IAIS received its newest addition to the motive power fleet last week when the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern delivered slug 650 to the Davenport interchange. Slugs are units with no diesel engine or generator of their own, only traction motors and a lot of weight. They’re paired with another unit for power. This allows the powered unit to better utilize its full output at low speed by spreading the electrical energy over more axles.
IAIS 650 was created from the hulk of IAIS GP8 #466 by Relco in Albia, IA. It’s mated with IAIS GP38 #601 as a power unit, and is expected to be used in Council Bluffs yard switching service, according to the Iowa Interstate email list. Thanks to Andy Brown and Erik Rasmussen, IAIS 650’s [roster page] already has a number of good photos for those interested in checking out this latest addition.
– NDH