EMD GM6 locos - an Irish what-if?

[Mol_PMB]

@jhb171achill mentioned this class of loco to me on the Achill tour at the weekend, so I thought I'd post the info I had on them. I hope this is a suitable part of the forum.

The EMD GM6 were a shortened version of the 121 class with a rigid 6-wheel chassis and a 6-cylinder version of the standard EMD 567 engine.

At the time that CIE ordered the 121s from EMD, they also invited bids for a batch of 6-wheeled diesel shunters which actually emerged as the E421 class. But CIE could have chosen the equivalent EMD GM6 design instead - they are similar in size, power and capability to the E class. They have drive by cardan shaft like the E, but are diesel-electrics rather than diesel hydraulics. So this is a plausible 'what-if' loco for CIE.

I have an EMD Export catalogue from that period which gives the technical specifications of the GM6. 

(not sure why these images have been slightly corrupted - sorry)

 

 

Thanks to this excellent thread (and unique model railway) over on RMweb, here are some photos of the GM6 locos supplied to Lebanon:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/181696-les-caves-du-roy-beirut-lebanon-in-the-1980s-chemin-de-fer-de-letat-libanais-cel/

 

[jhb171achill]

Always thought this would be a good thing on a layout. 

They’d almost certainly have been designated “E”, thus would probably have been the E441 or E451 class. 

I got one of those old whitemetal MIR 121 bodies some time back either the (long term!) intention of shortening it and sticking it on top of some old 6-wheel power bogie to see what could be done. Those whitemetal bodies are extremely crude indeed by today’s standards, and would not compare well to an IRM 121 on a siding beside it; but, I thought, potentially an interesting exercise. 

[Mol_PMB]

More pics here:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/181696-les-caves-du-roy-beirut-lebanon-in-the-1980s-chemin-de-fer-de-letat-libanais-cel/page/10/#findComment-6268397