OvermodBefore someone mentions UP 4141 (it's a little surprising someone hasn't already in this context) that was a very special case, involving more than a little 'insider action')
That whole thing was half disgusting.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
Slowmodem It seems to me it would be better off in a museum or sitting at a depot.
Aside from the issues mentioned, both the 'publicity' value and the railfan thrill-of-the-hunt are magnified when a unit 'circulates' freely around the system.
I am one of those who thinks a locomotive, diesel or otherwise, is much better seen in full operation than sitting preserved.
Before someone mentions UP 4141 (it's a little surprising someone hasn't already in this context) that was a very special case, involving more than a little 'insider action')
Slowmodemaw the NS Central of Georgia 8101 again as I was leaving work the other day. It has been pushing or pulling coal trains for the past few months. It seems to me it would be better off in a museum or sitting at a depot. I think it looks nice when it's cleaned up.
Locomotives are 'born' to work hard all their lives - each one is a $2M Capital Investment and they have to earn a return on that investment for their owner.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
SlowmodemIt seems to me it would be better off in a museum or sitting at a depot.
That would be a waste of a $2+ million dollar asset.
I saw the NS Central of Georgia 8101 again as I was leaving work the other day. It has been pushing or pulling coal trains for the past few months. It seems to me it would be better off in a museum or sitting at a depot. I think it looks nice when it's cleaned up.
Greg Whitehead
Ironically, I live in the only county in Tennessee with no railroad tracks.
I saw a NS Heritage unit Central of Georgia 8108 pushing a coal train at work a couple of weeks ago. It seemed out of place to me and I thought it had a pretty slick paint job. This got me interested in investigating what a Heritage unit was and I ended up purchasing the HO version of C of G 8108. So speaking of CSX, they really don't need much of a Heritage Unit. They still have that grey and yellow on their engines, which is L&N colors. It wouldn't take much rework to make an L&N engine out of one in use today.
I like anything that breaks up the monotony and uniformity of modern railroading.
I am basically pretty ambivalent about heritage units. I enjoy seeing some though. I like one I saw in a photo recently, a PRR pinstriped unit.
What I could do without are the thematic special units.
In addition to the Heritage Fleet and 911, NS also has a nice collection of special paint jobs and lettering on other locomotives such as the first AC rebuilds of both GE and EMD locomotives and the 4700 series of ECO rebuilds.
Haven't you heard they cause cancer! Eye cancer! And I have some fine realastate to sell you in Everglades. Lol hert units ad pride for me and more the better. I'm a artist and like colors. Variety is good. Change is good. Most like it. And u have right not to. No prob.
There is already a nice collection of locomotives in ATSF Heritage colors working on Pacific Harbor Line. Cimarron Valley has some GE's freshly painted in ATSF colors. The Bloomer Line has a GP7 (possibly others) in CB&Q Chinese Red.
Unlike UP, BNSF has no Heritage Units either.
Have yet to see any SD70ACE's or ES44AC's/DC's in Red and Silver.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
An "Elvis Limited!" "Thank yuh! Thank yuh ver-uh much!"
Sorry. Well, somebody had to say it!
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.
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(?)
Me too!
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/
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!
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.....
kgbw49CSX Heritage Unit... https://railpictures.net/photo/705111/
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...)
CSX Heritage Unit...
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)..
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