Is UP's running DD40X still in freight service?

[Anonymous]

Maybe a year ago in Trains I remember and short article about this famous locomotive. It showed a picture of it, and had a little history. It said that they were groups that tracked down its loaction. I naturaly thought that it was still in freight service. Since then, when I hear about it in excursions, I have begun to doubt whether it was still used for pulling freight. My questions are: Is it used for freight also and where are these groups that track it down?

[Anonymous]

metraup [:)]

The DD40X is not not currently used for freight service. You might catch it on occassion pulling a freight while being tested or such. This loco is under the control of Steve Lee. Steve is the head man in charge of the UP steam program. If you see the 3985 or the 844 Steve will not be far away. When the two steamers are out on an excursion Steve will have a meeting with the rr club hosting the excursion. I have worked as a car host on one of these excursions and sat in one of these meetings. Steve lays down the law and make no bones about it, it will be enforced. They will not put up with any nonsense. We had a lady who tried to go shoeless and was told in no uncertain terms she WOULD wear shoes. Funny thing, she put on shoes and sat down. lol The DD40X is sometimes seen with the steamers. This has not happened here but I have seen pictures of it with the steam engines.

One group to check out is the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club. Here is a link to that group. They sometimes host excursions with the UP steam program.

http://www.rockymtnrrclub.org/

Also check the Running Extra section in the Trains mag. You might see something there from time to time about these excursions.

[RudyRockvilleMD]

You may have better luck finding some DD 40X locomotives on exhibition. I know of two sites where they are exhibited. One is in Cody Park in North Platte, NE, and the other one is in the Union Station Museum in Ogden, UT.

[Anonymous]

UP 6936 is up and running pulling special trains from what i heard.

[Modelcar]

....If memory serves correctly, there was a photo of it recently in the last month or so in TRAINS mag....It had a brief discription of what the occasion was. Can't tell you just which issue it was.

[Modelcar]

jhhtrainsplanes....Interesting photo in your profile...

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

jhhtrainsplanes....Interesting photo in your profile...

The white part is actually an antenna. It is the verticle leading edge, VLE. If you look real close you will see a black box (actually 2 but one is on the opposite side) on the level part of the fuselage. These are called HF couplers. The VLE is screw/bolted to a connection on the HFs. What I was doing way UP there is taking out a whole bunch of screws so the VLE would come off. We have to add wiring all the way up to the "Boat" (the top of the tail cap area is the boat) so the VLE must come off. There are a TON of screw to remove and some bolts in very hard to get to places. I am hooked to an inertia reel (hard to tell unless you look real hard) to keep me from falling. As a guy you don't want to test the system (because of the way the harness fits) if you catch my drift. lol (but not lol if you have to use it)

Something else FYI. I know inquiring minds want to know. On the news, after a plane crash, they always talk about the black boxes. Funny thing a black box is a t/r -- transmitter/receiver. The so called black boxes are not black, they are orange. They do not receive only transmit. Then only if triggered by an impact switch. They might have been black at one time but are not so now. Just a little info for the what is it worth area. lol

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info Jim. That's interesting.
Has anyone seen a DD40X recently?

[Anonymous]

Why yes, Alex, funny you should ask. I took pictures of the one here in North Little Rock just last week. I plan on sending them to a young man up in Alaska.

[Anonymous]

Hey there,
I believe that the operational DD40 is number 6936. If memory serves me, its based out of Cheyenne (home of the steamers - 3985 & 844.) UP removed the public trace from their website. Prior to that, you could go on their website, enter UP6936 and get the last siting info on the DD40, the e-units, the steamers, etc. (bummer there)... although I do have customer access and maybe can check it out if I get to work later today. There are a couple static DD40's on display. Up above, in another post, someone mentioned that there are units in Ogden and North Platte. There is also one in Omaha (in Kennefic park, just North of downtown, along the river). It sits facing a Big Boy. What a pair! There is also on in St. Louis at the Museum. The oddest one might be the one in Chamberlain South Dakota on the Dakota Rail. It was bought as a parts source for other Dakota Rail units.

Here's a funny lesson on history repeating itself - sort of. The DD40 was built to be a very high horsepower unit (6,000HP). One of the downfalls on these units was that if one died in a consist, you lost the pulling power of 2 ordinary units. i.e. you were putting too many eggs into one basket. Fast forward from 1969 to today. The railroads are again ordering 6,000 HP units to be able to reduce the number of locomotives on the head end of a train. Arguably, the DD40 had 2 power plants and was perhaps not as reliable as today's technology. However, if one DD40 dies or if one AC6000CW dies, they are equally dead and the train is in just as much trouble. Funny how things come full circle. Maybe that old adage that "Those that don't know their history are destined to repeat it" applies here.

[dehusman]

Kenefick park in Omaha is gone, the DD40x and Big boy are behind the Western Heritage Museum.

6936 may be occaisonally seen in a freight train, but it is proabably deadheading to its next "appearance". It is not used as part of the normal freight fleet.

[Anonymous]

There is also one in the Portola RR Museum here in N. CA. I have been all over it the last time I was there. Also while I was still working at the Loco shop in Roseville Ca. the 844, 3985 and the E-units came in for Railfair 99 in Sacramento Ca. I had the doubious honor of servicing the E-units when they came in for fuel

[mudchicken]

You have the hulk of a DD40AX on the Dakota Southern along with an odd collection of ALCO switchers and C-420s...Really odd to see a Centennial in the middle of nowhere/ Chamberlain, SD!

Mudchicken

[Anonymous]

And we have one here in North Little Rock setting in front of the Jenks shop.

[eolafan]

There is a DDA40X at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL and if my memory is serving me correctly, the #2 (rear) prime mover is still in operating condition and they crank it up once in a while and run the unit on their trackage, most notably during "diesel days" celebration annually. Jim

[Anonymous]

OK, great! Haven't been to the Illinois RR Museum in a while, great place :)

2 more things:

When was 6936 taken out of freight service?

And:
Is there any webiste that tells you where it is currently?

[corwinda]

The Feather River railroad museum in Portola CA has one.