FL9 Engine History

Perhaps some/many of you can expound on this engine group! Other then some photos here's what I have:

"The FL9s were rebuilt in 1991 by Republic Locomotive Works into FL9ACs to run on LIRR over riding 3rd rail and Diesel power. They were specially equipped to run with the C1 passenger cars."
FL9ACs
Numbers Built Serial Heritage
300 07-1957 21949 ex-NH 2003, PC/CR 5003, MN 2001
301 01-1957 21946 ex-NH 2000, PC/CR 5000, MN 2025
302 ?-1960 21993 ex-NH 2047, PC/CR 5047


LIRR #302 Port Jefferson 11/1998 Archive: Dave Keller


LIRR GP38-2 #264 Christmas Day 1998 Port Jefferson Yard

Basically only 1 unit each for lirr/mncr was 80% build by Republic, all units were brought to ABB in Elmira after Republic filled for bankruptcy protection.
They basically hijacked the units out of Republic facility, so they would not get caught up in legal tangle that ensued in next few years.

FL9 "Dedicated Named Diesels":

#300 “Kevin Blum” Port Jefferson 10/1996 Photo: William Skeats


#301 “Mark McEntee” Port Jefferson 08/1996 Photo: William J. Skeats

I read a few times that one of the 3 was a 'hanger queen' that didn't see much service on LIRR.

Have all 3 been scrapped? I know a few FL9s made it to tourist RRs & the danbury museum. I recall seeing 301 in the dead line (with some MNCR FL9s) at croton north around 2002 or 2003...

one unit saw very little service cause it fell in turn table pit and crushed the fuel tank.
it was then used as part supply, yes all 3 got cut up in Harmon east yard .
the 12/710's with generators were sold to a offshore drilling company.

Misery.

Only worked them a few times, all I can add is they had they pulled out of the stations faster then any other Engines the LIRR ever had.

the guts in FL-9ac are same as in your DE/DM, a EMD 12/710 G3 with Siemens AC propulsion, controlled by newer version of MICAS computer.
two traction inverters and one HEP inverter.

I can't get past identifying them as New Haven FL9's that wandered over to Long Island, but were never really Long Island locomotives.
Why did they get scrapped if they were recent rebuilds?

cause they were purpose built for C-1's and they were taken out of service due to non- compatibility.
MN scrapped theirs as FL-9's were being speed restricted and the main batch of Genesis was ordered.

I think it would help to understand the FL9AC program if we called it a "very limited pilot program". The mission was essentially "can we make a 710-powered ac-traction locomotive work with the C1 Fleet". The answer was good enough to order the C3/DM fleet.

The FL9AC's were such rolling science experiments that they weren't worth keeping. Imagine if you will that every light in your house (say 30 of them) is powered by batteries. All of them are AA-batteries except one or two that require 9v batteries - what do you do? You likely get a few new lamps rather than trying to find 9v batteries.

DutchRailnut wrote:cause they were purpose built for C-1's and they were taken out of service due to non- compatibility.
MN scrapped theirs as FL-9's were being speed restricted and the main batch of Genesis was ordered.

Why the speed restriction for F-9's but not Genesis?

From a MN ETT,dated 04/05/1987,the MAS for MN's and Amtrak's FL-9's was 89 mph with train.

The FL-9's on Hudson were restricted due to braking and cant deficiency in curves by FRA

When they were new, a M-N engineer told me, "They look nice, and they sound even better." But somehow, for a while, anyway, with a a train, they couldn't get much above 35 mph. I don't know what the cause of that could have been, but apparently it was resolved, because nothing could catch those FL-9ACs. I'm sorry they're gone. So what if they were built for the C-1s? Couplers could have been changed out and they could have been modified to use jumper cables instead of automatic MU couplers. What else would have been necessary?