BHP SD70ACes on the Move - Trains Magazine

These units were called SD70ACe-LC, the LC standing for low clearance.

The cab was standard, although the illuminated numbers on the nose reduced the overall height by a couple of inches.

The requirement was caused by the No 1 Car Dumper at Nelson point which was that built for the Oroville Dam back in the 1960s. It was designed for U25Cs and made life difficult.

As a compromise, the SD70ACe radiators were lowered about six inches, just enough that they would fit through the old dumper, but the cab wouldn't. I guess someone decided that a new cab was cheaper than a new radiator.

An ATP (Automatic train Protection, a bit like PTC) device was fitted on the track to the dumper which would automatically shut down any consist with an SD70ACe in it as it approached the dumper.

Of course nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently dedicated fool and a crew driving from a low clearance GE decided that they could go through even though the second unit was an SD70ACe, and cancelled the ATP warning.

It apparently got as far as the inverter cabinet moving very slowly when the handrails above the inverters began to come off rather noisily. They stopped short of the cab, saving a couple of thousand dollars in repair. But the radiators had gone into, and came out of the dumper intact.

Apart from no shutters and slightly more open air intakes the radiators were standard, and the ten ex BNSF units went straight into service as trailing units with no cooling system modifications. The EVOs at Rio Tinto, 200 miles to the west had to have AC 6000 style radiators with two fans in place of one.

The old dumper is long gone and any unit can go through any dumper, but I think all units except the ten ex BNSF have the low radiator mounting.

The BHP units were all fitted with really serious fire extinguishing systems with big tanks mounted under the walkway. These may or may not still be used.

Peter