NSDash9 just posted some news that will be of interest to readers of this thread. C44-9W #8946 has been retired and will be rebuilt in Roanoke as the first AC44C6CF, utilizing some different components than the AC44C6M's.
Here's a link to the post in question with additional details.
Find it interesting that class 1s are slowly converting to AC traction motors. If scheduling is done correctly then they would not need to buy another DC traction motor. Part of that scheduling might be sales to other RRs mainly Class 2s?. This could put all DC motor rebuilding companys out of business.
Since these rebuilding do not require updated emissions requirements then the fuel saved " may " make them equal to the HP hours of new tier 4 locos ?
Sounds like CSX AC44C6M #7807 is now complete. This is one of the C40-8W's that CSX sent to GE for rebuilding, including an upgrade to AC propulsion.
So CSX has joined the Dash 8 rebuild party that Norfolk Southern was one of the pioneers of (Albeit somewhat unsuccessfully it would appear).
And some speculate that Pan Am might now be interested in some B40-8's over at Railroad.net. I would think though that former NS B32-8's would be a better fit for them and local operations. They're contemporaries of many of these C40-8's that they just got and Norfolk Southern obviously isn't planning to run one again.
At 3,200 horsepower and 12 cylinders, they're better suited for locals not to mention cheaper to operate and maintain. And with the close relationship between Pan Am and NS and with scrap being their only future, I imagine the price would be right for the best candidates in their fleet.
Well, it has been discussed on more Pan Am-focused forums for nearly three weeks now, but I neglected to transfer the news here thinking that Leo would as he is usually the source of similar information. Here's the Railroad.net discussion:
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=104653&start=405
D.CarletonNot even 24 hours into the new year and things get interesting.
I think this move was started almost a week ago, and is timed so that the locomotives are 'received' on PAR property as close to 2017 as possible while still being transferred in 2016.
No real surprise there!
NorthWest Pan Am has picked up 20 GECX ex-CSX Dash 8-40Cs of which two began life as Conrail units. Here are 14 of them: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1492152630802655&type=1
Pan Am has picked up 20 GECX ex-CSX Dash 8-40Cs of which two began life as Conrail units.
Here are 14 of them:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1492152630802655&type=1
Editor Emeritus, This Week at Amtrak
Lyon_Wonder Rebuilding Dash 8s with AC traction sounds more ambitious than NS's Dash 8.5, even though I don't think the dash 8 series was ever originally meant to incorporate AC, whereas the DC traction and AC traction Dash 9s were introduced at about the same time in the mid-1990s and shared a common frame.
Rebuilding Dash 8s with AC traction sounds more ambitious than NS's Dash 8.5, even though I don't think the dash 8 series was ever originally meant to incorporate AC, whereas the DC traction and AC traction Dash 9s were introduced at about the same time in the mid-1990s and shared a common frame.
Leo_Ames Interesting post for some related CSX news, involving what appears to be a similar program to Norfolk Southern's AC44C6M's, except for C40-8W's. http://railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=364604#p364604 I wonder if anyone else will follow their lead. GE has also bought the entire CSX fleet of C40-8's, so perhaps we'll see them take a crack at another large-scale rebuilding program like the Super 7 program of a few decades ago.
Interesting post for some related CSX news, involving what appears to be a similar program to Norfolk Southern's AC44C6M's, except for C40-8W's.
http://railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=364604#p364604
I wonder if anyone else will follow their lead.
GE has also bought the entire CSX fleet of C40-8's, so perhaps we'll see them take a crack at another large-scale rebuilding program like the Super 7 program of a few decades ago.
Leo_Ames GE has also bought the entire CSX fleet of C40-8's, so perhaps we'll see them take a crack at another large-scale rebuilding program like the Super 7 program of a few decades ago.
Easy 8?
Before anybody gets their hopes too high, it should be noted that the subsequent NS AC rebuilds are in ordinary black and white.
NorthWest Juniata = blue stripe. Roanoke = red stripe.
Juniata = blue stripe.
Roanoke = red stripe.
Make that TWO votes. They look great.
This is the best of the three so far and should become the NS standard. Just one vote.
The Warbonnet is gone, but the Manebonnet is a worthy emulator.
My hubby said it looks like when it came time to do the striping on those 2 engines they grabbed whatever paint they had leftover from all those Heritage units. That red almost looks like the red of the N&W and the blue is almost a match for Conrail he swears.
A 3rd special paintscheme.
Horse power for The Thoroughbred. That is a great paint job!
Altoona has outshopped an AC44C6M in another special paint scheme, the #4004. This time she has a black nose and cab, as shown in the newswire.
I could've swore that I read that at least the first couple from Juniata would get a tuscan red nose/cab?
Leo_Ames Despite the ongoing purge of their B40-8 and C40-8 fleets, it sounds like CSX might be the next one to try to prolong the life of their Dash 8 fleet. Ten C40-8W's are slated for rebuilding by GE.
Despite the ongoing purge of their B40-8 and C40-8 fleets, it sounds like CSX might be the next one to try to prolong the life of their Dash 8 fleet. Ten C40-8W's are slated for rebuilding by GE.
And since this post, all B40-8's/B20-8's and all C40-8's have now been retired by CSX. That not only means no more standard cab GE's, but that the last 4 axle GE's, a fixture on the roster since day 1 with hundreds of U-Boats and Dash 7's, are extinct on CSX.
Only C40-8W's and the interim C44-8W model remain for Dash 8's on the CSX roster now.
Despite the ongoing purge of their B40-8 and C40-8 fleets, it sounds like CSX might be the next one to try to prolong the life of their Dash 8 fleet. Ten C40-8W's are slated for rebuilding by GE according to this forum post (A source I consider as reliable for CSX motive power news as NSDash9 or AltoonaWorks for NS news).
http://railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=27191&start=640#p361206
Much like Norfolk Southern's DC-to-AC conversion program, having GE involved should make them good performers ready for another 15-20 years of service. As evidenced by the Dash 8.5's, attempting this in-house and getting it right isn't an easy proposition, so involvement by the original builder strikes me as important here.
While further C40-8 rebuilds seem out of the question as Norfolk Southern disposes of their fleet, I wonder if we'll see Norfolk Southern attempt this again with their C40-8W's.
While I'm in no situation to make a call on if it's worthwhile or not, even that side of the cab looks pretty good to my untrained eye.
I wonder if it's been "tweaked" somehow due to the damage to the frame that would make it undesirable to save.
Or even if the potential savings is enough to justify the expense of removing it intact and trucking it away to Roanoke or Altoona, particularly given what went on with the frame that might make them leery of attempting it when it could still be a write-off in the end.
Strangely enough it is the back of the frame that is bent.
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/583617/
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/583741/
Leo_Ames D.Carleton When all is said and done the 8505 is still a 27 year old locomotive at a fully depreciated value. Even with the rebuild the cost of repair may exceed the book value.
D.Carleton When all is said and done the 8505 is still a 27 year old locomotive at a fully depreciated value. Even with the rebuild the cost of repair may exceed the book value.
D.CarletonWhen all is said and done the 8505 is still a 27 year old locomotive at a fully depreciated value. Even with the rebuild the cost of repair may exceed the book value.
She was just heavily rebuilt. Does not the amortization process then start over, more or less?
Oh, and here's what she looks like now:
https://www.facebook.com/nslocomotives/photos/a.111336769314.98388.111336324314/10153885617159315/?type=3&theater
Note that while the running board is seriously bent and battered, the rest of the unit appears still straight and level as the major frame beams in the middle of the unit are unaffected.
NS 8462 was built as LMS leaser 722 (note blanked rear marker lights), and has had the right-side camber for as long as I can find pictures of her (1998). A little bit of camber is not horrible over the 73' 8'' frame span provided that it doesn't affect structural integrity. Also, the running board edges are only a small part of the frame, which is concentrated in the center of the locomotive under the FDL.
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=457505
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2488871
Note that it is far less visible on the left side:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2885647
The 8505 is far, far worse.
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