal Railroad, National Railway Equipment, GATX Locomotive Group, Webb Asset Management, Coors Brewery (these units are being sold but the buyer is unknown), Tennessee Valley Authority, Railserve, Inc., East Tennessee Railway, United States Steel, Algoma Steel. So, as you can see, there are several units still out there to see in operation and given the longevity of all of EMD's switchers many SW1000s will likely remain in service for decades to come.
Header Photo: Drew Jacksich
Wes Barris's SteamLocomotive.com is simply the best web resource in the study of steam locomotives.
The amount of information found there is quite staggering; historical backgrounds of wheel arrangements, types used by virtually every railroad, preserved and operational examples, and even those used in other countries (North America and beyond).
It is difficult to truly articulate just how much material can be found at this website. It is a must visit!
A popular pastime for many is studying and/or exploring abandoned rights-of-way.
Today, there are tens of thousands of miles scattered throughout the country. Many were pulled up in the 1970's and 1980's although others were removed long before that.
If you are researching active or abandoned corridors you might want to check out the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Historical Topographic Map Explorer.
It is an excellent resource with thousands of historic maps on file throughout the country. Just type in a town or city and click on the timeline of maps at the bottom of the page!