Scrapping SD90's

[Murphy Siding]

     UP is scrapping 21 6,000 h.p. SD90MAC-H locomotives.  What's involved in scrapping them?  I envision an auto salvage yard, where every usable piece is removed before what's left heads to the furnace?  What would be left?

[Rodney Beck]

The engine, main generator and traction motors are removed for referbishment everything else is cut up.

 

Rodney

[nanaimo73]

I'd guess the number boards and builders plate are kept?

They could probably find buyers on ebay for those.

[Railway Man]

The engine, main generator and traction motors are removed for referbishment everything else is cut up.

Also retained for reuse:  bogies, central blower, radiator cores, radiator fans, dynamic brake grids and fan, auxiliary generator, equipment rack, air compressor, air-brake components, control stands, electrical equipment, cab furnishings and equipment, and probably the long hood and cab.  All that would likely go to scrap is the frame and some of the carbody.

RWM

[Murphy Siding]

      I see articles about *new* locomotives built on reused locomotive frames.  Is the SD90 frame not good for a purpose such as this?

[rstaller]

 I can't believe they're actually scrapping them, unless they were wrecking.  I would think there is a market for used well matained a.c. locomotives.  However in today's throw away market, nothing surprises me.    R. Staller

[beaulieu]

The problem is that they are not reliable.

[Lyon_Wonder]

Most of the SD90MAC-H's components are likely to be reusable on other EMDs, and the H-engines could be sold to China or used for stationary power.  So I'd say the H-engined 90MACs were heavily stripped prior to scrapping.  I don't think anyone wants a genset or hump engine on an 80 ft+ frame.  I suppose  MPI, NRE or even EMD itself could build a new 710-powered body onto the SD90 frames, but noboby's probably going to bother.  

[ndbprr]

Up has a history of this.  UP turbines, U50C, DD35, DD40, Alcos.  Apparently they like to repeat history.

[trainfan1221]

A similar thread said that the SD90s had to be wired or set up specially, meaning that simply dropping a 710 in them wasn't that easy.  I would assume if they could these units would be salvaged, after all they are hardly that old.

[rnelson16]

UP sold the SD90MAC-H engines to EMDX as I have seen pictures of them in service. One would think that you could strip them to the frame and build a SD70M-2 or ACE on the same frame or use most of the body as they are at least in looks almost the same.

[beaulieu]

 EMD built 62 SD90MAC-H locomotives for the UP. UP returned 41 of these at the end of the relatively short lease period. These 41 locomotives are the ones that have gone on lease to the W&LE, KCS, and another shortline in WV. The UP has since bought the remaining 21 that they still had on the property to use for cheap parts to keep the SD9043MACs running. These 21 locomotives are the ones that are being stripped of parts and then the remains will be scrapped.