I'm not going to ask why CSX doesn't have heritage units.
I'm here to tell you that a reputable source told me that CSX is getting heritage units (GEVOs).
Can anyone confirm this? If not, thoughts?
Modeler of the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Bethlehem PA, 1971 and railfan of Norfolk Southern's Lehigh and Reading Lines of the modern day.
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"When railroading time comes you can railroad...but not before."
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I haven't heard anything about it. Going into a full-blown "Heritage" unit program like Union Pacific and Norfolk-Southern did would be out of character for CSX, so I'd be surprised if anything like that is in the works.
Nothing good comes from Heritage units. These things need to go away.
10000 feet and no dynamics? Today is going to be a good day ...
traisessive1 Nothing good comes from Heritage units. These things need to go away.
Why? Pray tell, I'm curious as to what's your reason for saying so.
Flintlock76 traisessive1 Nothing good comes from Heritage units. These things need to go away. Why? Pray tell, I'm curious as to what's your reason for saying so.
Trolling, I suspect.
They mean absoutely nothing to anyone but railfans; a TINY portion of the population.
Railfans who already are socially dysfunctional become even worse.
Irresponsible railfans become dangerous and feel it's their given right to trespass wherever they want.
Many times you can't even have a discussion on a public forum or chat without someone turning it into a heritage discussion that has absolutely no relevance to the topic or discussion. With that, many of these discussions don't ever stray away from heritage talk.
Over all, heritage units make me want to avoid other railfans and it makes me happy CN and CP don't have them. They're cool to see the odd time they make it up to Canada, but I coudn't deal with the nonsense our Canadian groups would become if CN or CP had them.
Don't get my wrong, they're a neat idea that I do personally like, but the negative side to them far outweighs any good.
Wow! I had no idea heritage units were so dangerous.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
If you get a chance, check out the side of 2716’s tender...
OK Trainsessive, I asked, you answered, and I thank you.
However, not doing something because of the "dysfunctional" out there is kind of a weak argument. We don't ban bars because of dysfunctional drinkers, nor sports events because of dysfunctional fans, nor automobiles because of dysfunctional drivers. There's more dysfunctionals and dummies out there than you can shake a stick at. You, I, and all the functionals () on this sight have to deal with them every day.
However, if any railroad chooses not to do "Heritage" units that's fine with me. It's a business decision after all, and they're not in the entertainment business. Those that have done "Heritage" fleets I'm sure have done so after careful consideration. Hey, the Union Pacific has a steam program because in the opinion of the executive department it's a useful public relations tool.
I personally consider "Heritage" units cool as hell, a welcome break from the "cookie cutter" look of today's rail operations. But I'm sure the "powers that be" at the various 'roads around the country aren't losing any sleep at night over what "Flintlock" thinks.
But not doing something because of idiots running around loose is a poor excuse, in my mind anyway, for not doing anything.
You know, Christ said "The poor you will have with you always..."
He just as well might have swapped the word "poor" with "knuckleheads," but then He was too nice a guy to do that.
Bravo Flintlock. Applause!
Aw shucks, now I'm blushing again...
traisessive1 They mean absoutely nothing to anyone but railfans; a TINY portion of the population. Railfans who already are socially dysfunctional become even worse. Irresponsible railfans become dangerous and feel it's their given right to trespass wherever they want. Many times you can't even have a discussion on a public forum or chat without someone turning it into a heritage discussion that has absolutely no relevance to the topic or discussion. With that, many of these discussions don't ever stray away from heritage talk. Over all, heritage units make me want to avoid other railfans and it makes me happy CN and CP don't have them. They're cool to see the odd time they make it up to Canada, but I coudn't deal with the nonsense our Canadian groups would become if CN or CP had them. Don't get my wrong, they're a neat idea that I do personally like, but the negative side to them far outweighs any good.
Sorry, but I've got to disagree with you on this one Brother. It would be really nice if CN would paint up a few heritage units in the various early diesel schemes (CP already has their F-units and GP38-2).
Idiot foamers don't need heritage units to trespass and act stupid around trains. For that matter, neither does the general public. I'm sure we've both seen far too many examples of this at work.
I do agree with your point on folks trying to take over discussions by freaking out about these units. That's why I don't post much or bother reading comments on Facebook (only joined a few railroad groups for the photos). I come here for the usually classier discussions.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
I believe that one of the reasons that UP started its Heritage Fleet was for tradmark protection (use it or lose it). At any rate, it was done quite nicely with a fair amount of corporate publicity at the outset. NS took the concept to the next logical step and put a fair amount of thought into it.
As an aside, I have seen a Mexicana jet in Heritage colors (prop era) and several on American Airlines (AirCal, TWA and American 1960's colors. Pace (RTA suburban buses) may have a heritage fleet program as I have seen a newer bus painted for Suburban Transit.
BNSF sort of has a heritage flee with the ATSF and BN units still in original colors, but they would have a large number of units to paint to have a true heritage fleet considering all of the railroad in their family tree (e.g. GN, NP, SP&S AND STSL)..
CSX Heritage Unit...
https://railpictures.net/photo/705111/
kgbw49CSX Heritage Unit... https://railpictures.net/photo/705111/
And, while not a 'unit', the Kanawha's no slouch either! (And should be in running shape in not too much time...)
Well, bless CSX for allowing the move! Up until now they wouldn't allow antique equipment on their lines for any reason.
In this instance I certainly can't begrudge them for putting the logo on the tender.
And while I can't see CSX adopting the Kanawha as a "pet steam engine" you never know, do you? Stranger things have happened.
And from what I've read 2716 is supposed to be in very good condition, considering, so they're not expecting any nasty surprises during the restoration.
Of course, that's what the Maryland Scenic thought when they started on that 2-6-6-2. Hopefully the Kentucky boys will have better luck.
Well, CSX let Kentucky Steam put a variation of the CSX "boxcar" logo on the tender flanks as a CSX "Kanawha" logo, with a 2-8-4 configuration underneath "CSX" and a pilot added on the front parenthesis, so maybe there is a trickle of hope. Fingers and toes are crossed. I'm sure we would all love to see once more some Kanawha cacaphony in Kentucky, or Clifton Forge, or the Carolinas, or Cleveland, or.....
I'd love to see it barnstorming down the old RF&P!
Or the James River Line!
Or Main Street Station in Richmond to Williamsburg and Newport News!
Several closer views of the CSX Kanawha.
Heck, if having that logo on the tender gets it out on the rails of the CSX system in a couple of years, I’m good with that.
https://railpictures.net/photo/705098/
https://railpictures.net/photo/705143/
Me too!
Flintlock76 Well, bless CSX for allowing the move! Up until now they wouldn't allow antique equipment on their lines for any reason. In this instance I certainly can't begrudge them for putting the logo on the tender. And while I can't see CSX adopting the Kanawha as a "pet steam engine" you never know, do you? Stranger things have happened. And from what I've read 2716 is supposed to be in very good condition, considering, so they're not expecting any nasty surprises during the restoration. Of course, that's what the Maryland Scenic thought when they started on that 2-6-6-2. Hopefully the Kentucky boys will have better luck.
And in a similar vein.... Anyone have any news of R.J. Corman's 2-10-2 QJ ? 'Old Smoky'
Last I heard, it had been paced for display in Ky; and its' Dinner Train disacontinued(?)
2716-576 doubleheader on the former Nashville, Chattanooga & St Louis from Nashville to Graceland! The Elvis Limited! That would definitely get people all shook up!
An "Elvis Limited!" "Thank yuh! Thank yuh ver-uh much!"
Sorry. Well, somebody had to say it!
kgbw49 2716-576 doubleheader on the former Nashville, Chattanooga & St Louis from Nashville to Graceland! The Elvis Limited! That would definitely get people all shook up!
One can still get to see Elvis; during 'Dead Elvis week'. It is quite the celebration in Memphis. Ride AMTRAK from either NOLA or Chicago.
samfp1943Unfortunately, that line is 'gone'....Was salvaged out years ago
Thank you for not saying it 'has left the building'.
Most of it has been gone since 1957, with functionality replaced via a fairly short 'cutoff' named after Aulon, connecting the "Broadway" tracks to the IC freight cutoff and then connecting further north to the L&N proper (to among other places Nashville and Bowling Green) which could then take the piece of its main line south and use it for local trackage. You can still see some of the bridges and ROW as far as Eads.
[quote] The last remnant was the line out from Memphis to Lenow, TN. [a sort of industrial park?]
The real reason it was retained that long was to access the Cordova substation of MLG&W. Up until the recession of 2008 that was a rapidly-growing suburban area with correspondingly growing electrical use. The last thing I saw move before the embargo was an enormous multiple-axle Schnabel car with an enormous transformer or similar piece of electrical gear; it was pushed up into the weeds at the end of track just north of Macon Rd and had I not been there, I wouldn't have believed you could get something that size in there. This was also the last place I saw a CSX end-cab locomotive in use.
For quite a while there were a couple of derelict railroad cars, including a troop sleeper with its Allied Full Cushion trucks intact, left just west of Germantown Road. As the 'Green Line' trail construction worked its way through, the equipment disappeared. The trail is certainly better used than the prospective RDC service would have been!
Many folks had hoped it would have eventually become part of the 'commuter rail' for Memphis...
The big 'thing' that killed the idea was the grade crossing at Germantown Road. Further east is Shelby Farms Park, and then a corridor of difficult access that was put in when the original Interstate project was done (the one that was stopped at the Zoo and is now "Sam Cooper Boulevard") and then wobbles up through back yards of a poor neighborhood to go right into the Aulon peak traffic point... at grade. You don't want to know the fun involved in getting from there to any location downtown you could reasonably terminate a train anyone would ride.
The final nail in the coffin came when the extension of Rt. 385 (which is now part of I-69) was put in near the Eads post office. It would have been simple to put a 15' span between the local road adjacent to the old Dixie Line and the abutment for the new road -- they just cut the ROW essentially forever with their Chinese wall of an embankment. There must be 15 or 20 new developments that have cut the line irrevocably by now.
Okay, then, whatever that former something-or-other CSX Line is that goes from Nashville to Memphis. You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you find you get what you need. Not an Elvis song, but the best I could come up with!
2716-576 would need a lotta hunka hunka burnin’ coal.
CSX version, which in my opinion, is much better than what UP or NS have done, is a small decal of the earlier carriers (ACL, SAL, etc) on the side of the cab close to the grab iron step. Only one I have seen is the ACL. They are out there but it takes carefull detection by the trusty eyes to point them out
I think I saw one of those decaled CSX units come through Richmond, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you what it was.
Honestly, I don't know why they even bothered.
The only special CSX unit I've seen that really stood out was that 6,000 HP "Diversity" unit, at least it was hard not to notice that one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeg7rJhSRn4
I imagine the only reason they bothered with those decals was the same as why BNSF has their heritage covered hoppers. They're out to protect their historic trademarks to protect their licensing revenue from model manufacturers, books, etc.
I personally don't know too much about trademarks, but it has been said in the past at various forums and even in Trains that if they let them sit idle without actually using them, it hurts their case legally when a 3rd party infringes on a trademark that's not actively in use.
I don't think too many railfans care about those CSX locomotives. Surprised to see at least one person that prefers it over what Norfolk Southern has done.
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