Southern Pacific Railroad SW1 #1000, photographed when brand new in 1939.

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad SW1 #9143.

The EMD SW1 was a 600 hp (450 kW) diesel-electric switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between December 1938 and November 1953. Final assembly was at EMD's plant at La Grange, Illinois. The SW1 was the second generation of lightweight switcher from EMD, succeeding the SW and SC. The most significant change from those earlier models was the use of an engine of EMD's own design, the EMD 567 engine, here in 600 hp (450 kW) V6 form. 661 locomotives of this design were built, even though diesel switcher production was suspended between 1942 and 1945 by the War Production Board. The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks SP) was an American railroad. ... The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (AAR reporting mark CBQ) was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. ... A number of vehicles use a diesel-electric powerplant for providing locomotion. ... A modern US switcher, an EMD SW1500. ... Great Western Railway No. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. ... Downtown La Grange, Illinois La Grange is a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. ... Early General Motors Electro-Motive Division switchers were built with Winton 201-A engines. ... The EMD 567 is a line of diesel engines built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. ... The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ... The War Production Board (WPB) was established in 1942 by executive order of Franklin D. Roosevelt. ...

Production changes

Like most long-running locomotive models, a number of changes were made to the SW1 over its production life. Internally, the post-1945 locomotives were somewhat improved, and used an updated 567A engine.

One easily spotted change is the shape of the two center cab windows over the hood, which were curved to follow the roofline originally, but became flat-topped after mid-1950. Another easily seen is the taper of the hood to the cab, which was a two-stage taper in earlier units but became a single taper in later production. Very early locomotives were delivered with a stubby exhaust stack, but this did not lift the diesel exhaust sufficiently clear of crew visibility. All later units were delivered with EMD's standard conical switcher stack, while early units were generally modified with taller stacks too. Early locomotives had a single large headlight, while later had twin sealed-beam headlights.

Identification

The SW1 appears very similar to its SW and SC predecessors, but has only a single stack instead of two, a significantly shorter hood and a larger rear platform, no small louvres on the front top hood sides, and a large grille instead of lifting vents on top of the hood front. The sandbox in front of the radiator is somewhat smaller on the SW1.

Compared to later EMD switchers, the SW1 has a much shorter hood, large platforms at each end, a single exhaust stack, and a large 'satchel' type sandbox.

Original owners

• There were 7 units built as EMD demonstrators: #152 (to Scullin Steel #6), 700 (to Manufacturers Junction Railway #7), 755 (to Inland Steel #51), 804 (to Southern Pacific Railroad #1000, pictured above), 905 (to Central of Georgia #1), 906 (to Western Pacific Railroad #501), 911 (to Great Lakes Steel #11)

The Allegheny and South Side Railway Company (AAR reporting marks AYSS) was a corporation organized under the general railroad laws of the State of Pennsylvania on September 20, 1892. ... The Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. ... The Angelina and Neches River Railroad (ANR) is a short-line railroad headquartered in Lufkin, Texas. ... The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (AAR reporting mark ACL) was an American railroad that existed between 1880s and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. ... The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad, with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland, west to the Ohio River at Wheeling and a few years later also to Parkersburg, West Virginia. ... 1898 map The Boston and Maine Railroad (AAR reporting marks BM), also known by the abbreviation B&M, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century. ... The Central of Georgia Railway was constructed to join the Macon & Western Railroad at Macon, Georgia to the Atlantic coastal railroads at Savannah, Georgia. ... alternate logo The Central Railroad Company of New Jersey, more commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines, or CNJ, was a regional railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeast. ... The Chicago and Eastern Illinois (AAR reporting mark CEI) was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago to southern Illinois, St. ... The Chicago and North Western Railway (AAR reporting marks: CNW, CNWS, CNWZ; unofficial abbreviation: C&NW) was a Class I railroad in the United States. ... The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (AAR reporting mark CBQ) was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. ... The Monon Railroad (AAR reporting marks CIL, MON), also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway from 1897-1956, operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana. ... The Chicago and North Western Railway (AAR reporting marks: CNW, CNWS, CNWZ; unofficial abbreviation: C&NW) was a Class I railroad in the United States. ... Commonwealth Edison (usually called Com Ed by Chicagoans) is an electric company in Illinois owned by Exelon Corporation. ... 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The Inland Steel Company was a U.S. steel company active in 1893-1998. ... 1884 map of the Pennsylvania, Reading and Lehigh Valley Railroads The Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company (AAR reporting mark LV) was incorporated April 21, 1846 in Pennsylvania. ... Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business. ... The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad, sometimes shortened to the Ma and Pa, operated between Baltimore, Maryland and York, Pennsylvania from 1901 until the middle of the twentieth century. ... The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. ... Missouri Pacific (MoPac; AAR reporting mark MP) was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. ... NC&StL Steam Engine 576, now displayed in Centennial Park in Nashville This famous Southern railroad began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, chartered in Nashville in December 1845 and was the first railway to operate in the state of Tennessee. ... For the current company, see New York Central Lines LLC. The New York Central Railroad (AAR reporting marks NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States. ... The New York, Chicago and St. ... 1893 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad that was founded in 1846 and merged in 1968 into Penn Central Transportation. ... The Pere Marquette Railroad (AAR reporting mark: PM) was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States. ... Phelps Dodge Corporation (NYSE: PD) was founded in 1834 by Anson Greene Phelps and William E. Dodge. ... Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Categories: Rail stubs | Philadelphia and Reading Railroad ... Republic Steel was once the third largest steel producer in the United States. ... The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting mark RI) was a Class I railroad in the United States. ... The Seaboard Air Line Railroad (AAR reporting mark SAL) was an American railroad that existed between 1880s and 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. ... Categories: Rail stubs | Defunct railroad companies of the United States | Illinois railroads | Michigan railroads | Minnesota railroads | North Dakota railroads | South Dakota railroads | Wisconsin railroads ... The Southern Railway (AAR reporting mark SOU) was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894. ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks SP) was an American railroad. ... // The Union Railraod (ARR report markings URR) is an ARR Class III railroad located in Western Pennsylvania operating in Allegheny County. ... The United States Department of Defense, abbreviated DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department, is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. ... System timetable, 1887 1886 system map The Wabash Railroad (AAR reporting marks WAB) was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. ... Drumhead logos such as these often adorned the ends of observation cars on the Western Pacific Railroad. ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks SP) was an American railroad. ... Drumhead logos such as these often adorned the ends of observation cars on the Western Pacific Railroad. ...

Preservation

• The first SW1 built by EMC in 1939 is now preserved at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. The locomotive worked for Holly Sugar in Santa Ana and Tracy as the company's number 1. The museum donation was a coordinated effort between the museum, the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society and Spreckels Sugar (the locomotive's last owner).

• Sahara Coal SW1 #6 was purchased in the 1990s by the Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railroad in Marion, Illinois and is still in operation.

• EMC demonstrator 906, sold to the Western Pacific Railroad as their 501, is preserved at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, CA. It has been restored back to its original WP image. This locomotive was the Western Pacific's first diesel-electric engine.

• Another former Western Pacific SW1 is also preserved at the California State Railroad Museum. Later sold to WP subsidiary Sacramento Northern, this engine is preserved as SN 402, painted in the famous silver and orange "Zephyr" colors that the WP roads used through the 1950's and 1960's.

• The Zanesville & Western Scenic Railroad Operates a preserved SW1 on its scenic line in Fultonham, Ohio.

• Metra commuter rail inherited two SW1s from the Rock Island. The two engines are used for Yard Service and power on work trains on the Metra Electric and Rock Island lines. Built in 1939, they are rumored to be two of the oldest operating diesels in Illinois.

• The Wilmington and Western Railroad owns and operates two SW1s in tourist passenger service. One is from the Baltimore and Ohio, and the other is from the Lehigh Valley.

• The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, Baltimore, MD has former SW1 Pere Marquette Railway #11 in operating condition at last report.

The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento is a tribute to the role of the iron horse in connecting California to the rest of the nation. ... Sacramento redirects here. ... Location of Santa Ana within Orange County, California. ... 11th Street and Central Avenue, Tracy Tracy is a city in San Joaquin County, California, in the United States. ... Marion is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. ... EMC is a TLA that may stand for: electric membership corporation electromagnetic compatibility Electro-Motive Corporation, the predecessor to General Motors Electro-Motive Division EMC Corporation European Marketing Confederation European Muon Collaboration Evergreen Marine Corporation This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational... Drumhead logos such as these often adorned the ends of observation cars on the Western Pacific Railroad. ... Logos of the Western Pacific Railroad and the Feather River Rail Society, operators of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum. ... The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento is a tribute to the role of the iron horse in connecting California to the rest of the nation. ... A subsidiary, in business, is an entity that is controlled by another entity. ... The Sacramento Northern Railroad was an electrified railroad which ran between Chico and Oakland in northern California. ... Look up zephyr in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Fultonham is a village located in Muskingum County, Ohio. ... A Metra Train in Ogilvie Transportation Center Metra (officially known as the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation) is a regional rail system that serves the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States and surrounding cities, many of them Chicago suburbs. ... Rock Island may refer to: Rock Island, a census-designated place in Broward County, Florida. ... The Metra Electric Line (ME) is an electrified commuter rail line owned and operated by Metra, connecting Randolph Street Station in downtown Chicago, Illinois with its southern suburbs. ... The Rock Island District (RI) is a commuter rail line operated by Metra from Chicago, Illinois southwest to Joliet. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... The Wilmington & Western Railroad is a heritage railway located very near the city of Wilmington, Delaware with its depot off Route 41 (next to Route 141) and Kirkwood Highway (Route 2). ... Mt Clare Roundhouse Opened in Baltimore on 2 July 1953, the B&O Railroad Museum is located at the historic site of the B&O Railroads Mt. ... This article is about the city in the US state of Maryland. ... The Pere Marquette Railway (AAR reporting mark PM) was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States. ...

References

• Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI. ISBN 0-89024-026-4. 
• (July 2005), "Preservation Briefs", Trains Magazine, p. 71.
• TrainWeb.com. The Unofficial EMD homepage. Retrieved on January 7, 2005. Contains fairly complete builders' records for early EMD production.
• Electro-Motive Division. (1949). EMD Operating Manual: 600 & 1,000 hp (750 kW) Switching Locomotives. General Motors Electro-Motive Division, La Grange, Illinois.