CSX Fuel Tender Question

[Dough]

Does anybody know if CSX still uses any fuel tenders. I caught 993368 a few years ago up in Eire, PA. It was sitting on a siding inside of the GE locomotive plant there. Here is a pic of it in action that I found on the web:



And The Bull Sheet has a short paragraph on 993368 as well:
http://www.bullsheet.com/news/199503.html

While researching I found the smaller number 993370:
http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/railrunner/BONEVALLEY/bvrollingstock/BVrollingstocks.htm

Finally I discovered that their is an O Scale model of 993369. Perhaps this is based on an actual prototype. And one more, I just notice that that Walthers made an HO 993363. (One is on ebay right now)

So, does anybody know if these are still out there and if so are they still used? Also how many are out there? It appears that their could be more of them in that block of numbers.

[csxengineer98]

well... i can personaly say..that i have NEVER seen one of them befor in the almost 7 years i have been with csx... so its about 99% safe to say they dont use them anymore...
csx engineer

[BaltACD]

The tenders were used on a dedicated set of power that operated in service between Chattahoochee, FL to Bostwick, FL via Jacksonville for a daily coal train move for Seminole Electrics power plant at Bostwick. The coal originate in mines in the West Virginia coal fields, it was moved in barges from Ohio River transloading facilities to Port St. Joe, FL. . At Port St. Joe the coal was transloaded back into rail cars and moved from Port St.Joe to Chattahoochee by a short line carrier.. CSX then had an assigned crew get the train at Chattahoochee and move it to Jacksonville. At Jacksonville the Bostwick Turn was called to match to the trains arrival and take the train to Bostwick, drop the loaded train and pick up the previous day's train which was now empty and return the empties to Jacksonville. The Assigned crew would then be called and transport the empties back to Chattahoochee for the short line to haul back to Port St.Joe. This was a daily move for a number of years and was ended shortly after CSX sold American Commercial Barge lines, which was the barge carrier. Now the coal that Bostwick recieves from CSX travels all rail routes from the mines to the plant.

The purpose of the Fuel Tender was to mak fueling a weekly occurence, rather than every other day. I understand that there were numerous problems in having the tender properly transfer fuel to the opeating locomotives and the 'experiment' ended less than a year after it began.

[Dough]

Thanks for the info! Do you have any idea if 993368 is still out there anywhere? Like I said, I saw it on the back side of GE's loco factory. It was stored next to the very OLD junk such as an amtrak passenger car, ex BN engine, EECRR caboose etc. This was probably back in 2000.

[Allen Jenkins]

No, not quite, the engines, may be fueled, at any time, anywhere, by truck. The purpose of the fuel tender, was to maintain full capacity fuel level, for the motive power, to maintain full available tractive effort. This elliminates the need for more expensive motive power. Heavy Rules! ACJ.