I was looking on the Wabtec website and found the following page with a bit of a suprise on it! If you scroll to the bottom it shows 2 locos being tested, one looks to be an MP type commuter unit but the other looks like a F45 in the black and gray MotivePower/Wabtec demonstrator colors. Does anyone know what the deal is with this unit? Is it a testbed or demonstator of some type. I wish I could find a larger picture because EMD cowls are some of my favorite locomotives!
http://www.motivepower-wabtec.com/locomotive-services/locomotive-testing-services.php
Boomer Red wrote: I was looking on the Wabtec website and found the following page with a bit of a suprise on it! If you scroll to the bottom it shows 2 locos being tested, one looks to be an MP type commuter unit but the other looks like a F45 in the black and gray MotivePower/Wabtec demonstrator colors. Does anyone know what the deal is with this unit? Is it a testbed or demonstator of some type. I wish I could find a larger picture because EMD cowls are some of my favorite locomotives!http://www.motivepower-wabtec.com/locomotive-services/locomotive-testing-services.php
You are right!
It is an F45 in MP/Wabtech colours. Looking as closely as the definition allows, it appears to be numbered 5909 (or something that looks like those numbers). That should make it an ex ATSF unit, so start looking there!
M636C
I wonder if this is actually an operating locomotive or just the shell of one used for testing various components. NS has a retired SD45 at Altoona that it uses to test rebuilt Prime Movers. possibly this F45 is just a nicer version of the same idea. Maybe someone on this list lives in the Boise Idaho area and could check it out. Here is a picture of the NS unit before it was repainted in thoroughbred colors and numbered 1000.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=91719&nseq=27
Boomer Red wrote: I wonder if this is actually an operating locomotive or just the shell of one used for testing various components. NS has a retired SD45 at Altoona that it uses to test rebuilt Prime Movers. possibly this F45 is just a nicer version of the same idea. Maybe someone on this list lives in the Boise Idaho area and could check it out. Here is a picture of the NS unit before it was repainted in thoroughbred colors and numbered 1000.http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=91719&nseq=27
The unit in question is MPEX 5989. They call it an F45M-3. I was built to do Tier I emissions development work for the MP36PH commuter locos. It uses the same 16-645F3B, radiator cooling system, and QES-3 Microprocessor control system. It was finished 2/28/02. Serial # is 34075. It was profiled in the MPI 2002 Recap in Diesel Era V14/#3 (May/June 03).
Boomer Red wrote: Does anyone know where I can find a larger photo of the unit? I Googled MPEX #5989 but the only picture that came up was on Trainorders.com and I could'nt view it because I'm not a member.
I believe I may have found a picture of it before it was painted into the demonstrator colors. I don't know if you've seen this one yet.
http://atsf.railfan.net/cowls/mp5989.jpg
If you have seen this one before, sorry for getting your hopes up.lol
trainfan1221 wrote: Boomer Red wrote: I wonder if this is actually an operating locomotive or just the shell of one used for testing various components. NS has a retired SD45 at Altoona that it uses to test rebuilt Prime Movers. possibly this F45 is just a nicer version of the same idea. Maybe someone on this list lives in the Boise Idaho area and could check it out. Here is a picture of the NS unit before it was repainted in thoroughbred colors and numbered 1000.http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=91719&nseq=27 Is that what that engine is for? I've seen it times and always wondered. Thanks for that info!
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
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