North America’s large railroads have historically had an appetite for ever bigger and more powerful locomotives and in the mid-1990s, both Electro-Motive and General Electric attempted to satisfy that horsepower hunger with single-power-plant, six-axle, 6,000-horsepower diesel locomotives. GE’s entry into this 6,000-horsepower locomotive competition was the AC6000CW, while Electro-Motive cataloged the SD90MAC.
History shows that the market for such a large locomotive proved limited and that from a technology and reliability standpoint, the locomotives proved considerably less than hoped.
In the case of the EMD SD90MAC, which among North American railroads was ordered by Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific, the planned 256H-series power plant was both delayed in production and then proved unpopular. As a result, only 68 6,000-horsepower SD90MACs were constructed. In what was first intended as an interim solution, but which proven permanent, EMD instead constructed 410 of its 90-series locomotives with 4,300-horsepower 710-series engines. These came to be generally known as SD9043MACs.
While the 6,000-horsepower SD90MACs proved to have a short service life, the SD9043MACs have gone on to serve extended careers. Union Pacific rostered the largest SD9043MACs fleet at 309 units and while most UP units have now been retired, many SD9043MACs remain in service with second-hand owners, either in as-built form or rebuilt into SD70 variants.
During the SD9043MACs active years on the Union Pacific, the diesels most often worked heavy-tonnage trains such as unit grain or coal consists and regardless of their lack of commercial success, the massive diesels – which stretched 80-feet long, weighed more than 400,000 pounds, sported huge flared radiators, and rode atop advanced “steerable” trucks – made for an impressive sight from trackside.
Now available for Train Simulator duty, the hulking SD9043MAC wears Union Pacific’s famed and classic yellow-and-gray livery and features realistic cab controls and operating features.
Climb aboard for some heavy freight-hauling – with the distinctive Union Pacific Electro-Motive SD9043MAC for Train Simulator!
Included Scenarios
Three career scenarios featuring the Union Pacific EMD SD9043MAC on the Train Simulator Granger Heartland: Kansas City – Topeka route are included:
- [SD9043MAC] Crossing Over (Part 1)
- [SD9043MAC] Crossing Over (Part 2)
- [SD9043MAC] Crossing Over (Part 3)
More scenarios are available on the Steam Workshop online and in-game. Train Simulator’s Steam Workshop scenarios are free and easy to download, adding many more hours of exciting gameplay. With scenarios being added daily, why don’t you check it out now!
Key Features
- Electro-Motive 4,300-horsepower SD9043MAC in Union Pacific livery
- Realistic cab, controls, and operating features
- Three scenarios for the Granger Heartland: Kansas City – Topeka route
- Quick Drive compatible
- Download size: 326.7MB
