| Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad E8 9976 at Aurora, Illinois on July 10, 1965, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. Built in September 1953 (c/n 18318) on EMD Order 2059A, it became BN 9976 and was later rebuilt and renumbered to BN 9908. It is seen here on the Aurora Depot turntable. The CB&Q had just received the first of its Budd push-pull cab control gallery cars a month earlier, a total of six cars, but not all had arrived yet. Some trains still needed their locomotives turned. Upon arrival at Aurora, the power was cut off and switched to the turntable, located behind the depot. This locomotive had just backed onto the turntable and will be rotated 180 degrees and coupled back onto the train for the return trip to Chicago.Below is a comment from Karl Rethwisch, and it peaked my curiosity, so I e-mail back to inquire about the meaning of the comment, and he responded:I was reviewing some Q stuff on rrpicurerchives.net, and came across your shot of the 'Pelican' (AKA 9976) on the turntable at Aurora Depot. I used the TT many times, along with the Cab Signal Test Loop.I e-mailed back, inquiring about the terms 'Pelican' and 'Cab Signal Test Loop', and here is that response:'Pelican', that term was coined by a suburban Engineer named Alex Fox. It was soon adopted by every other Engineer. The 9976 had EVERY undesirable quality one could imagine all wrapped up in one good lookin' E unit.Brakes. She didn't HAVE any !! Dinkys relied HEAVILY on the engine brake to be able to do all the crazy stuff we HAD to do to stay on time.Transition. This is the electrical equivalent of 'shifting gears'. The two power plants were adjusted to slightly different values to allow one power plant to 'transition', series to parallel, before the other did likewise to provide lurch-free acceleration. The '76, after two or three stops would, somehow, manage to synchronize BOTH power plants to produce the exact opposite of lurch-free acceleration. All-in-all, she was the antithesis of one's expectations of EMD locomotives.The Cab Signal Test Loop. Before a locomotive equipped with ACS (Automatic Cab Signal) was qualified to operate in ACS territory and rely on cab signal indications, the ACS system had to be tested prior to departure. After cutting away from the train in the Aurora Depot the original test was no longer considered valid and an operational test was required before departing Aurora. A push button at the west end of the table activated the loop and provided evidence of a functioning signal system.I believe I may also have mentioned the 9988B. She was the ONLY Q E unit capable of attaining 100 mph from a start at Naperville to passing under the 'J' (EJ&E) bridge east of Eola with a two car train. Now remember, I only HEARD that she could do that. Also she still exists in Florida as the, I believe, 9913 (the old BN number). |