Look closely;
Copied from Wikipedia:
Yep. Flexicoils are for freight though. So they did that at the expense of riding quality at high speeds.
Here's a better photo of the trucks. You guys know more than I do. I know the NH ordered 60 of the units which bankrupted the railroad. They were the go-to units for the Harlem Line. E8's were only used for the Chatham NY passenger service when I was there.
I only know it from modelers point of view
Just like from @Boris would love to hear more stories from someone who lived it in real life.
Kriegslok: Don't think so, it was probably more like the truck found on EMD passenger E units. A-1-A. The loco relied on four motors for power, the Idler on the rear was there for weight distribution, from what I understand. The back end was quite heavy with the electrical equipment, steam generator, prime mover and compressor, cooling system et all. The ride issues George recalls were most likely due to the unbalance between front (B-B truck), and rear (A-1-A truck). SD trucks had three motors (C-C truck).
@bnsf971 confirmed what i thought. The flexicoils on FL9 were SD trucks, they just didn't have middle motor on axle.
I didn't think about that Boris. The steam generator water tank was at the rear of the engine. It was a huge tank, full of water what did that weigh. I only remember 4 switches to cut out traction motors. So I guess only 4 wheels had traction motors powering them. We were always cutting traction motors out. As I posted once before back when I was a fireman the engineer told me to go back and see if any traction motors are cut out. The metal switches have arrows on them. When the arrows are facing each other the motor's cut in. One of the switches had grease on it. I couldn't see the arrows. I used my finger to wipe off the grease. That sent my body back to the bulkhead. I had rubber sole shoes on that day. They said that's what saved me from being electrocuted.
All SD units didn't have Flexicoils. A-1-A trucks have a different balance from C-C trucks, and E-44s were Heavy, with high gravity and balance issues especially running long hood lead. E-33s were geared differently, and had a lower center of gravity. There was more to ride quality. E-60s, for instance were very top heavy and overloaded. Trucks had a lot of Lateral Motion. Spent 3 days cleaning up at Elkton, Md, after one spread the rail underneath. Keep that in mind.
Those were the days. Recently heard from an Engineer Friend. We shared an experience of a lifetime on Memorial Day, I believe 1973 (or 1974). Norm had a special, 3 loads of steel out of Fairless,(Morrisville), due to make a Ship, the next day at Baltimore. Easy day, right? 2 GG1s, 3 gondolas, loaded with steel, cabin car. What could go wrong? As the train cleared Ragan Interlocking, Newport Del, about 5 miles south of Wilmington, the hind end reported smoke. They stopped the train on #4 Main. Two of three gonds ran hot boxes... They were ordered to set them out on Sears Siding, off #4 at Newport. Nothing to it, cut away from the cabin, pull up set all three where the Block truck can get to them, cut off, recouple to cabin and run Cab Lite to Baltimore. Opps, forgot the rear motor had the rear pantograph up...oh
, we are toast. Power is off, grounders are in lead pan, under wire, we have to get the other pan down, and wire it, to move engine back to Wilmington. While in the process, look at the arc...some silly ass restored electric power to #4....we are dead! Me and Norm are holding the damn pantograph in our hands watching 11000 volts run from the wire down the pantograph, into the ground via the drive wheels and tires. It welded the tire to the rail. We are not dead, I'm going to be sick 
. The two of us, both well over 200 flew down through the hatch, to the cab, and off the damn GG1to the ground. Thanking God, we were still there, when the idiot train dispatcher through the Operator at Wilmington Tower, asked what was taking us so long...
. I ran to the car, got on the radio and exploded on the poor operator, a fellow named Jake Blizzard. Turns out, the Delaware Park Race train, 5 Budd MUs, was stranded in the track. They sent the engine change crew with an RS3, to pull them out on #4 and South to Davis, (Newark, DE), wherethe train would be routed to another track, powered up and be permitted to run North. They prematurely raised the five pantographs on the MU, while still in the dead section, and bridged the cut., sending power back in to #4. If I hadn't set the ground switch on the lead loco, at the lead pantograph, I wouldn't be writing this today.
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Didn't the GG1s suppose to have this working interlocking mechanism, that lowered pantographs whenever roof hatch was opened?Those were the days. Recently heard from an Engineer Friend. We shared an experience of a lifetime on Memorial Day, I believe 1973 (or 1974). Norm had a special, 3 loads of steel out of Fairless,(Morrisville), due to make a Ship, the next day at Baltimore. Easy day, right? 2 GG1s, 3 gondolas, loaded with steel, cabin car. What could go wrong? As the train cleared Ragan Interlocking, Newport Del, about 5 miles south of Wilmington, the hind end reported smoke. They stopped the train on #4 Main. Two of three gonds ran hot boxes... They were ordered to set them out on Sears Siding, off #4 at Newport. Nothing to it, cut away from the cabin, pull up set all three where the Block truck can get to them, cut off, recouple to cabin and run Cab Lite to Baltimore. Opps, forgot the rear motor had the rear pantograph up...oh
There of course, is more detail to the story, that was the quick and dirty condensed version. I was the Road Foreman of Engines, I was called away from a cookout at home, and drove to the scene. Some key people never showed, and should have been fired, but weren't. If that idiot, arrogant, Train Dispatcher was closer than the station in Baltimore, I would have kicked his ass. I was very happy, to be alive, as was Norm...His crew watched the electricity ark from the GG1 wheels to the rail, and thought we were smoked. Never went to the roof of a motor again, and avoided motors as much as possible, even after I went to Amtrak.
