Diesel Units

[coalminer3]

C&O "in the day" mu'd GE U25s with EMD power in mine shifter service right before the U-Boats went south to Mexico. This was usually GP7s or 9s with a U25B. Crews hated the 25s because they slipped and just did not work that well in this kind of application. Also, because of comfort issues, they preferred to have the GE as the last unit where possible. I recall seeing three GP9s and a U25B with a long shifter. GE had crapped out and the remaining EMDs were dragging it along "for an airing" as the conductor said. It was not a matter of "liking" or "disliking" Ge vs EMD power; some stuff just worked better than others in mine service. Incidentally, the last 4-axle stuff that ran in shifter service around here were sets of GP40-2s. These did well.

work safe

[mudchicken]

Not an issue as much as it used to be, but anything DRGW had that was SD45, SD40T-2 or older had a 21 pin MU connection while everything else was 18 or 19 pin in the cabling. SP could MU their equipment with the DRGW stuff, but few others could. Part of the reason why DRGW power rarely wandered very far from home.

[adrianspeeder]

NS got the AC units from Conrail

Adrianspeeder

[JoeKoh]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

Only reason I'm aware of Derrick is the fact that NS does not like AC motive power and keep them segregated from the rest of thier DC fleet. I travel thru PA on the weekends near Indiana, and usually see 2 pairs of the 80MACs in coal service on a branch line. I live above the gallitzin tunnels in PA, and quite often see a set of them delivering the local, as you have mentioned. They get serviced in town next to me, Cresson, PA, and I frequently watch 4-8 of them there. Also NS will put them on thier local work trains.

Sil

Silvio,
I ask this out of ignorance and because you know way more about NS ops than I do, but if NS doesn't like AC units, why have them? It seems like they're not using them efficiently or to their full potential. Did they get them from Conrail or buy them new and then decide they didn't like them? It seems they would be ideal for coal drags, from what I gather from this and other posts.

Dan

[dharmon]

Only reason I'm aware of Derrick is the fact that NS does not like AC motive power and keep them segregated from the rest of thier DC fleet. I travel thru PA on the weekends near Indiana, and usually see 2 pairs of the 80MACs in coal service on a branch line. I live above the gallitzin tunnels in PA, and quite often see a set of them delivering the local, as you have mentioned. They get serviced in town next to me, Cresson, PA, and I frequently watch 4-8 of them there. Also NS will put them on thier local work trains.

Sil