EMC E3

EMC E3
ACL #501 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. On the down left is lettering The Champion.
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderElectro-Motive Corporation (EMC)
ModelE3
Build dateSeptember 1938 – June 1940
Total produced17 A units, 2 B units
Specifications
Configuration:
 • AARA1A-A1A
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
TrucksEMC Blomberg A-1-A passenger
Wheel diameter36 in (914 mm)
Minimum curve21° (274.37 ft or 83.63 m radius)
Wheelbase57 ft 1 in (17.40 m)
Length70 ft 4 in (21.44 m) over coupler pulling faces
Width10 ft 7 in (3.23 m)
Height15 ft 10 in (4.83 m)
Loco weight308,400 lb (139,900 kg)
Fuel capacity1,200 US gal (1,000 imp gal; 4,500 L)
Prime mover(2) EMC 12-567C
RPM range800 max
Engine type(2) V12 Two-stroke diesel
AspirationRoots blower
Displacement6,804 cu in (111.50 L) each
Generator(2) EMC D-4
Traction motors(4) EMC D-7
Cylinders(2) 12
Performance figures
Maximum speed116 mph (187 km/h)
Power output2,000 hp (1,490 kW) total
Tractive effortStarting: 56,500 lbf (25,628 kgf) @25%
Continuous: 31,000 lbf (14,061 kgf) @11 mph (18 km/h)
Career
PreservedAtlantic Coast Line 501 preserved at the North Carolina Transportation Museum
DispositionOne preserved, remainder scrapped

The EMC E3 is a 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW), A1A-A1A passenger train locomotive that was manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation of La Grange, Illinois. The EMC demonstrator #822 was released from La Grange for test on September 12, 1938. The cab version, or E3A, was manufactured from September 1938 to June 1940, and 17 were produced. The booster version, or E3B, was manufactured in March 1939 and September 1939, and 2 were produced. The 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) was achieved by putting two 1,000 horsepower (750 kW), 12-cylinder, model 567 engines in the engine compartment. Each engine drove its own electrical generator to power the traction motors. The E3 was the fourth model in a long line of passenger diesels of similar design known as EMD E-units.

Compared with passenger locomotives made later by EMD, the noses of the E3, E4, E5, and E6 cab units had pronounced slants when viewed from the side. Therefore, these four models have been nicknamed "slant nose" units. Later E models had the more vertical "bulldog nose" of the F series. E3 demonstrator 822 was built with a nose identical to earlier EA and E1A units, but later locomotives in the series featured an elevated headlamp mounted in a nacelle, distinct from the flush profile mounting of the earlier units. 822 was modified in a similar fashion prior to delivery to the Kansas City Southern Railway.