Volvo EM90 Little Known Facts

The Volvo EM90 was a series of diesel-electric locomotives produced by ASEA and Vemor (a joint-venture between Volvo Penta and ASEA) for the Swedish State Railways (SJ).
Production of the EM90 began in 1966.
The EM90 had a power output of 1,900 kW (2,600 hp), with four 475 kW (636 hp) electric motors powered by two 950 kW (1,275 hp) ASEA DC traction motors.
The locomotive's speed was limited to 100 km/h (62 mph).
EM90 locomotives had a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph), however the speed limiting device typically prevented them from reaching this speed in service.
There were a total of 35 units produced for SJ, with numbers ranging from 1901 to 1935.
The weight of an EM90 locomotive was approximately 73-74 tons.
Each locomotive was powered by the fuel consumption of around 300 liters (79 gallons) per hour.
Volvo Penta developed a new 16-cylinder engine for use in future revisions of the EM90, which had four-stroke cycle and was air-cooled.
The first prototype EM91 was built with this new engine type but suffered from high vibration levels and overheating issues, leading to changes in the design.
Volvo Penta's involvement with the locomotive ended after the development phase, as they withdrew from further participation due to these unresolved technical issues.
ASEA continued the production of EM90s without making major changes to their design.
Despite being replaced by more modern diesel-electric locomotives, some units of the EM90 remained in service well into the 1990s for shunting and light freight work.

Volvo, EM90 Little Known Facts