EMD power shines in Caterpillar colors

Caterpillar, the parent company of Progress Rail Services, of which Electro-Motive Diesel is a subsidiary, showcased a new EMD SD70ACe locomotive decked out in familiar yet new-for EMD colors—Caterpillar’s distinctive yellow, black, and gray scheme—at two venues during the past month: its 52,000-square-foot MINExpo International® 2012 exhibit in Las Vegas, and the Caterpillar Visitor Center grand opening event in Peoria, Ill., on Oct. 20.

At MINExpo, held the week of Sept. 24, the locomotive “gave the mining world an opportunity to explore the railroad technology that transports minerals to market,” Caterpillar said.

Caterpillar’s 52,000-square-foot exhibit was the largest single exhibit in the history of MINExpo, the company said. And the SD70ACe was the first heavy-haul locomotive to be displayed at the show. The Caterpillar exhibit featured 18 complete mining and support machines and myriad components, models, and technology displays “representing the broadest mining product line available and the most extensive customer support system in the world,” Caterpillar noted.

“Unique among all machines within the Caterpillar exhibit and throughout the hundreds of MINExpo displays, the massive SD70ACe locomotive, at 420,000 pounds, earned its place alongside some of the largest mobile equipment in the world,” Caterpillar said. “EMD introduced the 4,400-traction-horsepower SD70ACe in 2005 for heavy-haul freight applications worldwide. This powerful and efficient locomotive integrates EMD’s highly reliable 16-cylinder 710 engine, EM2000™ microprocessor control system, and AC traction.”

SD70ACe locomotives operate in mining operations across the globe, including the United States, Canada, South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. “This service-proven workhorse offers leading performance in harsh conditions and the world’s most demanding applications—a perfect fit within Caterpillar and within the mining industry,” Caterpillar said.

The SD70ACe transported Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman and Caterpillar Vice President and Progress Rail Services/EMD President and CEO Billy Ainsworth to the Caterpillar Visitor Center grand opening event.