Boatnerd Discussion Forum

I'm a little confused. Are you guys saying she's been repowered twice as a tug? So she's had 3 different engine room arrangements so far?

tugboat wrote:You are correct she had I believe 12 traction motors with V- belts connecting each to the gearbox. The whole setup was taken from locomotive parts. Somewhere I have a video of the engine room in operation just before she was re-powered in Erie,PA. This was not the original DE propulsion system in her however. Originally she had I believe 3 or 4 large electric motors going through gear to one shaft. But after problems it was decided to go with the traction motors and V-Belts. I was very skeptical at first but she sailed this way for many years with minimal problems.

Very interested to see that video!

You are correct she had I believe 12 traction motors with V- belts connecting each to the gearbox. The whole setup was taken from locomotive parts. Somewhere I have a video of the engine room in operation just before she was re-powered in Erie,PA. This was not the original DE propulsion system in her however. Originally she had I believe 3 or 4 large electric motors going through gear to one shaft. But after problems it was decided to go with the traction motors and V-Belts. I was very skeptical at first but she sailed this way for many years with minimal problems.

Over the years i have heard a lot of rumors about the original engine configuration in the tug Joseph Thompson Jr. The most prominent being the 3 engines were used 2500hp, GE FDL-16's out of 3 retired GE U25 locomotives (I always heard retired SOO or LS&I locomotives). The two versions I've heard were either the generators were used to power traction motors that somehow used V belts to turn the shaft or the V belts were coupled to a reduction gear of the engines with out the traction motors. I actually have a picture of the tugs engineroom while in lay up but you can't see the PTO side of the engines that well, plus I was pretty young when I took it and didn't know what I was looking at besides 3 big engines. Does any one have any real info on the set up?