BNSF ex-Burlington Northern SD40-2 Load Test

[@Bobs2cents]

What I wouldn’t give to hear the sound of those screaming EMD 645’s up close and smell that sweet diesel exhaust!!😍😍

[@daniellibich1376]

When those wonder what they would give to hear an EMD 645 in full song when those had been on the scene of a load test on a SD40-2 when they stayed on the scene to watch the radiator fans kick in.

[@Shane-Singleton]

May not be Tier 4 complaint but those SD40-2's are still amazing pullers. Nothing sounds as good as those old EMD 2-strokes

[@coreywilliams7445]

Even a modern train lover would love the sounds of old diesel engines!

[@SpokaneAreaRails]

SD40-2'S aren't that old are they?

[@orangecactusproductions2144]

@@SpokaneAreaRails Built from 1972 to 1989 so fairly old. But still going strong!

[@unity3596]

@@SpokaneAreaRails 50 years old and still going

[@espeescotty]

I like how the DB fans speed up in-step with each run of the throttle. I'm glad you stayed with it long enough to catch the radiator fans kicking in too. Awesome sounds of the prime mover and the howling DB fans! As a point of information, this unit was equipped with Harris Locotrol remote control gear in it's early years, late 70's into the early 80's. You can still see the evidence on the cab roof where the two R/C antenna platforms were located. BN temporarily swapped some of these Locotrol units with Southern Pacific in the late 70's to help cover SP's quickly expanding R/C use districts. There is a great article in Winter 2014 SP Trainline Magazine explaining the use of remote control operations on the SP and their borrowing of these BN units. Also, Athearn just released 3 of these units in HO scale and they did an awesome job. Thanks for posting this video.

[@unity3596]

Yeah i like the delco fans spin

[@echo-qe4gw]

I have run many of these in days gone by. I used to love it when we ran through tunnels.

[@deanladue2327]

I know where this yard is at, I've seen these tests done many times. They're done mostly at night. An absolute blast to watch from that bridge! You truly get the full effect!

[@bradhardy2629]

In my opinion the SD 40 was the most durable locomotive in the fleet . The Gp 38s and 40s were also tough as nails. Engineer , Milwaukee/ soo . C.p 1990 - 1998 .

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

Most versatile too.

[@Patrick-xp8bb]

I totally agree 👍

[@TimMutterer]

EMD's 645 V-16 is a tried and proven prime mover, ever since the mid 60's. You could say the same for the almost 40 year old 710 V-16 prime mover.

[@Creeperboy099]

I love how american diesel locomotives sound like bass boosted jet engines

[@awaken77]

Gorgeous EMD 16-645 engine sound! Love that

[@trainmandan05]

They were really giving the dynamics a workout!

[@haroldalexis4200]

Whooo HOOO Listen to that EMD SD 40-2 I love the sound The sound systems in model trains sound almost close to what i'm hearing. Awesome! Yes! This gets a 5 star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐👋👋👋👋👋👋✅👍

[@TimMutterer]

I remember standing up on that bridge over the yard and witnessing a few of these back in the days when I was shooting film! LOUD, yet awesome!

[@dylanruppert4547]

ive always loved those sd40-2s

[@dippin1523]

the sd 40-2 is the best sounding locomotive ever.

[@GSkid2000]

Douglas I mostly agree with you although I’d say the 20-cylinder SD45-2 sounds even better.

[@StaceyV51]

Great Vid!!! Love tha sound nice catch!!! Amazed at how long in run 8 b4 radiator fans finally spun up!

[@TrainTrackTrav]

When God made EMD He made an AWESOME thing.

[@trainzfan1234]

This is delicious! It sounds like an epic washing machine!

[@rearspeaker6364]

the POWER i'd have hooked to the WASHING machine!!!!!

[@maddkraut03]

no not even close. but look up the u23b self load test if you want to hear a washingmachine and dryer that someone is drying out their work boots. same sound.

[@OwenConcorde]

That's sweet dude!!! Those SD40-2s are like those muscle cars the way how BNSF shows them off to you.

[@fafnir242]

I wish I could loop this a few times to fall asleep to. So relaxing... :)

[@LordAtmo]

Took the words right outta my mouth!

[@marceltk643]

Make a playlist, put the video in there and turn on "repeat all". There you go and good night. :D

[@daveycrocket605]

try that while you're driving !!

[@rearspeaker6364]

i'd go asleep driving to this...........

[@TYSofficial]

Listened to this the whole 9 mins straight, definitely worth it

[@CP-zn2mg]

I love SD40-2s

[@budd5670]

CSX in Selkirk NY has this same setup, bridge right overhead. Id say nearly impossible to know when to be there when they plan a load test, but Ive seen them before a few times. Thumbs up to your video!

[@soolinefan1]

I BLEW MY SPEAKERS LISTENING TO THIS!

[@adamski3119]

Thanks...glad you liked it as much as I did/do! I'm a few hours away too but I have relatives that live a few blocks away...lucky me! lol

[@frankmakarewicz6777]

Personally, in my opinion, the SD-60 produces the the best low torque sound in stereo! Awesome RUMBLE, turn up the subs!

[@losi5ivet29cc]

The pure sound of raw power!

[@amessman]

Very interesting to see the radiator fans behave the way they do. I had always wondered if there was an air baffle separating the fans. Turns out there isn't. You can see, when the front fan starts, the middle fan freewheels, then reverses direction as it starts up, the rear fan behaves the same way, freewheeling in the wrong direction as air is sucked from there to the other fans. It would be more efficient to separate the fans, adding baffles directly to the radiator to make sure air is always pulled through it, and not back thru the open vents above non-running fans. I suppose that's why they start up nearly at the same time. Also interesting to see the dynamic brake fans increase speed with the engine's different throttle positions. I would've only imagined one or two fan speeds for those. I doubt their speed is directly related to the output of the generator. FANTASTIC video! So much to observe, so much to listen to. There is no sound like a turbocharged EMD two-stroke, absolutely none. You are actually hearing the gears for the turbo, and not the turbo itself. It is shaft-driven through a sprag-clutch until around notch 6 depending on actual load.

[@pootispiker2866]

The grid fans are connected across parts of the braking grid, the speed of the fans is directly proportional to the voltage across the braking grid. Meaning that they are driven directly from the generator output. The same is true when actually in dynamic braking mode. As for the radiator fans, they are engineered so that fan #1 can pull air across the inside of the radiator through the other fans with the radiator shutters closed. If #2 and #3 are off, the radiator shutters stay closed to prevent the radiators from getting dirty too quickly. As soon as #2 or #3 turn on (I forget which one is first in summer mode), the shutters open and the radiator acts as you'd expect.

[@beeble2003]

Are you sure that the fans are running backwards? Or is it just the rotation phasing with the camera's shutter speed?

[@christophermattox3972]

I love that sound. I had a crazy dream one night about one chasing me through the house with antenna clause in notch 8. Yes I have a great sense of humor.

[@GonkDroid2115B]

sweet sounds of EMD

[@janeordway4841]

The pencil pushers and Book keepers got rid of these fine units.

[@955redavenger]

honestly, these EMDs Scream. That's the way i like them!

[@RDC_Autosports]

Kevin the train hunter the fans scream lol

[@frankmakarewicz6777]

Nothing sounds as PowerClean & PoweLean as the EMD engine! GM mastered it!

[@gregoryferguson9973]

Love that sound

[@pwalpar]

Excellent video

[@schrap72]

Love that sound!!!!!!

[@kleetus92]

Have you seen the one video on here where one of the dynamic brake fans loses a bearing and turns into a 100 pound frisbee? Blows right out of the brake grid and lands in the weeds after going about 100 over the locomotive!

[@paulquick8806]

Excellent song sounds i remember when Erie Lackawanna was double track when i was a kid🍻🎵🎶Schaefer beer.

[@vettebecker1]

Great catch!!!

[@gebass6479]

This was the sound of Tehachapi Loop in the mid eighties.Thirteen EMD locos at full throttle.

[@danielkennedy1524]

GREAT video! and sound!!

[@adamski3119]

Oh for sure! There's been a ton of good stuff up there the last few months!

[@dalton1583]

Sounds good

[@impala327]

Music to my ears.

[@daveycrocket605]

hey !!!,...my Gibson goldtop !!!,....HEY !!!

[@bradjames6748]

Bn engines always sounded different

[@slamdvw]

Its the equivalent of running an engine on a dyno.

[@MilePost106]

The best 9:44 of my life!!!!

[@keithode1737]

The only internal combustion engine I could listen to forever and not tire of it.

[@teddybeareleventeen]

This and the Rolls Royce Merlin! V12 and super-charged!

[@formidable38]

Keep her lit!!!!!

[@TemplarKnight1177]

What happens between 6:34 - 6:43 and why? It is a drop in RPM, but is it throttling down or is the load increased so the engine can't maintain the RPM? Or something else? At any rate, it is complete eargazm.

[@garymathews9534]

cool the engines .

[@kyosuke19971]

I tried to make my sister sleep with this. She concidered this as disturbing Noice. I concidering this as the perfect sleeping melody! :D

[@DartzIRL]

That has to be ten megawatts of raw heat blasting out the top of that thing, between the electrical load and the thermal load from the engine itself.

[@gregoryferguson5589]

END make the best train SD 40_2 & SD40 T_2 live on SP god bless BNSF & UP

[@3006USMC]

BEYOND BADASS !!🇺🇸

[@douro20]

Where's the load box? In India they still use water loads to load test locomotives. They even make computer controlled water loads.

[@silicon212]

The load is being sent through the dynamic brake system to the resistor grid array on the roof.

[@timmcneil1536]

awesome!!!

[@EchoAlphaRomeo]

All well and good folks - but get a load of the Irish Rail 071 GMs... ;) Seriously though, that EMD645 doesn't half make a racket!

[@keithode1737]

You do know that Iarnrod Eireann GMs are powered by 8-645s, right? So technically, half the racket. Oh wait, you were being sarcastic...

[@SpeakerPolice]

This! I am also surprised...

[@lynardskynard2895]

God I want to smell that

[@hussinekhlalfa7275]

Emd 16-645e3 sound ASMR

[@kyorone0420]

2 bnsf facing each other at the side.

[@adamski3119]

Thanks!

[@davidkierzkowski]

She chooches pretty good

[@bobwurth819]

why doesn1t someone explain what is happening.

[@silicon212]

The engine is being 'load tested'. Similar to a car engine on a dyno, it's loaded down and run at speed to check for issues and anomalies in various systems - such as the fuel system, cylinder balance etc. They're looking for performance issues. This unit is equipped with dynamic brakes - which is the bulge in the top of the long hood with the two fans by the exhaust outlet. It's really one big resistor grid array. Dynamic brakes are used to keep a locomotive speed under control during long descending grades, by turning the traction motors into generators and then sinking that generated electricity through that resistor grid array. The fans keep it cool and prevent things from melting. In a load test, the electrical system is configured so the main generator output is sent to that resistor grid array, thus loading the generator and by extension the engine. This is why you see those cooling fans speed up in RPM in step with the engine RPM.

[@lightspeed4596]

@@silicon212 Neat! Thanks for the answer!

[@adamski3119]

Couldn't agree more

[@SwordsmanSteve]

is there any way you can rip the audio for a full 9 minute track of this adamski3119!? :D to put on a mp3 device.

[@teddybeareleventeen]

I use YTD Video Downloader, it's free, you can download anything from youtube and you can rip the MP3 from the video using the convert feature. Really easy to use! The basic version seems to be most popular. There is a Pro version but you gotta pay for it. I hope this helps. Stew.

[@fiberrabit8229]

whats a load test?

[@dylanstechreviewz6857]

A load test is a test to make sure the engine can handle running full throttle for a specific amount of time

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

The high volt electrical systems Too.

[@JungleYT]

*Q: So, is it on a "Treadmill" of some type or what???*

[@ObamaTookMyCat]

neutral. I believe the "load test" is just to see how much amperage the generator is producing and transfer it into useable horsepower if it was in "gear"

[@andyharman3022]

The load test takes the current of the engine-driven generator and sends it to the dynamic brake resistor banks, where it is rejected as heat. The fans on the roof cool the resistor banks.

[@conservativesforamerica9493]

FOAMERS I tell ya

[@matthiasalfonsaltmeier3406]

.....Supercharger heaven!

[@Conrailfan2596]

these have turbos

[@isakjohansson7134]

Conrailfan2596 You probably know better but doesnt it have a blower for scavanging and iether big or a couple of smaller turbos feeding air to the blower

[@GSkid2000]

Isak Johansson There is only 1 turbo on these. EMD uses a mechanically assisted turbo system that runs directly off the engine similar to how a supercharger does. But the turbo uses a clutch that disengages the direct power from the engine around Notch 6. Then it’s running totally off the engine’s exhaust like a conventional turbo from there on up through notches 7 & 8. It’s the best of both worlds and why their 2-stroke engines have one of the best power curves for a diesel engine in the world.

[@fiberrabit8229]

What is a load test?

[@andyharman3022]

A test of the diesel-driven generator to see if it's making full power (voltage and amperage). The electrical current generated is dissipated by the dynamic brake resistor banks. The fans you see on the top of the locomotive are cooling the engine and dynamic brake grids.

[@carlvanlugpin9984]

rip headphone users

[@TouffmanJasonTGV]

+Carl Van lugpin yeah rest in peace for that epicness

[@privateerbouncher9622]

Well RIP you then, I uses headphones, I ain't uhm Ripped ;)

[@SailorMoonRailfan]

Discount ESU Loksound 5.0 cliche.

[@paulquick8806]

Excellent song sounds i remember when Erie Lackawanna was double track when i was a kid🍻🎵🎶Schaefer beer.

[@adamski3119]

Thanks!