Driving home from work tonight, I saw something so unusual I had to turn around and take pictures. This is the first time this train novice had seen 30-40 locomotive engines in line connected head to tail. A train of only engines.
I exitied the road and drove as close to the yard as possible. When I got closer, I realized it was actually two lines of 30-40 engines each. The lines were fully stopped and no engines were running.
The google earth coordinates are 35* 29' 48" North and 97* 30' 46" West and the line of engines were about 900 feet each.
Any idea whats going on? Are they off for refit or is this what it looks like when it's time to retire. Do they typically travel, so many at a time?
I drove past this point 24 hours earlier and the chain of locomotives was not there. They are in Oklahoma City 10/5/15
I wonder if anyone else had seen this or anything similar.
Thanks
What you observed are known as 'Dead Line'. It is where locomotives are stored (serviceable) because of a downturn in business, when business picks up they will be returned to service. It is also where locomotives are stored (unservicable) pending efforts to either rebuild the locomotive or ship them out for scrapping.
Carriers business ebb and flow during the year and during some periods of the year the carrier will have power that is excess to their business requirements and will store a number of engine, only keeping operating the number they need to satisfy their business needs.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
It would be useful to know the number series that the locomotives belong to.
If, upon closer examination, the road numbers on the sides of the engines have a line painted through them - those engines are headed to scrapping.
A question - a long time ago, there was an article in Model Railroader concerning the storage of new and nearly new locomotives (I'm guessing this was in the early 1980s downturn, although I find the article in the index). Anyway, these locomotives were wrapped in sheet plastic, or "cocooned" as the article called it.Are stored locomotives cocooned nowadays?
That would be useful as we could nail down what type of locomotive they are.
If they have other reporting marks stenciled beneath the road number, they will be sold off or scrapped.
At Binney Jct (Marysville CA). I had set up my vidio camera at a good spot to catch southbound Southern Pacific trains, but unfortunally not Union Pacific trains. This was in the period after the WP merger but before the SP merger
An eastbound UP train stopped at the junction. From my location I could only see the front of the lead locomotive.
A few minutes latter it was cleared to cross the SP line. It was then that I realized that the train was a locomotive move. (I counted more than 50) My camcorder was too close to the UP line and the view partially blocked by a signal box. It was too late to move to a better location.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
Rail traffic reported to the AAR for most of the past year has been down 1%-2% consistently from a year ago. Meantime, the western railroads had capital plans to order something like over 500 Tier 3 Credit and Tier 4 4400 hp units, with smaller numbers of Tier 4 units ordered by the eastern roads and CN. The combination of lower traffic (including the precipitous coal drop off and significant crude oil drop off) and more new units with high fuel efficiency and 4400 HP is allowing the roads to move other less fuel efficient and-or lower horsepower units into their surge fleets. Northtown Yard at Minneapolis is home to probably several hundred such units at this time.
The amount of tonnage that higher horspower units can move on good infrastructure at a rapid rate is astounding compared to most other railroads around the world. Today I had the coincidental good fortune to be able to somewhat pace an eastbound CP freight between Glenwood and Belgrade, MN. The single ES44AC and two trailing SD60 motors were loping along effortlessly at 45 per with what had to be at least 8,000 feet "tied on to the drawbar". I am sure back in the day it would have needed 4 SD40s. Less units needed per train plus a slowdown in traffic is probably generating these large locomotive-only moves.
It was a little more difficult than I expected, but these are the numbers on the side of the engines. I 10-keyed them into excel, twice to avoid entry errors and sorted to remove duplicates. The end result is 48 engine serial numbers. There were 4 more engines out there but I couldn't get those numbers.
Didn't notice any numbers lined through, although some of the engines look pretty old.
I've pasted the list straight from excel to avoid errors.
The 700 series are the first Dash 9-44CWs purchased by BNSF. They will be undergoing some sort of rebuild, probably in-kind as opposed to the ex-ATSF 600 series conversions.
The 900 series are ex-ATSF Dash 8-40CWs, and will probably be sold off or scrapped.
The 1000 and 1100 series' are Dash 9-44CWs that were purchased by BNSF after the 700 series. They may see the same rebuild that is proposed for the 700 series.
Pretty soon all the Heritage I and Warbonnet Dash 9-44CWs will be gone from BNSF. :( Where has the time gone...
Glad to see a "train novice" join us, Switchback. Now that you're hooked, I'll let you in on a little secret: "Hooked" is putting it mildly. Once you have cinders in your veins, it's impossible to pass anything remotely related to a flanged wheel on a rail without studying it (as I have been doing for more than 70 years). Others will think you're nuts and they may be right but here, you're among friends. And you will never stop learning more. Welcome.
ChuckAllen, TX
I love watching unique train movements. I remember crossing over CSX tracks in Cumberland, MD way back, I think mid 1990's or earlier and seeing the yard filled with nothing but locomotives. Almost crashed getting off the interstate to drive to the yard. I realized they were all GP9's or GP20's, most still in Chessie paint with C&O, B&O, WM, markings. All for sale or to the scrapyard. It may have been even longer ago. I think Maryland Midland bought an old B&O unit for parts.
The 600 series were built to ATSF specifications and will probably be rebuilt as AC44C4Ms.
The other units were built to BNSF specifications and will probably be rebuilt in-kind.
BNSF seems to be considering a rebuild program for its older GE's (see BNSF 616). However, they are also taking delivery of ET44C4's and it may be a while before they decide whether to rebuild or retire their Dash-9's.
Yes, but not too often. About 2 years ago BNSF was cocooning some _8 and -9W's at Murray Yard in KC.
I have seen wreck damaged ones also cocooned.
cefinkjr Glad to see a "train novice" join us, Switchback. Now that you're hooked, I'll let you in on a little secret: "Hooked" is putting it mildly. Once you have cinders in your veins, it's impossible to pass anything remotely related to a flanged wheel on a rail without studying it (as I have been doing for more than 70 years). Others will think you're nuts and they may be right but here, you're among friends. And you will never stop learning more. Welcome.
a few years ago i seen 50 Oakway motors in two lines in creston ia. not stored but waiting then sold to NS or CN.one day looked for them and they were gone.
The General Electric DASH 8s could be sold to the CN or a regional railroad.
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
TTXfan a few years ago i seen 50 Oakway motors in two lines in creston ia. not stored but waiting then sold to NS or CN.one day looked for them and they were gone.
sorry switchback i didnt mean to send that post i put it mine in tab line and sent it ===what i was telling you about "hooked" is that after watching trains for many years but not a railfan. as i grew older working on railcar parts;then railcars,went to work in chicago on intermodol ramps as a TTX carman [repairman] I got "hooked"; then had the chance to work on a railroad for 20 years. Retired now and what do I do? Watching trains closer now and enjoy. So getting "hooked" is and can be a lifetime hobby or more.Wecome to it all and enjoy
Andrew Falconer The General Electric DASH 8s could be sold to the CN or a regional railroad.
Don't forget leasing firms. I would suspect that if a large group of modern six axle GE power becomes available, we can expect the usual suspects in that field to acquire some if they're serviceable.
You can't discount Norfolk Southern as well, now that they have a rebuild program in its infancy for the C40-8 fleet. They've been picking up used late model EMD's for rebuilding when the price was right, so presumably, we can possibly expect some GE purchases as well if they continue the Dash 8.5 rebuild program.
CSX has even delved into this before when it picked up the B40-8's off NS, but they haven't shown any inclination towards acquiring used GE's since then nor am I aware of any major rebuild programs being developed for their substantial but aging C40-8 fleet.
UP has had a few Dash 8-40Cs on the market for a while, but no one seems to be biting. As they have recently done the wet radiator modifications on some of their units they seem to want to hold on to them, so those for sale are probably the worst of the fleet.
Are they the same Dash 8's slated for their auction in 5 days (Mentioned in the recent issue of Trains)?
I suspect they will be moving them one way or another, unless there's an overly high reserve price.
http://www.blackmonauctions.com/auctions/205/
This gives me an opportunity to ask a question I was meaning to anyways, what's up with the notation on many of the MP15's there?
Were these EPA victims, crippled in order to get government credit for something new that's supposedly more environmently friendly? If so, what a shame. Hard to imagine any of these coming out intact.
Until now, with extremely few exceptions, we've only seen scrappings of 645 engined switchers due to wreck or fire damage. There has always been a happy and willing customer for any cast-offs in the past, but I suspect these will be scrapped or best case, be frame/running gear donors.
Yes. I wonder if the MP15s have been partially canabalized for parts and are not complete locomotives anymore? They may be close enough to warrant sale as nearly complete locomotives.
I didn't see the results from the auction in May, but list prices for the Dash 8-40Cs were anywhere from $30-80 thousand. MP15s were listed at $100,000 and up. SD40-2s and Green Goats were also offered.
A number of the MP15AC and MP15DC's have the notation next to the model "Engine block cut". Which to me means it is in NON operational condition.
NorthWestYes. I wonder if the MP15s have been partially canabalized for parts and are not complete locomotives anymore? They may be close enough to warrant sale as nearly complete locomotives.
14 of the MP15's have the notation that "engine block has been cut". So complete or not, they've been intentionally crippled for some reason.
Exactly. I can't think of any other reason other than cannibalization. No emissions programs target these units other than those in California (which also target all other 645-powered units), and all UP needed to do was move them elsewhere. Gensets have replaced them in California services.
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