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the success of the EMD E7, the E8 and E9 locomotives gained equal
popularity among many Class 1 railroads. The E8 and E9 marked the
culmination of the "E-Unit" series of passenger locomotives
produced by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in La Grange,
Illinois. The E8 was capable of producing 2,250 horsepower, thanks
to its two 12-cylinder model 567B engines, each driving a generator
to power the two traction motors on one truck. From August 1949
to January 1954, a total of 450 cab versions, or E8As, were manufactured,
with 447 for the U.S. and 3 for Canada. Additionally, 46 E8Bs were
built exclusively for the U.S. from December 1949 to January 1954.
The E9 followed
the success of the E8. These locomotives produced slightly more
horsepower than their predecessors, the E8s (2,400 compared to
2,250), and featured a different, flusher-fitting mounting for
the headlight glass as the only visible difference. E9s powered
American passenger and mail trains from the 1950s through the
late 1970s. E9s were frequently seen pulling some of America's
most iconic trains, including Union Pacific Railroad's "City"
fleet, Burlington's "Zephyr" fleet, and Southern Pacific
Railroad's Coast Daylight and Sunset Limited. Between April 1954
and January 1964, 100 cab-equipped A units and 44 cabless booster
B units were produced, all for service in the United States.
E9s, along
with their E7 and E8 predecessors, traversed the country on lesser-known
passenger trains, Chicago's commuter train network, and various
mail and express trains. As America's passenger train network
diminished due to declining ridership, Union Pacific, Rock Island,
and Illinois Central repurposed E9s for freight trains. Burlington
Northern and Chicago and North Western upgraded their fleets of
E9s with Head-end power and EMD 645 power assemblies for commuter
operations in the Chicago metropolitan area, a practice that continued
into the early 1990s.
Numerous
examples of E8s and E9s are preserved across the country. Many
are still operational at museums and tourist railroads nationwide.
Union Pacific, in particular, maintains a fleet of three E9s,
occasionally deploying them for excursion services or for transporting
railroad executives across the Union Pacific system.
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