Former Amtrak SDP40F saved

[Anonymous]

Suggestion: Obtain an E60 and a Yugo as companion pieces!

[dharmon]

What's wrong with saving an SDP40F?

[Anonymous]

Why save it? Scrap prices are up, get rid of it why you can. Everyone wants to save Engines, but they forget the OVERHEAD cost in doing so.
TIM ARGUBRIGHT

[dharmon]

Gosh, you're right....let's go ahead and scrap the Big Boy and FEF3 while we're at it. And there's these old rockets in DC we can get rid of, and this old bell in Philly. Nothing but worthless junk.

[eolafan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

Gosh, you're right....let's go ahead and scrap the Big Boy and FEF3 while we're at it. And there's these old rockets in DC we can get rid of, and this old bell in Philly. Nothing but worthless junk.

Right on to dharmon, we can not always think of money, as there are a lot of things worth saving in this world that could otherwise be consigned to the scrap heap, how about Pres. Kennedy's car in which he was riding that aweful day in Dallas, or his old Air Force One, should they too be scrapped for economic reasons. No, so let's save one of each historic locomotive, and there will still be plenty for Tim's scrappers torch to cut up.

[dharmon]

From what I have garnered it was a good engine. And from a historical point of view, a product of it's time, reflecting Amtrak's attempt at success, yet uncertain future......and it was perhaps one of the most controvsersial locos produced. It's "failure" was as much a product of the RRs desire to kill Amtrak as it was with any mechanical issue it may have had. The few survivors that did not get reman'd into F40PHRs soldiered on for nearly thirty years. The B-24 Liberator was only in active service for about 7 years. Lets round up the rest of those and cut them up too while were at it. And maybe all those battleships we keep saving too..

[Anonymous]

Hi Dan [:)]

Funny you should memtion the B-24. I actually think the B-24s had more character than the B-17 yet it is always the B-17 that get the press. I have been in both, and have pics of both. The B-17 was a good bird, but so too was the 24.

I am very much against scrapping any piece of equipment. There should be an ample number of them saved so the younger folks can see them. How many auto museums are there--many. I love seeing the old cars. How many planes can you see on display at various military bases--many. I love history and seeing the old planes helps make it alive for me. There are places to see WWII Navy Ships [:)] which I also like. Sure there are railroad museums. Many have very little room to start with and have to turn away equipment. That is sad. Some railroads are better than others about giving stuff away to museums. A pictures is worth a thousand words. The real McCoy is priceless. There is a DD40X on display in my town. From a picture you would never really understand how HUGE they are. Then seeing it brings it all home. Yes most anything is worth saving, even a lowly GE.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by nkloudon

Suggestion: Obtain an E60 and a Yugo as companion pieces!

But Yugo's place is not in the museum yet! They are still produced in Serbia (my neighboring country) under the name "Tempo".
Just let them save that SDP40F and many people'll be happy. Imagine how nice it would be to have a New York Central 4-8-4 Niagara steamer saved... btw, have any of the Southern Pacific AC-9's been saved? I think that was the only articulated SP steamer which was not a Cab Forward, and with the skyline casing. I know, SDP40F is just a diesel, some of you'll say, but they're all beautiful to me.
Another btw, why does it seem to me that nobody likes the GE's? I wish I could see and hear one in person... They certainly look beautiful to me on the photos.

I'll quote a late friend of mine, who was also a great craftsman and a member of our model railroading club: "We've cut it three times and still it came out too short!" So, before cutting, rather please measure and weigh the pros and cons 3... thousand times.

Best regards,
Oliver

[eolafan]

Odd, a Yugo now called a Tempo, some sort of symbolic similarity going on there I think.

[Anonymous]

I couldn't agree more with what you had to say Jim! You made some very excellent points there! I would have said some more myself, but I think you've pretty much summed it all up yourself.

[Anonymous]

Hi,
I think it's great you've been able to save an SDP40F for posterity. Now; this posting is quite a way on from when you started, so I hope even more that you've continued to be successful and have gone from strength to strength.
Everyone is entitled to their point of view. That's what's great about living in a free country. Yeah; there's overhead costs, and upkeep, blah; blah; blah. If that's all we were ever concerned about - and didn't take that 'plunge' because of it, we would have nothing left - a big fat zero! Here in England we have a [some may say] fanatical diesel following. My favourites are the Diesel Hydraulic 'Classes'. The Western Region of British Railways [some time ago] decided to go it alone and order Locos with hydraulic transmission as opposed to electric. These were class 22, 35, 42, and maybe the most popular; the Class 52 'Westerns' - so called as they were named [say] 'Western Yeoman'. Some were twinned - like Western Duke and Western Duchess. We have just had the first runs of a preserved Western recently on the main line; and they were great!
I'm a great fan of American Railroads, and I wish you all the best life can give. Somewhere out there are Engineers than loved the SDP's. You may feel some days 'is it all worth it?'. Then at a show or a meet you'll see a retired Engineer or maybe a couple of them doing the shows, and they'll go up to the huge machines; maybe ask if they can sit inside, run their hands along the bodywork; and sigh. Then they'll maybe say something like "Those were the days when we had real machines; something you could look up to, and look forward to running". Then their eyes'll go all misty and a small tear will form in each. You've just made their day. THAT is when you'll know that you made the right choices.
How does the line of that song go? ........and you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone....
The very best of luck.

[Sterling1]

I sure there's a way for Tim's scrappers to scrap his precious things too . . . Just as he is willing to scrap my favorite equipment . . .

[Sterling1]

A nice companion piece would be an SD50 prefably in Chessie Paint than in that awful dark blue and yellow (or is it gold)

1 out of 150 is pretty good for a class photo . . .

Ashes to Ashes . . . Dust to Dust

[M636C]

On my second trip to the USA in 1977 I rode the "Empire Builder" from Seattle to Chicago. We had a steam heated train largely of ex GN and ex NP cars and FOUR SDP40Fs, presumably going back to La Grange for rebuilding. In Spokane we passed one of the first "Empire Builders" with two F40PH units and a steam heating van, and I got some time exposures of it (it being dark at the time). We had long station stops, because the four units were able to run at 79mph all the time, getting us in up to ten minutes early, and we couldn't leave early! I timed the train at close to 80 mph from the open rear vestibule (getting covered in road dust). There was certainly nothing wrong with these units at the end of their working lives.

The problem with the SDP40F was that they had their water tanks inside the body (FP45s had part of the fuel tank partitioned off) and this raised the centre off gravity. On curves with poorly secured rail, the surge of water in the tanks due to the curve caused a high lateral force on the trailing truck (the tanks were behind the engine) which turned the outer rail over.

If Amtrak had fitted HEP generators, making an SDH40P (as had been orignally planned), the problem would have gone away, and they would have had more economical and more powerful units (not to mention quieter) than the F40PH, and it would have cost them less. But the real reason for the derailments wasn't known at the time. I have the NTSB official investigation report and they hadn't a clue. EMD did their own investigation, and they wanted to prove the problem was all in the track so they didn't find the problem either. Since they were building the "rebuilt" F40PH units, they were happy with the result!

But keeping an SDP40F is a good idea, particularly if the mistake made in scrapping them so early is learned!

But to reflect back to Dan's post, there is a B-24 being preserved in Australia, having been recovered from about thirty years in the New Guinea jungle. Anybody with any "Liberator" spare parts could think of donating them to the Australian project. It is the last complete (well almost) airframe that saw Australian service. These Lend Lease aircraft were important in saving Australia from invasion by Japanese forces in 1942 - 1945, and were used for long range maritime patrol.

Peter

[daveklepper]

Neither a NYC Hudson nor a Niagra were saved, but I understand there is one 4-8-2 Mowhawk still around. Anybody know where? Can it be revived?

[Anonymous]

The mowhawk is in the museum in St. Louis and the moist damp air hasnt been kind to the old girl......

[Anonymous]

There is another Mohawk, Number 3001 at the National NYC Railroad Museum in Elkhart, IN. Do not know too much about the condition, I did hear it does not retain any superheaters......but who knows....just rumors.

[daveklepper]

I sure hope one or the other can be restored to operation someday. Maybe people at Mtero North might be interested in looking into the matter. Metro North should be complimented for what they use as official cars. They are the two observation cars of the Lackawanna's Pheobe Snow, built by Budd and well maintained. One of those Mowhawk's should have the status for New York State like the K4 being restored has for Pennsylvania. It would be fine excursion locomotive.

[espeefoamer]

Which SDP40F was saved and where is it.Is this one of the units that went to the Santa Fe? If so the nose has been modified.Will the nose be restored to its original configuration.

[Anonymous]

I'm glad one is being saved too. It is a piece of railroad history with a very interesting story.
At least we are now more aware of the historical significance of things.
I just wi***he museums and historical societies were better funded so they are able to take proper care of them.
I also wish we were more vigilent in the 50's and 60's.
We might have an EM-1, NYC Niagra and Hudson, and maybe a few more Trainmasters (how did N&W's get away?), DL 109's and PA's to admire.

Jimmy

[AntonioFP45]

It is great news!

Guys, forgive my confusion, but who is the owner? Are there any photos? What city?

Precious memories for me. As a teen in the late 70s, my hang-out was Tampa Union Station watching the arrival and departure of the Silver Meteor and Silver Star. At the time I actually thought these locomotives were FP45s until a friend explained the differences to me.

The friendly SCL engine crews, seeing that I was a "shutterbug" invited me up into the cab of those giants on several occasions. It's an understatement to express what a thrill it was! I have photos of crew members and these locomotives. Very roomy in the cab.

I'm wondering if this is the MAERSK locomotive that came from the Santa Fe.

BTW: Something else that's even more rare are those SL4T horns, specially made for Amtrak and used on these locomotives. Does this unit have it? I used to really enjoy hearing the very pleasant "trill" [:-^] that they emitted, especially when the sound bounced off buildings. Unfortuantely, due to easy fouling, they were replaced by the P5s and later K5s.

To hear what the SL4Ts sounded like, just click on this link http://atsf.railfan.net/airhorns Towads the bottom of the page click on SL4T.

When that opens up, click on Dave Deckers 16 second clips, so you'll hear what it sounded like when brand new! IMHO, Sweet Music![:D]