| Superior Diesel Engines for Locomotive Service. |
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| I was quite lucky recently to acquire the brochure whose front cover is seen at left. This brochure was published by the Superior Engine Company, which was a division of the National Supply Company. It advertises the Superior Model 40 and Model 65 diesel engines for application in diesel-electric locomotives. The publication is undated, although it is printed on the front cover that this is "Bulletin No. 4707." We might safely guess that this indicates a print date of 1947; this could be the seventh bulletin of that year. Support for this fact is given by the photo on the front; this is the single Ingalls Shipbuilding Company Model 4-S locomotive, which had been sold to the GM&O in 1946. The fact that the shot shows the 4-S already in GM&O paint indicates that the publication is after the mid-1946 purchase of the former Ingalls demonstrator. Thus, 1947 is a safe guess. It is well known that this Ingalls 4-S was the only domestic road locomotive ever built using a Superior diesel engine. This unit employed a Model 65 series engine, more about which will appear later. First, we will examine the smaller Model 40 series. |
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| Superior Model 40 engines |
| The Model 40 engine as advertised in this brochure was available in either six or eight cylinders, with each configuration also available normally aspirated or turbocharged. The Model 40 engines used a bore and stroke of 8.5" by 10.5" and operated at 1100 RPM at full speed; the brochure states that "for special applications, and subject to factory engineering approval, Model 40 engines may be operated at speeds up to 1200 RPM." The Model 40-L-6 was the six-cylinder normally aspirated version, rated 375 BHP @ 1100 RPM. It weighed about 13,500 lbs. The Model 40-L-8 was eight cylinders, normally aspirated and was rated 500 BHP @ 1100 RPM, with a weight of about 16,500 lbs. |
| The smaller of the two turbocharged engines was the Model 40-LX-6, which is pictured above coupled to a General Electric railway type generator with belt-driven auxiliary generator and exciter. This engine was rated 675 BHP @ 1100 RPM, with an approximate weight of 14,150 lbs. The largest Model 40 engine was the 40-LX-8, rated 900 BHP @ 1100 RPM, and which weighed approximately 17,640 lbs. Of all the Superior models and sizes offered for locomotive use, the Model 40 was the most employed. The engine was built for use in a number of Whitcomb center-cab export units (Model 40-LX-6) that were sold to several countries, and was used in single-engine units as well. The eight cylinder engine was built under license by Stork in the Netherlands (40-CX-8) rated 900 HP, for employment in end-cab configured locomotives that were equipped with dual controls and employed in road service (as were the aforementioned Whitcomb center-cab units.) This same engine was built (again for the Netherlands) under license in France, by Schneider. |
| Superior Model 65 engines. |
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| Two versions of the Superior Model 65 diesel engine are advertised in this brochure. Both are turbocharged. The Model 65 employed a bore and stroke of 12.75" by 15" and had a full rated speed of 700 RPM. The Model 65-LX-6 was the six-cylinder version, rated 1600 BHP @ 700 RPM. It weighed approximately 36000 lbs. It should be noted that the Ingalls 4-S did use this engine, but that the application in the 4-S included a maximum engine speed of 660 RPM, with a rating of 1500 brake horsepower. It is of interest that this engine is the equivalent in power of the contemporary 12-cylinder ALCO-GE and 8-cylinder Baldwin engines. |
| Pictured above is the largest engine shown in the brochure. This is the Model 65-LX-8, eight cylinders and with turbochager. This engine was rated 2150 BHP @ 700 RPM, and weighed about 45000 pounds. This eight-cylinder engine was the full equivalent of the ALCO-GE 16-cylinder Model 244, and of the Fairbanks-Morse 10-cylinder Model 38D8-1/8. It would appear that this was not the engine originally planned for use in the aborted 2000 HP Ingalls locomotive. That engine would have had larger bore and stroke, and was most probably a Model 80 (not advertised in this brochure.) |
| Superior 40-LX-6 |
| Superior 65-LX-8 |
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| Plan views of the Superior Model 40-LX-8 engine with GE generator and equipment for locomotive application. |
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| At left, plan view of Superior Model 65-LX-8 engine with what appears to be General Electric equipment, and with a conventional 3-cylinder locomotive air brake compressor. Notable is the angled position of the large turbocharger, no doubt configured as such to restrict the size envelope required. The brochure does not state specifically the make of the turbocharger, but it appears to be an Elliot. |
| At right, a larger blow-up from the same illustration. This is an end view of a Model 65 engine installed in a locomotive carbody. The clerestory roof design is immediately obvious, which indicates that this particular illustration was applicable to one or more units as originally designed by Ingalls Shipbuilding. The illustration is probably included in this more general advertising brochure just as simple reference and for indication of the required size envelope for these large and heavy engines. |
| by Will Davis |
| This concludes our examination of the particular engine models. On the next page, we will learn more about the brochure's contents including some actual applications of Superior diesel engines in locomotives and other equipment. |
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