Has anyone swapped the original GE Voltage Type 17LH over to the newer solid state EMD type regulator. I know it was common practice and I really need swap this unstable regulator over to the newer design. What is involved and what all has to be changed?

Thanks

Jimmy

You might try contacting Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. They have years of experience working on RSD-1s and might be able to answer your question.

Great Idea! They are only a couple of hours away and I don't know why I didn't think of that!

jb

Were you able to get assistance with this? I successfully converted an S1 to the EMD regulator a few years ago.

Any time you convert to the EMD voltage regulator, you need to protect it with a reverse current rectifier.

Protect what, the field circuit or the power circuit? I have been thinking of adapting one of these to our Krauss Maffei once we get the engine rebuilt.
Thanks
Howard

Protect you voltage regulator.

A company I am working to purchase a couple of locomotives from, recently burned up 3 of these EMD regulators before figuring out they had a problem.

A reverse current relay should do the same thing, opening up the positive feed to the regulator when the engine is shut down.

This is the basic way to wire an EMD unit. This drawing shows the auxiliary generator having an armature shunt. It is also simplified, in practice we add gages and an interlock.



The fuse values are appropriate for a GE 44-ton. I am not sure whether the diode is required in a single engine situation. The fuse values are appropriate for a GE 44-ton. Any 2-engine application also needs an interlock/contactor to either disconnect the generator or F wire during engine start, so generator 1 doesn't fry trying to help start engine 2. We learned this the hard way.