I heard that UP has put their DC-traction dash 9s into storage and CNW 8646 and 8701 are currently being stored at the Illinois Railway Museum. I guess if UP plans on retiring their Dash 9s, CNW 8646 and 8701 will end up being donated to IRM. IMO, UP seems to have no interest in rebuidling their DC dash 9s like BNSF and NS. I guess it's because unlike BNSF and NS, C44-9Ws are sort of oddballs in UP's roster since they have a larger fleet of AC44CWs and ES44ACs.
http://www.locophotos.com/Read.php?ThreadID=32691
So they've put all ~270 C44-9W's into storage this Fall?
I know some examples have been stored, including the C&NW twins returning to IRM where they were stored for a while back five years ago or so (Doesn't mean that they will ever be donated to IRM, but it's nice to see IRM and Union Pacific work together for the benefit of each other). But that's the first I've heard of the entire fleet being laid up.
Doesn't mean retirement nor does it mean they may not rebuild them. Major GE rebuild programs are in their infancy and NS and BNSF are just in the early states of prototype construction. And business is in a bit of a lull so it's only natural for older mainline power to start being stored until being returned to duty hopefully in the near future.
It doesn't mean that Union Pacific won't follow course and invest into revitalizing assets like these in the coming years. In particular, I'd bet on seeing something happen with their massive AC4400CW fleet now that it's approaching the time to decide upon initiating retirements or rebuilding and modernizing them for another 15-20 years of service.
YoHo1975though Ironically the SD70M count is up over the past few months despite them being the bulk of units stored in Roseville.
I ran some of the UP-spec'd 70Ms we have. I always liked them. But I'm a sucker for anything with analog gauges.
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Lyon_Wonder I heard that UP has put their DC-traction dash 9s into storage and CNW 8646 and 8701 are currently being stored at the Illinois Railway Museum. I guess if UP plans on retiring their Dash 9s, CNW 8646 and 8701 will end up being donated to IRM. IMO, UP seems to have no interest in rebuidling their DC dash 9s like BNSF and NS. I guess it's because unlike BNSF and NS, C44-9Ws are sort of oddballs in UP's roster since they have a larger fleet of AC44CWs and ES44ACs. http://www.locophotos.com/Read.php?ThreadID=32691
How many Dash 9s do they have?
First off, there still are a zillion SP Dash 9s here in Central Texas, but their days are almost over. When they don't have use for a type of loco, they really run them into the ground on rock trains in Texas and then retire them. Ex. B23-7s, SD40Ts, GP38s, the early SD40-2s, and now the Dash 9s. I think that they are going to throw the AC44s into that service next. They already have a ton of ex-SP AC44s and two or so ex-CNW ones in captive service - one is still in CNW colors, 6729. Most of the SP ones are patched and some are in UP colors. There were two or so unpatched SPs floating around but they were just repainted - SP 107 and SP 177. The Dash 9s are being replaced by 2500 series ES44s though.
YoHo1975I can count the number of Dash-9s I've seen come through Roseville over the past 4 years on 1 hand. In fact, I think I've seen more Dash-8s. Mostly for storage or to get running to push out on the system. In fact, the number of AC4400s is down too....though Ironically the SD70M count is up over the past few months despite them being the bulk of units stored in Roseville.
The SD70M that were a part of the massive EMD order a decade or so ago? I believe they were all lease, should be getting close to the end, wander how UP will replace them.
The order was over 15 years ago wasn't it? started before the Tier 1 units came out.
I'm not sure their lease schedule, but I'd imagine 20-25 year leases.
So UP has 5 years or less to replace the first of that massive order leased units. Will be interesting UP goes back to a weakened EMD (vs GE). Would keep a competition in the locomotive business......always good for getting the better deal.
Or simply purchase them from the lessor and rebuild them for an additional 15-20 years of service...(which is not uncommon).
While some groups of their huge fleet might retire relatively soon if their business situation and the lease agreements make an extension or purchase undesirable, I don't see Union Pacific giving up on the SD70M as a whole anytime soon.
Unlike the other Class 1's that predominantly went with the Dash 9 and then the ES44DC for merchandise assignments and such, it's the backbone of their modern DC motored fleet.
And it's a relatively young fleet. Besides the former EMD lease units from Southern Pacific, their own orders only started 15 years ago or so.
NorthWest Or simply purchase them from the lessor and rebuild them for an additional 15-20 years of service...(which is not uncommon).
Depends on what the cost would be. I doubt they'd have much trouble finding homes on regionals or some shortlines. Well, maybe not all 1000+ of them.
zugmann NorthWest Or simply purchase them from the lessor and rebuild them for an additional 15-20 years of service...(which is not uncommon). Depends on what the cost would be. I doubt they'd have much trouble finding homes on regionals or some shortlines. Well, maybe not all 1000+ of them.
It may also depend on how successful the new Tier 4 units prove to be. If after experience in the longer term the new units start proving troublesome or expensive to maintain, keeping the older power may be a more attractive alternative. The manufacturers are aware of this, of course, and hopefully it will not become an issue.
I hear that Union Pacific donated the pair of unpatched C&NW Dash 9's to the Illinois Railway Museum where they've spent time in storage in recent years [Edit: Or maybe not...].
And not worth creating a new thread, but there's another interesting donation that just happened. CSX has donated SD40 #4617 to the C&O Historical Society in Clifton Forge. She's famous for being the final unrebuilt SD40 in regular mainline Class 1 service and carrying her C&O colors and lettering until the latter part of the last decade.
Short of perhaps N&W/NS SD40 #1580 rejoining the Norfolk Southern roster for a time before it's donated, this officially ends the reign of unrebuilt SD40's on Class 1's, doesn't it? NS/SOU #3170 has operated more recently than this one that I believe has been stored for a while now, but the #3170 of course was already retired and donated into preservation a few months back. Of course, a fair number of Dash 2 and Dash 3 conversions remain, although even most of those have been scattered down to regionals and the like as they standardize their remaining SD40-2's and get rid of the oddballs
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