Panama Canal Railway locomotives no. 1856 and 1872 hauling a heavy intermodal train along the canal. The Panama Canal Railway is 76,6 km long and follows the route of the canal itself from Colón to Balboa. Passenger traffic consists of one train in the morning and another after working hours. Most traffic is intermodal trains, such as this one and a typical train carries ca. 75 containers. The railroad has 18 locomotives, all built by EMD in the USA. The machines seen here are of the EMD type EMD F40PH (no. 1856) and EMD SD60 (no.1872). They date back to 2001 and 2008 respectively.
Picture: T-J Hämäläinen, Gamboa, Panama canal area, 16.2.2017.
Special Panama canal locomotives used for pulling large ships.
Picture: T-J Hämäläinen, Gamboa, Panama canal area, 16.2.2017.
A closeup picture of the canal locomotives being used for pulling ships. They are also known as "mulas" or mules. They are of 1524 mm broad gauge with a third rack rail. There is an added extra rail which brings the locomotives electricity buried underground on the ground side of the locomotives. The locomotives are only used for precision movement and braking of very large ships in the extremely tightly built locks of the canal. With the biggest ships there may be as little as 60 cm of free water on either side of the ship and typically then eight mule locomotives are used to keep the ship centered and in place.
Picture: T-J Hämäläinen, Gamboa, Panama canal area, 16.2.2017.
Even as the mule locomotives are powerful and heavy, they look very little by the side of the largest ships.
Picture: T-J Hämäläinen, Panama canal area, 16.2.2017.
This ship has gotten six mule locomotives to assist it. The very biggest get eight.
Picture: T-J Hämäläinen, Panama canal area, 16.2.2017.
Notice how the railroad tracks for the mule locomotives actually run on the extremely narrow top edges of the lock doors themselves.
Picture: T-J Hämäläinen, Panama canal area, 16.2.2017.
Mule no.189 in work, keeping a cruise ship steady.
Picture: T-J Hämäläinen, Panama canal area, 16.2.2017.
Only one mule per side is enough for the front part of a passenger ship, so four is enough for the whole ship.
Picture: T-J Hämäläinen, Panama canal area, 16.2.2017.
Each mule locomotive weighs 50 tons and has a pulling power of 312 kN at a 4,8 km/h speed. When they are running empty, their maximum speed is 16 km/h. They were built by Mitsubishi Corporation.
Picture: T-J Hämäläinen, Panama canal area, 16.2.2017.
By the locks these locomotives have to be capable of climbing extremely steep slopes.
Picture: T-J Hämäläinen, Panama canal area, 16.2.2017.
