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More DC-to-AC for NS.

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Posted by D.Carleton on Sunday, January 7, 2024 8:11 PM

BaltACD
GE ES DC engines are approaching or have already past the 10 year mark so rebuilding is not that far into the future. 

Using the Dash-9s as a template the first pair of rebuilds were 20 years old when they got their inverters. The locomotives following average 22-23 years old when they get their rebuild. If they stick to this pattern the ES locos may see something by the end of this decade.

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, January 7, 2024 8:51 PM

With all the AC engines CSX had purchased I was surprised when they bought so man ES44DC's.  To my ground level, not board level mind - it didn't make much sense, though it may have made cents.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Sunday, January 7, 2024 10:45 PM

My thought about surplus DC parts was especially traction motors.  What are the different DC traction motor models that are being replaced by AC?

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Posted by D.Carleton on Monday, January 8, 2024 1:24 PM

BaltACD
With all the AC engines CSX had purchased I was surprised when they bought so man ES44DC's.  To my ground level, not board level mind - it didn't make much sense, though it may have made cents.

It is definitely not for me to tell you that it takes an act of congress and an act of god to change the paradigm of railroad management. Even 20 years ago the bigs saw AC traction as power for coal trains and DC for everything else. Since then the maintenance costs of AC over DC more than justified their universal adoption and it hasn't hurt that the cost of AC hardware has continued to decrease.

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Posted by D.Carleton on Monday, January 8, 2024 1:37 PM

blue streak 1
My thought about surplus DC parts was especially traction motors.  What are the different DC traction motor models that are being replaced by AC?

For Dash-9 rebuilds to AC traction all TMs will be from the 752 family. And even though NS proved a DC traction motor "roller blade" truck could be modified for AC motors they've decided on new trucks for the rebuilds. 752 TMs are still quite numerous for now and should have at least another healthy decade before there is a supply issue. As an aside, the one non-GE/Wabtec DC-to-AC rebuild (AC44C6CF) used third-party inverters and TMs. To the best of my knowledge, and I'd love to hear from someone who's had their face in there to see, those TMs were drop in replacements for the 752's. Whilst not a total game changer it does open new possibilities for older locomotives. Imagine a Dash-8 to AC rebuild.

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Posted by Leo_Ames on Sunday, February 4, 2024 12:31 PM

D.Carleton
Leo_Ames
They did anticipate merger efficiencies and reactivating stored power pushing out the need for new acquisitions for several years (along with presumably the need for putting the ex UP SD90's through the ACU program anytime soon).

 Supposedly CP had picked up maybe 40 SD9043s from UP a couple of years ago. Outside of one report the story goes cold. Do you have any more intel?

Rumor mill is saying that more CPR SD70ACU's are planned for 2024.

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Posted by D.Carleton on Monday, February 5, 2024 10:38 AM

Leo_Ames
 Rumor mill is saying that more CPR SD70ACU's are planned for 2024.

I have zero insider information on either types of rebuilds. My educated guess is the cost for either will be almost the same. A running Dash-9's book value is likely higher than a derelict SD90 and since it's going for a rebuild it doesn't matter. Ergo, selling the Dash-9s for the higher price and keeping the SD90s for a potential rebuild makes sense.

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Posted by BDA on Friday, February 9, 2024 4:03 AM

My money would be on the SD90MAC/SD70ACU conversion .

The word on the street I hear is that the Dash 9/AC4400 type conversions sometimes don't go so well . Particularly if the later cabs are fitted non isolated .

"SD70ACU" has the best of the 70ACe internals and isolated cab - plus the bigger traction motors and fuel tank of the 90MAC . 

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Posted by D.Carleton on Sunday, April 7, 2024 8:45 PM

Looks like CPKC has given up on further SD90 rebuilds: https://youtu.be/uj2awjWoApc?si=vwFWGXs693UodC63

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Posted by Leo_Ames on Sunday, April 28, 2024 5:53 PM

Yeah, they've been heading south not for rebuild but for component recovery and scrapping. I do wonder about those Norfolk Southern SD70ACU cast offs and if they still might not figure into CPR/KCS plans down the road when they go locomotive shopping. If Progress Rail has held on to them, the job is halfway done to prepare them for service where as CPR/KCS would've been starting from step 1 with what they're now scrapping.

They only need the heavy mechanical overhaul (and chasing some gremlins) that NS deferred to get them online quickly, in order to turn them into fully rebuilt SD70ACU's. Where as what's being scrapped now not only is high mileage and in need of a full mechanical overhaul, but also would've needed the ACU conversion to also be performed (new cab, new electrical system, new inverters, etc.).

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Posted by D.Carleton on Monday, April 29, 2024 8:48 PM

Leo_Ames
They only need the heavy mechanical overhaul...

And a hot plate. And a microwave. And a recliner with heat and massage. It's nice to be T&E in Canada, eh?

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Posted by D.Carleton on Sunday, July 28, 2024 5:16 PM

Of note: The first of 25 former BNSF Dash-9s have been rebuilt into AC44C6Ms for and delivered to NS. Although built after the merger they were done to ATSF specs so, in a broad way, a piece of the Santa Fe will power the Thoroughbred.

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Posted by BDA on Sunday, July 28, 2024 6:13 PM

Has anything been done to fit isolated cabs to these Dash 9 AC rebuilds .

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Posted by Leo_Ames on Sunday, July 28, 2024 6:50 PM

They do get new cabs during rebuilding (not all GE rebuilds have done so, such as UP's earlier orders for modernized GE's).

I don't know the particulars of GE's design, but it's the equivalent of whatever they're doing with new production like ET44AC's.

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Sunday, July 28, 2024 9:37 PM

Wait, if they are getting new cabs, then they are presumably NOT getting the Gull wings...and are therefore not to ATSF specs anymore. 

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Posted by Leo_Ames on Monday, July 29, 2024 12:07 AM

One can see this by the way on the NSDash9 Facebook page. He has a picture up of four new AC44C6M's, including two of the three BNSF units delivered so far. No gull wings anymore. 

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Posted by BDA on Monday, July 29, 2024 12:48 AM

Do the ET44ACs have isolated cabs or isolated engine/alternator ?

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Posted by D.Carleton on Monday, July 29, 2024 3:58 PM

YoHo1975
Wait, if they are getting new cabs, then they are presumably NOT getting the Gull wings...and are therefore not to ATSF specs anymore. 

No, the gull wings are gone along with everything else forward of the alternator. Even so, it's still former BNSF. This past Saturday we had an open house at the depot in DeLand, Florida, marking the completion of SunRail's northern extension. On display was a GP40 rebuilt so many times it's barely recognizable as having been built for Penn Central in 1968. Even so, a remnant of the great mistake of '68 is still with us.

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