The changing of the guard in the Altoona Pa helper pool (video)

[dwil89]

edit  same reply posted in triplicate

 

 

 

 

 

[dwil89]

redundant posting

 

 

 

[dwil89]

MikeFF

I try to get to Cresson at least once a year and will miss the SD40-2 exhaust as heard from the front porch of the Station Inn.

I'm a regular at The Station Inn......As of now, the transition has just begun as far as the helper pool....When I was out on the West Slope last weekend, 3 SD40E's were in helper service....The 6301 and 6304 were paired up, and the 6303 was paired up with an SD40-2...

The other two 40E's were out of the area somewhere.

I stopped down to the Juniata Shops and checked out the turntable area.

There was another SD40E getting close to completion.

It was still in primer paint and its new numberboards were not in place yet.

So as more of these SD40E's are brought on line, the SD40-2's will slowly disappear from the helper pool....

So I would encourage anyone out in the area to snap as many pics and video the SD40-2's as possible.....for one day down the road, they will be gone.

One interesting thing of note is that NS has decided to stay with EMD standard cab power for the Altoona helper pool.

With over a thousand C40-9W's on its roster, NS could just had easily assigned a few dozen GE's to helper service.

 

 

 

 

 

[robscaboose]

I live in the flatlands now & miss the sounds of an eastbounder climbing up the mountain...  You could hear it 10 minutes before you could see it.  No need for a scanner

 

Rob

[MikeFF]

I try to get to Cresson at least once a year and will miss the SD40-2 exhaust as heard from the front porch of the Station Inn.

[Modelcar]

....I'm another Pennsylvanian "originally from" that general area....Somerset County.  Not far from Johnstown.

Always enjoyed seeing the Pennsylvania trains on the "Broadway" thru that area between Johnstown and Altoona when possible.  Still enjoy stopping at Horseshoe Curve when we're in the home area {a side trip}, and enjoy seeing Dave's videos on here of same.....

And Dave....It sounds like the SD40-2's have served well for some years providing just the right balance of power and braking effort on the Allegheny grades in that area.

[robscaboose]

Excellent video.....during an earlier pahse of my life, I spent many a day in Lilly watching trains.  Also enjoyed the cheese burgers at "George 's Bar & Grill"  Thanks for the menories.

[dwil89]

For a number of years, SD40's and SD40-2's have been the power of choice for helper pool operations in the Altoona-Johnstown Pa helper pool.

NS has recently begun a rebuilding program of its SD50 fleet.

The SD50's are being torn down to the frame and rebuilt.

60 units are planned to be rebuilt with many of these reportedly going into Altoona helper service.

The SD40-2's will reportedly be eventually pulled from helper service and put into other general service around the NS system once enough SD40E's are in service.  As of now, 5 SD40E's are in service.

With the SD50 exhaust silencers still in place after the rebuilds, the SD40E's are rerated to 3,000 HP, down from the 3500 HP SD50 rating, but are also quieter than an as built SD40-2 due to the exhaust silencers.

A video of an Eastbound 84R coaldrag rolling upgrade through Lilly, Pa on Sunday, with fresh SD50/40E rebuilds 6301 and 6304 in fresh paint shoving on the rear of the train.

'Click 'view in high quality' for best video viewing clairity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pphIuWn4x1s