"Locals" 20 years from now?

[eastcoast]

I forsee that in that time, these switchers now can be kept alive with maintainence as was so many steam locos for the tourist lines do.I feel that using a 4400 to switch is farfetched due to the GP model or GE switcher will take quite a while to phase out.

[Anonymous]

At sixty-six, twenty years from now, I wo'nt be giving a damn;

[edblysard]

Didnt buy, but leased from CEFX about 20 units overall, half "GP15s, the other half "GP20s 1500 HP and 2000 HP units.
Nice units, they are both switchers, in the true sense of the word, and are also set up to be road units, with better traction than the older GP38s.
Stay Frosty
Ed

[Anonymous]

Didn't UP just buy some GP15's for use in switching in the Houston area? I think I remember seeing that somewhere... they would some of the first new switcher purchases by a Class 1 in since the late 80s wouldn't it?

[dharmon]

I know this will re-kindle the EMD vs. GE thread, but it is interesting to note that in the discussions of which is better, the common theme is that EMD units while more costly, seem to be rebuilt and continue on in helper and branchline service much more so than GEs. Just as the 38s and 40s do now, it seems logical that unless a "new" smaller unit is produced, like the GP15s, rebuilt or soon to be rebuilt/retired road units of today will be assuming the role. Kind of overkill for some branch lines but if it's all that's available, that will be it.

[dekemd]

Down my way, CSX locals use whatever's handy in the yard be it SD40-2s, Dash 8, Dash 9s, or AC4400s. It looks kind of strange to see a AC4400 pulling a single covered hopper.

Derrick

[dehusman]

Re-re-rebuilt GP15's, GP38's and GP40's.

[edblysard]

Hi Airdrum and Dblstack,
The switcher you see in the EMD catalog is a MK1500D and the MK2000D, manufactored under agreement for EMD by Bosie Locomotive, (Morrison Knudson).
I work at the PTRA, one of the first switching railroad to use the MK1500D exclusivly.
Great motors for switching, engineers love being able to see so much out of them.
The old MK1500D had a catapiller diesel, the new ones, sold as GP15s and GP20s, have the EMD engine.

Class one are slowly getting away from running locals, or switching crews.
They perfer, and encourage short lines and switching railroad to do that part for them.
As time goes by, you will see a lot of short lines, regional and terminal/belt road buy rebuilt GP38s, the market is just right from someone to begin rebuilding them from the frame up, new electrical, so forth and so one.
But the big guys dont want the bother and hassel of doing local switching anymore, they are concentrating on the longer haul work, and leaving the short, local industrial switching to guys like us.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

Top o' the morning,
Interesting question. It seems to me that Trains magazine made mention a few months back about EMD building some new switchers for one of the RR's. As I recall, they said that it was the first light-switching power of this type built in maybe 10 or 15 yrs.

I just looked at the EMD (General Motors Electro Motive Divsion) website. EMD is one of the 2 big locomotive builders, along with GE as their main competitor. They do show 2 switchers in the current catalog. I have no idea how well they are selling though. Here's the link to their site.
http://www.gmemd.com/en/locomotive/switcher/index.htm

[Anonymous]

I recently drove about 6 hours on the interstate, most of the time paralleling the BNSF mainline from Poertland to Seattle. It made me wonder, with all these 4000 HP wide cap behemoths wandering the mainline's today, what kind of power will be performing the switching and local duty 20 years from now. It's easy to go to any branch line and see a couple of faithful GP38's or GP40's running a light local service. Maybe it'll even be a SW1200. But we all know these things won't last forever, especially as they begin to cost more and more to operate.

So in 20 years will I be in an industrial area and see the (now old and retiring) C40-8 doing the switching? There is a short UP branch line a few blocks away from me that serves a shipping area in North Portland, usually the daily train is headed by a couple of tired SW's. What will happen years from now when the only old locos availible are some SD70 MAC's Let's face it, for a local job that involves some switching, and just about everything else you really can't beat a faithful old Geep. In addition, I assume most smaller local lines don't have the engineering or capacity to handle the immense size and weight of a Dash 9.

Are railroads going to soon demand remanufactur of 4 axle trucks in some lighter and more agile locomotives? Are they just going to have to deal with sending out a Dash 9 for switching? Will EMD and GE do anything to greatly preserve the life of still operating locomotives suitable for the task? I don't know much about railroad so this may be a stupid question, but I was just curious. Thanks.