NS' 5,000 Horsepower Workhorse: The SD80MAC

No matter how many times I, and many other railfans alike, see these 5,000 horsepower beasts, it never gets old. Here are some clips of SD80MACs I've collected from late 2013 to now.

[@repro7780]

NS 7200 - Ex-CR, Sold to Progress Rail 02/2020. I just checked two, both sold.

[@GintaPPE1000]

Like how NS added the Radial AC Traction decals on some of the cab sides. Always mindful of their history...

[@terrencegoodwin2160]

5000 and 6000hp engines or the best engines to hear EMD SD80MAC and GE CW60AC yeah oh yeah

[@fairportrails107]

Unit now

[@TriStateRailfan]

The backsides look like the fronts of Spartan Cabs Are Spartans ex sd90s?

[@terrywallace1327]

The sd45 hasn't gone away!these big girls has a 20 cylinder engine that sounds just like them! They sound very good.and they are powerful!

[@dblkrailfan]

terry Wallace You are quite right about the 20-cylinder SD45. In a way it is an AC drive 3rd generation rendition of the SD45...the SD80MAC is just 220 tons of 710-G3B high tech version. The SD45 was a good thing for its time and a lot of them are still in use around the American continents and in use in some variation around the world. Despite the fact that the locomotive got a lot of negative press about crankshaft problems and its massive fuel consumption. The locomotive was and is still a solid performer with its 645 prime mover. They even got an SD45-2 and the SD45T-2. It had the same low heavy idle 645 as the SD40 and SD40-2 and the unique SD40T-2. This big girls would break couplers trying to get a train of any type moving anywhere. It has lasted a long time and the 2-cycle engine has just gotten a lot of attention and upgrades but it's still based on the 645 somewhere I'm sure. They've also changed their cubic displacement like a Chevrolet Silverado 5.7 and GMC Yukon 5.3 V8.

[@955redavenger]

10:08 Jeeez, I love that sound! It's loud enough to out-sound the GEVO behind it.

[@mikeytrains1]

NS needs one of these to be a Conrail Heritage Unit in CRQ

[@djmattson6491]

What NS should have done is kept the original paint scheme of big blue #4141 that the one with the raccoon mask on in back in the day when i remember it

[@djmattson6491]

Ns are goin to upgrade this beauties soon to 500 hp but the sad thing they woun't be called MAC's no more after there up graded.. There be called SD-80 ACU and there will have 5,00500 hp the most powerful diesels ever built more powerful then the up DD40 X THAT WAS 3,00 hp in its day

[@fairportrails107]

@@djmattson6491 dd40 had 7000 horse power and ac6000 has 6000 but they were not well made so they had to be down graded and sd90 mac has 6000 I believe too bad had to be rebuilt

[@djmattson6491]

@@fairportrails107 i don't know were ur getting ur info from sir .. But the MAC'S 70's & 80's They 5,000 hp before they were about to rebuilt and The UP was 6,000 hp for ur info not 7,000... i had a very close friend that was a mechanic at NS no longer works for them. Tks to PSR !!! But When they were about to rebuilding them to additional 500 hr to make them at 5,000500 hp and if and when they would have been called EMD 80acu. No longer called MAC'S and on performance the engineers told my bud at NS they on one of the best diesels they've worked with. Also they would if rebuilt would hace been thr most power diesels in the world..

[@fairportrails107]

@@djmattson6491 dd40 was the most powerful ever made

[@IamSnehan]

That deep rumble from the SD80 though...

[@CMDRFandragon]

The horn in the opening scene sounds sick though.....give it some nyquil and a good nights sleep, and remember, drink alot of water.

[@NorfolkSouthern-xt3xx]

Are these the locomotives that were dubbed "Conrail Cadillacs"?

[@aone6540]

YES, Google that phrase to find more information. I used to watch them drag 100+cars over Washington Hill in Mass.

[@MBTAMoreRailfan]

fred miller is there a NS line in mass besides Ayer?

[@djmattson6491]

@@aone6540 yep these were my babies back in the day

[@blueshell6048]

I love it. MAC’s are supreme

[@MrKawasaurus]

did you think this smoking dinosaur is really powerful? take a look at the oebb 1116 "Taurus" electric Loco. THIS is a really powerful, and also very fast machine! Ich have 6400 kwh Power, with a boost up to 7000kwh power for 5 minutes, and did the world record for Locomotives in 2006 wit 357 km/h (222 mph) it ist in service for very fast passenger trains, (230 km/h - 145 mph) and pulled also heavy freight trains in the european alps up to 160 km/h (100mph)... watch here: (kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHSQYWuNgb5mgtU)

[@bradhardy2629]

@@MrKawasaurus America has always had the most powerful locomotives 4014 Big Boy 6,500 hp.

[@MrKawasaurus]

@@bradhardy2629 6400 kw is 8582 hp

[@MrKawasaurus]

@@bradhardy2629 you live in a dream...

[@repro7780]

Wow, that MAC at 10:04 is just screamin!

[@Ferrocarril_Chicago]

Are there any SD80MAC's left in the fleet?

[@ACs_Trains]

No, Unfortunately. Most were sold to Progress Rail, while the others where sold to Canadian Pacific.

[@JoeSmith-eu1rh]

The CP ones Were scrapped if I'm not mistaken. But The PRLX ones are just sitting and collecting rust

[@repro7780]

@@JoeSmith-eu1rh I think CP got them for a parts source.

[@ReadingAreaRailfan]

Not sure why NS ever got rid of them. They worked fine from what i heard

[@2flyabove]

Nice, but they need more cowbell.

[@128789842]

For each locomotive has 4500 HP as much as I know. How about 5000 HP?

[@AndrewTheRocketCityRailfan4014]

I miss these things. I hope one gets preserved and returned to its Conrail livery

[@therailthing610]

Does NS still have these?

[@ACs_Trains]

No. Sadly, NS sold them.

[@KeeganStevens]

Yep, There Gone

[@vladarus90]

Beautiful powerfull locomotive 😍😍😍😍 I love it Excellent Greetings from Serbia 🇷🇸

[@slv777darshan]

Spectacular 20-710 sound !

[@dblkrailfan]

Nice capture of the SD80MAC's. They look great now with their 5000hp hard at work. I can't wait until they convert and overhaul them making them the 5500hp SD80ACu.

[@Trainmaster909]

This aged… poorly

[@WPARailfanProductions]

SD70ACU😅

[@dblkrailfan]

@Jabba.Da.Hutt_ I'm afraid I have bad news about the 20-cylinder EMD ladies have been stricken from the roster. I believe that the only EMD's going to get an overhaul are the former UP SD90MAC's which will now be returned to the roster as the EMD SD70ACu. They will have 4500hp and Tier1+ capability. The SD80MAC's are history. It was possible that the locomotives would provide 5500hp with upgrades and new SD70ACe cab. They decided against the matter.

[@terrencegoodwin2160]

Heavy HP anything better than any crappy 4000 or 4400hp engine!!!

[@spacecalander]

SD80MAC Maximum speed: 75 mph (121 km/h) Starting tractive effort: 185,000 lbf (820 kN) Continuous tractive effort: 147,000 lbf (650 kN) Braking effort: 96,000 lbf (430 kN)) Weight: 210 short tons (187.5 long tons; 190.5 t); 420,000 lb (190,500 kg)). GE AC4400 4,400 hp (3,300 kW) Tractive effort 180,000 lbf (800 kN) Starting 145,000 lbf (640 kN) at 13.7 mph (22.0 km/h) The GE is still a better gripper, but NS is just now learning this with their DC to AC program on the GE units.

[@lukegk2222]

So sick. Lucky enough to see a pair of these bad boys drag coal through the town I go to college at about once a week.

[@dblkrailfan]

I always love to hear that 710 grind made by an EMD prime mover hard at work.

[@jimlandreth555]

The "HELPERS " at Horseshoe Curve

[@srivenkatvidyasubramanian6348]

Now only SD80MAC is sounding like EMD 710 in medium idle alias notch 2

[@tvm73827]

What’s that intermittent hissing sound - sounds like air pressure being released periodically?

[@lelomiliken7598]

Air dryers, spitting moisture out of the braking system.

[@milepost26.69]

I love Cassandra and brickyard

[@1MTSRider]

OHHHHH What the hell!!!! At 10:03 that SD80MAC at full throttle, I've never heard an SD80MAC at run 8, Wow, that is incredible.

[@AdamKlimchock]

Very nice compilation!

[@dfk4500]

5,000 H.P? Wow I'm behind on locomotives I thought the most powerful loco was the a.c 4,400CW stupid me!!! Nice video!!!

[@murphy1845]

dfk4500 GE and EMD have both produced 6000 HP locomotives, but neither were too successful

[@dfk4500]

@@murphy1845 why?

[@murphy1845]

dfk4500 they weren’t totally reliable. And if you lost one during a run, and you had 2 6000hp locos pulling, you lost half your power. But if you had 3 locos with 4,500 HP, if one went down, you still had 9,000 HP. People realized that the best HP range was 4000-5000

[@zodiotekgaming]

What is that chopped down looking loco shell at 8:48?

[@pranavghantasala6808]

I dunno jack about locomotives but I think that's a slug. They're just some batteries and electric motors on trucks and they're used to increase the tractive effort (net pulling power) at low speeds and for big loads.

[@RyanHatterer-Ryanns999]

How did you get to the east portal of Gallitzin? I thought it was private property.

[@johnmiller9693]

Thanks for sharing your cool video of the SD80MAC's!!

[@dblkrailfan]

Jabba Da Hutt I agree with you. I believe I learned that just planned to rebuild the SD70M-2's to SD70ICC AC drive status. They let them rust for almost a decade. The locomotive may have had a few problems but it was ready to go when I saw them. Even if they had had shut down the big girls would ignite and be ready to load in two minutes. The ES44AC"s and ES44DC'S had problems too. On more than one occasion I saw an ES44DC fail. The last time, a friend an engineer brought an intermodal came into Greenville, SC change out for the crew with a limping ES44DC and two C44-9W's. It was a good thing they had a spartan cab SD60 on a siding. They had to prepare the 2nd C44-9W which was short hood forward-thank God to become the point locomotive. They had to park the ES44DC, go to retrieve the EMD SD60. Then the engineer had to isolate and start the SD60. They finished backing up and they hooked up the air brake and multiple unit lines. Then they closed the angle cock. Whilst the SD60 was warming up, they retrieved the ES44DC. It was now a 205 ton freight car. They had to couple up and you know. Then they backed up to the train. They were already two hours behind schedule. You were right about their stupid movement that caused their power hungry state. I guess that SD60 is gone since they stopped the SD60E program. All those good SD60's SD60M's, and SD60I's gone to waste. The Juniata Shop said the testing proved that the SD60E had the horsepower and tractive effort of an SD70M. Then why didn't they keep all of their SD70M's? They wouldn't have to fabricate cabs for locomotives with one...especially the notchcab SD70M. Why didn't they install locotrol in the SD60E's? NS has made some bad calls being stingy.

[@jrrari_i]

9:50 two GP50s my favorite engines

[@ACs_Trains]

Actually, they are high-hood GP38-2s, and there are three of them.

[@douglassopa2544]

THE ONE HORN THAT COMMANDS ATTENTION YESAH.

[@4funJust4you]

The NS SD80MAC looks like the NS SD60M and tbe NS SD60I.

[@Alex-tk2ru]

gorgeous, AWESOME video

[@valchavez9163]

WOW....NICE....

[@PC10.8]

1:39 is beautiful

[@bagussatriachannel]

Nice video

[@jamesspafford5985]

Love the sound of 5,000 ponies galloping like that!!!

[@pooleandrew]

They sound the best with their original Leslie RS3L though

[@Random.Channel_]

Cool Conrail locomotive

[@JosephCee]

Interesting how NS designed the backend of those engines to slightly mimic the front end.

[@MBTAMoreRailfan]

Joey Chaparro NS didn’t design them

[@MBTAMoreRailfan]

EMD did

[@Logan912]

@@MBTAMoreRailfan Plus, they were all originally owned by Conrail anyway.

[@jkurtz601]

Love those SD 80s

[@FrehleyFan3988]

Those are conrails in Norfolk southern paint, without window flaps that new trains have on them.

[@edchapman7081]

what type of horn is at 12:09

[@milepost26.69]

trainspotter247 an rs3l

[@terrencegoodwin2160]

SD80MACs my favorite EMD units out all the other EMD units just like the Big CW60ACs are my favorite GE units out of all the rest of the GE locomotives you ain't gonna find no other locomotives running the rails like those Big Beast from both GE and EMD the Big 6's and the Big Mac's

[@MBTAMoreRailfan]

Terrence Goodwin I like SD70ACes then SD80MACs

[@Random.Channel_]

Actually they are not NS they are Conrail

[@hakeemsd70m]

NotYourAverageGaming 11 that's like saying all of CSXT's GP40-2's are not CSX but are L & N, B&O, and C & O

[@hakeemsd70m]

BUT you actually have a point my friend...in spirit, the Big 80Macs will always be Conrail.

[@ejdsndnj]

@@mdgfb05 no noob they are conrail