First production AC-traction diesel donated to Illinois Railway Museum

First production AC-traction diesel donated to Illinois Railway Museum

BNSF SD70MAC No. 9400 has been donated to the Illinois Railway Museum. IRM/John McCulloch UNION, Ill. — The first U.S. production AC-traction locomotive, BNSF Railway SD70MAC No. 9400, has been donated to the Illinois Railway Museum, IRM has announced. The 4,000-hp EMD locomotive was the first unit in an order for 350 locomotives built between November 1993 and mid-1996, following several years of testing of diesels with AC traction motors. In a…

BNSF Donates Historic SD70MAC to IRM

BNSF Railway donated a historic SD70MAC to the Illinois Railway Museum. Locomotive 9400 was built in 1993 and is notable for being the first production locomotive (i.e., non-demonstrator) to feature modern AC traction, making it the precursor to thousands of units with this groundbreaking technology.  BNSF made the donation earlier this summer, and IRM announced it on July 31. IRM plans to eventually restore the unit to its as-delivered appearan…