Looking for a (copy of an) EMD SD7 ‘bedsheet’ electrical print. This will aid the restoration and maintenance of GN 558 / BN 6008.

EMD published the SD7 locomotive schematic wiring diagram along with a chart of the electrical symbols used in their diagrams, in the back of the SD7 locomotive operators manual. These are commonly found for $15 to $30 on eBay. There is one listed today. Use the search string "EMD Manual SD7" on eBay to locate it.

There is also one on the internet on the "Fallen Flags" website in the SD7 manual scan posted there, but the small size and lack of scanned definition would make it difficult to use.

PC

A friend gave me a pdf scan of the electrical print for an SD7 with dynamic brakes and a few modernizations. The sheet scanned is very large - 36” wide and over 200” long. It is highly detailed with wire directions when entering the wiring harness, relay designations and part numbers, wire numbers, post numbers on terminal boards, relay settings, etc. Very much the high level of detail we’re looking for.

Narrowing our search, our ideal would be the print for GN 550-564 (BN 6000-6014). This is EMD order 5146, serial numbers 16099-16113. This lot had 24-RL and hump control but no dynamic brakes. Might EMD still have these in their archives?

Doubt if EMD (who are they now?) has anything that old. Check with one of the rebuilders- LTE or Paducah. Maybe Brookville or Boise? They probably can furnish something.

There is no formal, organized EMD "archive" (that question comes up frequently). The people at EMD who used to help out preservation organizations are mostly gone now, and the very few who are still at what is left (for now) of La Grange have their hands full with support for much more recent products. A friend recently commented that questions on anything before an SD60 are unlikely to get any attention.

Wabtec has announced that Motivepower in Boise is being closed December 31.

The only commercial incentive a manufacturer or rebuilder has to maintain an information archive on 65 year old locomotives is if there is a steady flow of renewal parts or repair business activity relating to those products. Lacking any such business, as the fleet of a particular type of locomotives becomes smaller, the problem of assembling and maintaining technical support information ends up with the preservation and historical industry/hobby, provided that they are paying any attention to the need. Back in 2007 there was a lengthy clinic at an ARM meeting relating to the long term maintainability of older locomotives. In the years since, the problems of information support and parts support have grown.

PC