EMD DE30AC and DM30AC

The EMD DE30AC and EMD DM30AC are 46 locomotives built in 1997-1999 by Electro-Motive Division in the Super Steel Plant in Schenectady NY for the Long Island Rail Road of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York.

[edit] Details and usage
The DE30AC and DM30AC locomotives replaced aging GP38s, Alco FA1/FA2s, F7As and F9As, and MP15AC and SW1001 locomotives, with GP38s used to pull and push diesel trains and other locomotives used to provide HEP for the trains. The bodies of the DE30AC and the DM30AC are similar. The difference of the DM30AC to the DE30AC is the ability of the DM30AC to run in electric mode while the Diesel engine is off thus enabeling the loco to run in the east river tunnels into New York Penn Station. DM30ACs have third rail contact shoes and a Step Up Chopper permitting direct service from non-electrified lines in the east of Long Island to the westerly electrified main lines all the way to Penn Station. Such service is currently provided along the Port Jefferson, Oyster Bay, and Montauk Branches. The engines follow the traditional Pennsylvania Railroad naming scheme; DM = Dual Mode, DE = Diesel Engine, 30 = 3000HP, AC = Alternating Current.

Each engine generally pushes or pulls six cars in some cases as low as one car and up to eight cars. During the summer, the LIRR runs an express service out to Montauk, which runs on Fridays and is 12 cars long.[citation needed] When only one locomotive is used on a train the locomotive always faces east, away from Manhattan. Generally two engines are used when there are 8 or more cars. Of the original 46 locomotives, 45 are still in use: #503 (DM30AC) caught fire when it hit a shopping cart on the tracks. The shopping cart shorted out the third rail and caused a fire.[citation needed] The fire occurred in Huntington on October 23, 2000.[4] It stayed in the Morris Park Facility until it was scrapped.