Conrail SD40-2's had Flexicoil trucks as opposed to the original equipment HT-C trucks on as-built -2 series units. What caused them to not upgrade? Was the performance comparable to the HT-C, or what was the tradeoff? I always wondered why.
Nice view of Big Blue doing what it did best.
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| Posted by xBNSFer on September 23, 2013 | |
Conrail feared track damage/derailment issues that some railroads experienced with the SDP40F Amtrak locomotives, the first units with the (at the time new) HT-C trucks, which at the time earned them the derisive nickname "High Traction Crushers." As it turns out, it was the unique weight distribution of the SDP40Fs combined with the HT-C trucks that caused the problems, and railroads with better track (e.g., Santa Fe) never experienced any trouble even with the SDP40Fs. Conrail would continue to specify the older style Flexicoil trucks until the SD60s came out.
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