EMD SD60I

The EMD SD60I was a specialized variant of Electro-Motive Division's successful SD60 family, produced exclusively for Conrail in 1993. Only 30 units were constructed, making it one of the rarest members of the SD60 series. Conrail's order represented a deliberate choice to acquire a cab design that prioritized crew comfort and noise reduction at a time when locomotive manufacturers were increasingly competing on the basis of operating environment quality as much as raw performance. The SD60I's distinguishing feature was its "WhisperCab," a full-width short hood cab engineered to isolate the crew from engine noise and mechanical vibration through the use of rubber gasket insulation. This cab design proved influential beyond the SD60I itself, as EMD subsequently employed it on several later high-horsepower models including the SD70I, SD75I, SD80MAC, and SD90MAC. When Conrail was divided between Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation in 1999, the 30 SD60I units were allocated between the two successor railroads, where they continued in freight service. Norfolk Southern eventually considered incorporating some SD60I units into its SD60E rebuilding program, though that initiative was ultimately terminated in 2019, after which remaining unrebuilt examples were sold off or scrapped. One SD60I has survived into preservation. Norfolk Southern donated former Conrail unit 6721, originally numbered 5582 in Conrail's roster, to Penn State University Altoona in October 2019. The locomotive has since been relocated to the Railroaders Memorial Museum, where it stands as one of the few surviving examples of Conrail's road locomotive fleet.

The SD60I was powered by the EMD 710G3B prime mover, a 16-cylinder engine from EMD's 710 series that produced 3,800 horsepower. Like all members of the SD60 family, it rode on a C-C wheel arrangement with six powered axles, making it well suited for heavy freight drag service. The locomotive used direct current traction motors, distinguishing it from the experimental SD60MAC variant which employed alternating current technology. Rated at 3,800 horsepower, the 710G3B engine represented a refinement of the earlier 710G3A used in standard SD60 production, offering reliable output within a proven mechanical platform. The cab itself was the most technically distinctive aspect of the SD60I. Unlike the North American Safety Cab found on the SD60M, the WhisperCab used on the SD60I was mounted with rubber isolation pads between the cab structure and the locomotive carbody, dampening the transmission of both sound and vibration into the crew space. The SD60I can be visually differentiated from the superficially similar SD60M by a vertical seam visible just aft of the nose front, a structural artifact of the cab's distinct construction method. This attention to the operator environment reflected broader industry trends of the early 1990s as railroads and builders alike recognized the operational and ergonomic value of improved cab design.

Models by: Athearn