I still see the odd CP SD40-2; however, they look to be in rather poor shape. Apparently CP has no plans to rebuild or even to repaint most of them. How much longer do they have? I'm guessing one year.... two on the outside.
They will be around for years to come.
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
Sad to see what was once perhaps the SD40-2's biggest proponent, yet to initiate a program to rebuild a portion of the fleet for secondary assignments like other Class 1's have done with an eye towards extending the life of these versatile workhorses.
But that's a role that was never going to be able to absorb a fleet of this size. So that they've eliminated a large portion of the fleet in recent years isn't necessarily indicative of the model's place on the roster being threatened.
And with them turning their back on the SD30ECO, I definitily wouldn't write the SD40-2's obituary on CPR just yet. I wouldn't be surprised to see them proceed to start overhauling the best members of the fleet with an eye towards extending their lifespan and increasing their efficency, as they've been doing with GP38-2's.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.