EMC E5

Template:Infobox locomotive The EMC E5 is a Template:Convert, A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor, General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of La Grange, Illinois. It was produced exclusively for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (“The Burlington Route”), and its subsidiaries between 1940 and 1941.

The E5 was distinguished from the otherwise very similar E3, E4 and E6 by being clad in polished stainless steel to match the Burlington's Zephyr trains. It also featured unique small grill-like ornamentation on both sides of the upper headlight. Like the other pre-war models in the E-series, the E5 had a sloping “slant nose” design and was equipped with two headlights—a regular stationary headlight below a gyrating Mars signal light. The E5 was the sixth model in the EMD E-unit series.

Engine and powertrainEdit

The E5 was powered by twin 12-cylinder prime movers, developing a total of Template:Convert at 800 rpm. Designed specifically for railroad locomotives, the mechanically aspirated, two-stroke, 45-degree V-type engine, with an Template:Convert bore by Template:Convert stroke, giving Template:Convert displacement per cylinder. This engine design remained in production until 1966.

The E5 was originally intended to look very different with the cab section looking very similar to the streamlined diesel passenger trains that the CB&Q was famous for.

File:EMC E5 - Original Design.webp

The original design for the E5, note the cab shape. This design was created on October 23, 1939.

Power for the locomotive's traction was provided by two direct-current generators, one for each prime mover. This generators powered four traction motors, two on each truck, in an A1A-A1A arrangement. This truck design was used across all E units, as well as on the MP 7100 AA6, CB&Q 9908, and CRI&P AB6 power cars. Since 1939, EMC/EMD has manufactured all of its major components.Template:Sfn<ref name="ros03">Ross 2003, pp. 273-274.Template:Full citation needed</ref>

Original ownersEdit

Railroad	Cab-equipped A units	Cabless booster B units	Road numbers A units	Road numbers B units	Notes
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	9	3	9910A–9912A, 9909, 9913, 9914A,B, 9915A,B	9910B–9912B	9911A preserved in operating condition at the Illinois Railway Museum<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Colorado and Southern Railway	1	1	9950A	9950B
Fort Worth and Denver Railway	1	1	9980A	9980B
Total	11	5

Locomotive detailsEdit

Name	Cab or Booster	#(as built)	EMD order no.	EMD serial no.	Build date	History
Silver Bullet	(cab)	9909	E 278-A	Template:Sort	Template:Dts	to C&S 9953 in Template:Dts;
Silver Speed	(cab)	9910A	E 278-A	Template:Sort	Template:Dts	to C&S 9951A in Template:Dts; retired Template:Dts and traded in to EMD on an SD40.
Silver Power	(booster)	9910B	E 279-B	Template:Sort	Template:Dts	to C&S 9951B in Template:Dts; retired Template:Dts and traded in to EMD on an SD40.
Silver Pilot	(cab)	9911A	E 278-A	Template:Sort	Template:Dts	to FW&D 9982A in Template:Dts; to C&S 9952A in Template:Dts; retired in Template:Dts and traded in to EMD on an SD40. Purchased by Illinois Railway Museum in 1969.
Silver Mate	(booster)	9911B	E 279-B	Template:Sort	Template:Dts	to FW&D 9982B in Template:Dts; to C&S 9952B in Template:Dts; retired in Template:Dts and traded in to EMD on an SD40.
Silver Meteor	(cab)	9912A	E 278-A	Template:Sort	Template:Dts	retired Template:Dts and traded in.
Silver Comet	(booster)	9912B	E 279-B	Template:Sort	Template:Dts	retired Template:Dts and traded in.
Silver Wings	(cab)	9913	E 331-A	1133	Template:Dts	to C&S 9954 in Template:Dts;
Silver Arrow	(cab)	9914A	E 377-A	1301	Template:Dts	to C&S 9955 in Template:Dts;
Silver Swift	(cab)	9914B	E 377-A	1302	Template:Dts	wrecked at Nodaway, Missouri in Template:Dts; retired and scrapped.
Silver Carrier	(cab)	9915A	E 377-A	1303	Template:Dts	wrecked at Biglow, Missouri in Template:Dts; retired and scrapped.
Silver Clipper	(cab)	9915B	E 377-A	1304	Template:Dts	retired Template:Dts and traded in.
Silver Racer	(cab)	9950A (C&S)	E 278-A	1035	Template:Dts
Silver Steed	(booster)	9950B (C&S)	E 279-B	1037	Template:Dts
Silver Chief	(cab)	9980A (FW&D)	E 278-A	1036	Template:Dts
Silver Warrior	(booster)	9980B (FW&D)	E 279-B	1038	Template:Dts

Surviving exampleEdit

Only one E5 unit of the original 16 built survives today. The last surviving EMD E5 diesel, CB&Q No. 9911A Silver Pilot, is owned and operated by the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois. The locomotive was last used on the Fort Worth and Denver Railway (a CB&Q subsidiary) for the Texas Zephyr. It is now paired with one of the Burlington's Nebraska Zephyrs, a 5 car, articulated, stainless steel passenger train from 1936.

This equipment has been featured in several film productions, including the 1992 movie A League of Their Own and the 2006 movie Flags of Our Fathers. E5 9911A Silver Pilot was used with 4 stainless steel passenger cars relettered to resemble the Zephyr train set. 9911 is equipped with dual horns, which is a Leslie A200-156 and a Leslie S2M.