Virginian EL-2B

Virginian EL-2B
Virginian EL-2B, near Salem, Va., July 11, 1953
Type and origin Power type Electric Builder GE Erie Works Build date 1948 Total produced 4
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte (4-4-4-4)+(4-4-4-4)  • AAR (B+B-B+B)+(B+B-B+B)  • UIC (Bo′Bo′)(Bo′Bo′)+(Bo′Bo′)(Bo′Bo′) Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Wheel diameter 42 in (1.1 m) Length 150 ft 8 in (45.92 m) Width 11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) Height 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) Adhesive weight 1,000,000 lb (450 t) Loco weight 1,000,000 lb (450 t) Electric system/s 11 kV, 25 Hz AC Current pickup(s) Pantograph Traction motors 16 × 500 hp (370 kW) GE 746 Transmission AC Synchronous motors(2x)/ DC Generators(4x)/ DC traction motors(16x) Train heating None Loco brake Air/Regenerative Train brakes Air
Performance figures Maximum speed 35 mph (56 km/h) Power output 6,800 hp (5,100 kW) Tractive effort 162,000 lbf (720 kN)
Career Operators Virginian Railway Class EL-2B Number in class 4 Numbers 125–128 Delivered 1948 Retired 1959 Disposition All scrapped

The Virginian Railway's class EL-2B comprised four two-unit electric locomotives with AAR (B+B-B+B)+(B+B-B+B) wheel arrangements. The locomotives were used on the 133-mile (214 km) electrified portion of the railroad, from Roanoke, Virginia to Mullens, West Virginia. These large motor-generator locomotives weighed 1,000,000 pounds (450 t), were 150 feet 8 inches (45.92 m) long, and were capable of producing 6,800 horsepower (5.1 MW).

The EL-2B locomotives were built at General Electric's Erie works in 1948. Numbered 125–128, they were the largest two-unit electric locomotives used in North America.

The locomotives were retired and sold for scrap shortly after the 1959 merger of the Virginian with the Norfolk and Western Railway.

References

• Newton N. Gregg (1979). Train Shed Cyclopedia, No. 80: Locos of the 40s and 50s (Part 11) from the 1941 LOC CYC and Railway Mechanical Engineer. Newton K. Gregg. ISBN 978-0-87962-083-7.
• "ELECTRICS IN THE SOUTHEAST". Retrieved 2009-03-29.