Get your photos of DM&IR painted engines NOW!

[EJE818]

Get your photos of DM&IR engines NOW, because it sounds like CN is sending 21 IC SD40-2s up to the DM&IR to replace all of the DM&IR SD38s, SD38-2s, SDMs, and any SD40-3 above 409. It sounds like the only DM&IR power staying is SD40-3s 400-409, and out of those, all except 403 are in CN paint. This means there will only be ONE DM&IR engine left. This also means that on everywhere else on the CN system, the chance of IC power will decrease as it sounds like most, if not all of the ones going to the DM&IR are the 60XXs. These and the SD70s make up a good portion of the remaining ICs. IC 6006 is already operating on the DM&IR now. This final purge of DM&IR power could very well end up like the WC SD45s last year.

[Lord Atmo]

are those SD40-3s the SD45T-2s?

[EJE818]

Yes, all but two of them are rebuilt SD45T-2s, the other two were rebuilt SD45-2s, and at least one of the rebuilt SD45-2s are gone, possibly both.

[Noah Hofrichter]

The Missabe actually calls them all SD40-3s, but like Robby said, I think they are rebuilt SD45T-2s. The two former SD45-2s (the 416 and the 418) are both retired. 

Noah

[EJE818]

Yes, I knew I was forgetting one, the 418! That does mean all of the SD40-3s still running are rebuilt SD45T-2s. Most of the engines CN is getting rid of are the DM&IR SD38s, SD38-2s and SDMs. As I said before, IC 6006 is already on the DM&IR. 20 more should be on the way soon, so if you get a chance to get up to the Duluth area, take it, because once the DM&IRs are gone it will truly be the end of a era. This move really doesn't have a good effect on anyone because the DM&IR power will dissappear, and the chance to see ICs anywhere else will be reduced by quite a bit if all of the ones that go up to the DM&IR are in IC paint.

[Andrew Falconer]

Does CN have a buyer for the DM&IR motive power?

Andrew

[EJE818]

No, what CN usually does is put the engines up for auction. However, they usually remove important parts of the engine like tha traction motors, so because of this usually either nobody but them and they are scrapped by CN, or they are sold to a scrapper. There are sometimes some leasing companies or shortline that buy them, but not often because pretty much by the time they are up for auction CN will have picked the engines clean of any usable parts. This makes the engine much less valuable to shortlines.

[EJE818]

Ok, now it sounds like 24 IC SD40-2s will be heading to the DM&IR, not 21. Also, another 6 IC SD40-2s will be soon heading to the B&LE. I would imagine the B&LE's SD38-2s probably have their days numbered as well as the DM&IR engines. Also, it sounds like one of the engines that will be heading to the B&LE will be the IC 6071, which was built as the SD40X testbed. All of the ones heading to the B&LE should be in IC paint. 9 of the engines heading to the DM&IR should be 62XX SD40-3s. At least one or two of those is still in IC paint, the rest repainted to CN. The rest of them will be 60XXs, and all of those are in IC paint.

[coborn35]

Well its a darn good thing we saved the Missabe SD-M #193 and had it repainted years back and it wil operate for years to come, as will our WC SD45 #7495.

[wgnrr]

We can all thank CN for destroying the midwests' railroad heritage.

I thought that the SD45 at LSRM was stripped, and unoperable? What is it's mechanical condition?

Unlike other Wisconsin Central fans, I would love to see the 7495 in Northern Pacific paint, as IRM is keeping theirs in WC paint.

Phil

[Soo 6604]

I'm just wondering why would the CN get rid of their motive power when they are power short? I talked to an engineer last week and he said that the CN is about 200 locomotives short of running the railroad fluently. I also recall CN doing something with the grey ghosts WC SD-40-3 units....can't remember what it was tho (HP payback perhaps?). 

Paul

[EJE818]

The CN/WC gray ghosts are being retired also. There are about 30 stored in Homewood in various deadlines. These ICs really aren't equipped for the DM&IR either. Many don't have dymanic brakes and none have straight air brakes, even though it sounds some, not all with get straight air brakes. Hopefully it doesn't take a derailment like some of the ones they had on the BC Rail in the past to get CN to realize the IC SD40-2s are not the best choices to replace the DM&IR fleet. It is also pretty odd that CN is replacing SD40-3s and SD38-2s with SD40-2s. Really doesn't make much sense to me.

[wgnrr]

I forgot the fact that the DM&IR uses the different braking systems to get down Proctor Hill. And why don't the IC engines ever get repainted, yet everything else does?????

I was told that the CN wants all of their engines to be the same. No oddball power. That's why WC 2500, a rebuilt SD35, was retired in very good condition. They will most likely strip it and auction it, which is stupid because there is probably a short line out there that would love to have a rebuilt unit like the 2500.

Phil

[EJE818]

Most of the IC SD40-2s in general are in CN paint. Almost every SD40-2 from 6100 upwards is now in CN paint. 6000-6099 is the only group to be relatively untouched, along with all but one SD70s. They have been ruining the SD70s with those ugly yellow frame stripes. Now CN is repainting many of the IC GP38-2s. They have also repainted WC GP40 3023. It seems the engines that get repainted the least are the GTWs. They really can't repaint too much with their power shortage. It seems the repainting has slowed down quite a bit but the retirements have picked up big time. CN has by far retired more then they have repainted. Usually when a certain group of engines isn't repainted that means that they will most likely eventually be retired.

[AlcoRS11Nut]

Well its a darn good thing we saved the Missabe SD-M #193 and had it repainted years back and it wil operate for years to come, as will our WC SD45 #7495.

 

Thank god for that!!!!

 But I still wanna go up and see the last of the DM&IR locomotives pulling taconite. 

[EJE818]

Ok, 5-6 IC SD40-3s are now operating on the DM&IR, along with SD40-2 6006. The 60XXs will not be heading up as CN realized they lack dymanic brakes. The 6006 hasn't left the DM&IR left due to the ongoing power shortage, and neither have the two B&LE engines. 4 more DM&IR engines have been retired, however, and are now at Woodcrest. They are DM&IR 202, 411, 411, and 869, the SD38-2 in B&LE paint. Expect CN to continue to send IC SD40-3s to replace the remaining DM&IR SD38s, SD38-2s, SDMs, SD40-3s from 410 upwards, the two B&LE engines and IC 6006. The DM&IR power will most likely be sent to Woodcrest for the deadline. I'm not so sure what will happen to the B&LE engines, but IC 6006 will probably be reassigned elsewhere on CN.

[CNW 6000]

Tonight in Neenah at the CaNoodle yard I saw about 10 CSX SD40-2s and some big GEs (4400s and 6000s I think).  They were all pointed north on 3 different trains.  Not sure where they were going.  It'd be neat to see a DMIR engine.  If I start to see any heading south (line to Chicago goes thru Oshkosh) I'll let you all know.