Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Archive

• IHB Gensets and Dual Fuel Locomotives •

In June 2011, the first of four gensets arrived on IHB property. Three more were received shortly thereafter. Numbered 2140-43, they were built by National Railway Equipment and bear the model designation "3GS21B." The '3' stands for three engines, '21' for 2100 total horsepower (700 each) and 'B' indicates four axles. These low emission, fuel efficient units were purchased with the financial assistance of a federal/state initiative resembling the "cash-for-clunkers" program for automobiles. Unfortunately, IHB's last remaining NW2s were among the trade-ins. In 2021 three of these units were converted to slugs and paired with GP40-2LW units. The fourth unit was retired.

In July 2012, IHB took delivery of its first six axle genset. By December 2012, three more arrived. They are also NRE models with the designation "3GS21C." They replaced three of the SD20 units and an SD38-2. They were numbered 2160-63. All four were retired in January, 2022.

2141 was the first genset to arrive. It is shown here at the Franklin Park Railroad Daze in June,2011. The three engine compartments are easily spotted.
Each compartment is a module containing the engine, generator and exhaust system. The modules can be removed and replaced in just a few hours.
Photo by Doug Kanuuk.

Three of these units bear the name of a town along the IHB.
Photo by Randy Olson.

Cab interior of 2141. Photo by Doug Kaniuk.

The gensets are about as long as a GE Dash 9.
Photo by Joe Bissonnette.

2162, 2163 and 2160 haul a coil train through Calumet Jct

In November, 2017 IHB received from American Motive Power in Dansville, NY two of their rebuilt switchers that will burn both diesel fuel and compressed natural gas. The units can be operated on diesel alone or in diesel+CNG mode (they cannot operate on CNG alone). It is a twin-engine design meeting Tier 4 standards. The two units, 1506 and 1508, are former SW1500s, now reclassified as RP15BDF. Two more units, 1504 and 1514, arrived in 2020. Note that the AAR trucks have been replaced by Flexicoils.

1506 and 1508 arrived at Gibson in 2018. Both are now in service after extensive testing. The cab end is now
considered the front of the unit, and it looks like the control stand has been moved to the other side of the cab.
Photo by Joseph Oates.

Rear view of 1506. CNG fuel tanks are located where the radiator would normally be.
Photo by John Eagan.