Southern Pacific KM 9010 is back
The amazing resurrection story of an experimental locomotive of the 1960s
THERE HAVE BEEN STEAM resto-
ration miracles. There have been
diesel restoration miracles. And
now, in a scenic canyon near the
Bay Area, there is a diesel-
hydraulic miracle — the restora-
tion of Southern Pacific
German-built Krauss-Maffei
ML-4000CC No. 9010.
The Pacific Locomotive As-
sociation, under Howard Wise
and other volunteers, turned an
11-year cosmetic restoration
into an operational return when
a transmission and geared truck
were located overseas and mated
to the No. 2 (rear) engine, which
was discovered to be serviceable
after 50 years of inactivity. The
No. 1 engine is not planned to
be made operable. The locomo-
tive debuted in late July onaffiliated Niles Canyon Railway.
Although functional, No. 9010
was pushed or pulled by an ac-
companying GP9 in weathered
Black Widow paint, due to No. 2
engine oil consumption issues.
Multiple-unit functions on
No. 9010 were operable, allow-
ing it to be the controlling loco-
motive. Repairs will enable No.
9010 to power trains on its own.
No. 9010 is the survivor of
37 diesel-hydraulic locomotives
built for the U.S. and Brazil. At
3,540 hp, the K-M diesel-hy-
draulics — each with two
16-cylinder Maybach Mercedes-
Benz MD 870 diesel power
plants — provided more heft
than conventional diesel loco-
motives from American build-
ers in the early 1960s duringU.S. railroading’s horsepower
wars. Three carbody units and
15 road-switcher versions were
bought new by SP; Denver &
Rio Grande Western bought
three carbody versions, which
were later sold to SP.
Unlike typical diesel locomo-
tives that use generators and
electric motors to transmit pow-
er from the prime mover to the
wheels, diesel-hydraulics like SP
9010 have automatic transmis-
sions, universal drive shafts, and
geared axles.
No. 9010 was delivered in- All were retired in 1968,
but No. 9010 became a camera
car to film for locomotive simu-
lators. After an uncertain future,
it’s back, looking like it did 55
years ago. — Jim Wrinn
Steam is back at New Hampshire’s Conway Scenic with 0-6-0 No. 7470, which had been out of service since 2015, left, while in Colorado
Georgetown Loop 2-8-0 No. 40 returned to the line after 15 years and joined sister No. 111 on the high bridge. Left, Brian Solomon; right, Jim Barton52 OCTOBER 2019PRESERVATION
Southern Pacific K-M No. 9010
performs on July 22, 2019, at the
Pacific Locomotive Association’s
Niles Canyon Railway. The trailing
GP9 provided power, but No. 9010
controlled the move and the train.
After resolving oil issues, No. 9010
will operate independently. The
debut concluded an 11-year resto-
ration, under volunteer Howard
Wise (inset), that started as a cos-
metic job. Two photos, Gordon Lloyd Jr.
Steam returns in New Hampshire and Colorado