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Hi,
I’m a railroad engineering student from Berlin, Germany and a fireman at this tourist railroad. I’m going to visit a friend of mine in Indiana and we’re going on a road trip to the west coast. Does anyone of you know where I’d have a good chance to see a classic (non-modernized) class 1 SD40-2 out on the line? Is the Galesburg, Il area still a good spot? Or maybe the UP in Utah, like Provo or Helper? Does anyone know some approximate departures?
Thanks in advance and best regards
Daniel
I haven't seen UP use any SD40-2's in road service in the Helper Utah area since I started rail fanning that route back in 2008. Though, I only get to follow that line a few times a year. You might get lucky and find one on the other side of the valley in the Utah Railway yard, but again, I haven't.
I know you can find some Ohio Central (Genesee and Wyoming) SD40-2's in the Newark Ohio area, but you'd be heading back east, which means that doesn't cover either of your criteria for what you want to see.
You may find one or more in the UP Salt Lake City Roper yard doing yard duty. And as of a year ago you could find a couple in the Nampa Idaho yard doing moves as well.
Denver (UP & BNSF plus lease units and UP's deadline at Burnham shops). Add stops on I-70 at Effingham IL , Kansas City, Salina KS , St Louis, Mexico MO Goodland KS Grand Junction CO as you work your way west of Indianapolis. Once you get into Utah, you need to decide where on the west coast you need to be and take the appropriate route.....
Roseville Yard, Roseville CA has a bunch of newly rebuilt UP Tier 0 SD40-2s
Paint so fresh they will blind you.
I see them around the yard and occasionally on locals though they seem to like a pair of GP60s right now for most of the local work. If nothing else, you'll see them in the diesel shops right next to the Amtrak station.
The Indiana RR may not be a class 1 but they do have SD40-2s locomotives on their roster.
Norfolk southern still runs them through Chattanooga regularly don't know if they have any around chicago or not.
CSX SD40-2's turn up fairly regularly in the Chicago area and CP units also turn up every now and again. BRC has some de-rated SD40-2's in transfer service and a few work with 6-motor slugs as hump pushers.
Thanks for all the replies so far! Looks like I've best chances at yards. Maybe I'll try Roseville and of course I will check out all the places mentioned on our way west.
It really is a pity that I wasn't born a few years earlier. I could have seen SD40-2s all over then. But maybe they're so interesting because they're becoming rare these days...
On CSX the SD40-2 seem to have become the preferred power on the Automotive network in concert with the Dash-8's. The AC fleet is used mostly in the bulk commodities - Coal - Grain - Ore. The ES-40 DC seem to have become the hallmark of the Intermodal network.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
RRDee Thanks for all the replies so far! Looks like I've best chances at yards. Maybe I'll try Roseville and of course I will check out all the places mentioned on our way west. It really is a pity that I wasn't born a few years earlier. I could have seen SD40-2s all over then. But maybe they're so interesting because they're becoming rare these days...
They're still dirt common from coast to coast. So you'll get your share of SD40-2 action I'm sure if you spend any amount of time next to an active rail line.
They just don't lead mainline freights too often these days, You're more likely to see them deeper in the consist at a front of a mainline class 1 freight, leading locals, serving as helper units here and there, serving as heavy switchers in some big yards, and serving on regionals and big shortlines around North America.
Their glory days are behind them, but there are still thousands of them earning their keep in secondary services across North America and will be that way for decades longer.
In Galesburg, IL you will find the SD39s (some real ex-ATSF ones and the derated SD40-2s) working the yard in hump service and as the trimmers at the north end of the yard. A wide highway goes over the middle and you can shoot the trimmers at the north end from the bridge. Light is better in the morning and toward evening (since you are shooting due south). As for SD40-2s on the mainlines, make a journey up toward the Quad Cities just 50 miles or so north of Galesburg for the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern roundhouse at tiny Nahant, IA. You can shoot from the road crossing and there should be a dozen or more SD40-2s around at any given time. You will find SD40-2s from the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern, the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern as well as Canadian Pacific. There are quite a few leased SD40-2s now roaming these rails, so getting a pure consist may be a bit tricky, but I just saw a trio of blue and yellows last weekend as I was waiting for the steam excursion to go west on the Iowa Interstate! They are busiest with trains in the morning and again later in the afternoon. These two locations are "sure bets" for these classic EMDs.
Lance
I was slightly off about my comment in regards to SD40-2's in/around Helper Ut. I stumbled along some old digital pics as far back as 2006, and as new as 2008 that show UP SD40-2's down there. They were still being used for helper service.
Anything newer than that and I don't have any pictured, though I don't get down that line very often. I guess you might still have a chance at catching one doing helper duty.
Every Class 1 Railroad still has a large fleet of SD40-2 variants.
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
photostream
Down at Galesburg, IL on this past Monday morning, August 8, 2011. One of the Yard Trimmers shoving back off the Peoria Wye at Chambers Street under the cantilever signal bridge.
Hello:
Maybe if you are looking for Sd40-2 "classics" in futures trips consider Mexico, here we have a lot operative SD40-2 on class 1 railroad: Ferromex, this railroad sometimes has some Sd40-2 leased on CSX and UP lines in US.
Saludos from Mexico
There are many of them plying the BNSF rails in Oklahoma along with some even older EMD road units. Cherokee Yard in Tulsa, OK has a parking area next to the north end that provides a good place to railfan and train spot.
BNSF still uses quite a few on secondary trains in Minnesota and the Dakotas. CN has a fair number working on the old Missabe rails (Missabe, IC, and CN heritage), and CP/Soo still runs a few around.
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