The IC SD70 units are running through on trains in Michigan, often with CN and BC Rail units.
There is an IC SD40-2 and an IC GP38-2 that are often used for the local trains on the CN/GTW tracks in Michigan.
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All the IC SD70's are spending a lot of time in Canada.
10000 feet and no dynamics? Today is going to be a good day ...
Everyone is power short these days.
An "expensive model collector"
With all the run-through operations - changing power just creates further terminal congestion. Change Crews and go!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
As stated above, everyone is power short, and that won't change soon.
Run-through power's added efficiency helps alleviate this some, but lots of places are simply grabbing the nearest available power for outbound trains, regardless of ownership (why two of the NS heritage units spent four months without leaving BNSF trackage), and are still short. That is why the IC SD70s have been spread across the system, they are assigned to the next train that needs power, regardless of destination.
BaltACD With all the run-through operations - changing power just creates further terminal congestion. Change Crews and go!
Doesn't work so well when it gets to CN in Canada because our agreement requires a fridge and microwave. The crew can refuse a unit if it doesn't have either.
traisessive1 BaltACD With all the run-through operations - changing power just creates further terminal congestion. Change Crews and go! Doesn't work so well when it gets to CN in Canada because our agreement requires a fridge and microwave. The crew can refuse a unit if it doesn't have either.
Which is one of the reasons Canadian engines end up in the lower 48 on run throughs - so they can run through going back to origin.
A buddy of mine had a train with two NS engines come to the border for his trip from Ranier to Winnipeg. They told him at call time there was no CN engine available for them and to prepare for a trip with no microwave and that they'd probably need ice due to the lack of a fridge.
CN shouldn't even be letting that train out of Chicago or wherever like that with a train destined to Canada as they know it violates our Canadian agreement. I feel bad for the CN crews and crews of other roads in the U.S. as they can be given any piece of junk and have no way to refuse.
How can the U.S. roads not have fridges in all their units? Why has no other union followed in CN's footsteps and had their carriers get microwaves in their cabs?
traisessive1 How can the U.S. roads not have fridges in all their units? Why has no other union followed in CN's footsteps and had their carriers get microwaves in their cabs?
Very simple - they haven't been negotiated by US Unions. Besides, there are exhaust manifolds readily available as a heat source for cooking.
Conversely, from my carriers perspective, how can CN not have Dynamic Brakes on their engines.
The better question is why doesn't CN fix the DB.
Is it possible that CN Canada is getting the best units and CN USA is getting the left overs ? Have seen this before on other transportation companies.
traisessive1 The better question is why doesn't CN fix the DB.
You can't fix what doesn't exist - for decades, CN did not order Dynamic Brakes on their locomotives.
Many CN GP9's had dynamic brakes as well as some of their first SD40s. However dynamic brakes were removed in most cases as they were deemed unnecessary given CN's gentle grades. Why pay for something that isn't needed?
The point is well-made. The use of dynamic brakes to control speed in relatively level areas did not come about until somewhere in the late 60's to early 70's and was not a universal practice. Consider that Illinois Central locomotives did not have dynamic brakes until their second order of GP40's.
blue streak 1 Is it possible that CN Canada is getting the best units and CN USA is getting the left overs ? Have seen this before on other transportation companies.
On our mainlines there is no standard system for what locomotives get assigned where, instead units are used on a whatever-happens-to-be-there basis. I doubt that the junk ones are deliberately being sent south of the border, that would require some thinking and effort on management's part. The only factor govering the Canada/US assignments is air brake testing, Canada allows a longer period between mandatory tests that the States. They are striving to make every high-hp unit (defined as 3800 hp 6-axle or better) equal to one another. As a result most ex-BC Rail GE's and IC SD70's have microwaves, hot plates and fridges now, and are just as likely to lead trains in Canada as any other unit. The only situations where specific locomotives are needed on specific trains/routes involve excess tonnage or light track, such as:
Only 2 ES44AC's being used on 152 car coal trains now from the Alberta Coal Branch to Vancouver/Prince Rupert (0.4 HPT)
Roma Jct AB to Hay River NWT getting only GP40's (no dynamics up there :) ) due to 6-axle units being prohibited and our other prohibition on using non-turbo GM's outside yards (out west anyway) after burning carbon from a GP38 started a massive forest fire about 10 years ago.
Chetwynd-Dawson Creek BC gets only cowled C40-8M's because the grades require 6-axle units and the MLW trucks on those units are short enough to handle the curvature on that line.
As for not having dynamics, that is not such a big issue anymore as most of the older units have disappeared; the GP40 fleet now stands at ~43, down from nearly 300, and the SD40/40-2 fleet is now barely 100, as opposed to nearly 400 20 years ago. The GP9's, GP38's and remaining GMD1's are generally restricted to yard or local roadswitcher service, and dynamics are a must on any line with grades over 0.7%.
But we are short of power, all the Dash-8 and SD60 aquisitions have done is allowed more trains to be run and some of the remaining SD40's do be sold off, CN is still turning away business left and right due to lack of power (track capacity too, the mainlines are more clogged than ever and not enough double track is being built quickly enough through Saskatchewan). I believe there are 70 ES44AC's on order for late 2014-15 but this will not be enough to fill the current shortage, let alone handle all that new business.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Some didn't even accept it until later. Missouri Pacific's order for GP50's leaps to mind as an example. They were a hold out right until the end.
Can a railroad (CN) for example recall units that they have leased to other railroads ( e.g. BNSF) to alliviate their own power shortage or are these lease locked in stone for the duration of the lease?
Most of the foreign units you see on a carrier today are not 'leased'. They have come onto the carrier in run through service. Carriers do keep track of how many foreign units they have on line as well as how many of the companies units are off line. Saw a report recently, my carrier has nearly the same number of units off line as they have foreign units on line. Carriers settle their accounts between each other based upon 'horsepower hours' and pay up based on the net differences on a monthly or quarterly basis.
The private units (CITX, FURX etc.) are normally contracted leased engines; those leases have specific start dates and end dates.
When an engine is handed over to another railroad because it is run through power (or any other circumstance) is any attempt made to account for the fuel status at the time of turnover? If so, how does that work?
Dakguy201 When an engine is handed over to another railroad because it is run through power (or any other circumstance) is any attempt made to account for the fuel status at the time of turnover? If so, how does that work?
Does the engine(s) have enough fuel to make it to the next crew change or service facility? Is only question. There is no procedure to say engine A came online with 2400 gallons of fuel and engine B went off line with 600 gallons.
One ploy I have heard of, is to lease a number of decrepit 'leasers' and then send them off line to pay back a horsepower hour deficet.
I believe that I read that CN has leased units to BNSF. These are NOT run through units. They are considered part of the BNSF fleet until they go back to CN. SO I ask again are these leases set in stone or can CN recall them and the lease would be cancelled?
CP was the one that leased the locomotives to BNSF recently.
This morning on a long Manifest freight headed East over the GTW mainline, the motive power was a CN SD60F in the lead followed by two IC SD70 units.
The lead unit is usually the Canadian National power for the manifest trains that will travel through the USA to Canada.
Andrew
Andrew FalconerThe lead unit is usually the Canadian National power for the manifest trains that will travel through the USA to Canada.
Not sure, but due to the standard cabs, the IC SD70s may not have the hot plates, microwaves, and refrigerators required to lead in Canada.
Someone asked Wick Moorman on NS why we couldn't have microwaves on our units and he said it would cost $8,000 per unit and that was too expensive. We don't have a fridge either but our union is not as strong as others I guess. Believe it or not pre Conrail merger we didn't even have a toilet until women in Train Service threatened to sue. They don't call NS the cheap frugal railroad for nothing!
$8000 per unit! I must call B.S. on that (sorry for the language). All the new units have 110V plugins and a microwave costs less than $80 CDN at Wal-Mart. Bolting one in is what... 1 hour of labour at most so that's a huge exaggeration. CN has been installing them on most of the IC units, as it's been a while since I've been in one that didn't, and (unfortunately) they now regularly lead trains up north.
Thanks, SD70M-2. It is great to hear firsthand information.
SD70M-2Dude $8000 per unit! I must call B.S. on that (sorry for the language). All the new units have 110V plugins and a microwave costs less than $80 CDN at Wal-Mart. Bolting one in is what... 1 hour of labour at most so that's a huge exaggeration. CN has been installing them on most of the IC units, as it's been a while since I've been in one that didn't, and (unfortunately) they now regularly lead trains up north. Greetings from Alberta
Consumer grade equipment would not last a trip in railroad service.
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