SD40-2s

[rrboomer]

Don't forget CP, they still have aprox 200 SD40-2s in service. Still repainting them too.

[route_rock]

  BN doesnt really retire them. We sell them to Furbie (FURX) and then lease them back.You notice we hold onto power here at the BNSF. We have an SD-9-3 for crying out loud!!!We even had to renumber them to make room for new locomotives,and we have a few GP-9's with the angular cab raoming about.However all the B23-7's are being sent to the lease fleet post haste.

[bakupolo]

I see them daily in Austin, too. Most are UP (it's their track) but UP leases a few of them too. The SD40-2s have no problem pulling auto racks up from Mexico and two of them can pull long trains.

Of course one can see almost any type of locomotive here in any one day.

 

Interestingly, I see a genset almost every day too, going North from San Antonio. I kinda thought they were switchers.

[arkansasrailfan]

UP still runs them on all trains except coal, and when I'm at school, I will usually see 1-8 of them per day.

[espeefoamer]

BNSF runs a ton of SD40-2s,some still in Santa Fe or BN paint.Occasionally,SD40-2s can be seen on doublestack trains.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

My guess is that SD40's, SD40-2's, etc. will be retired in small blocks over the next several years, not unlike GP9's in the past.  No massive retirements in one fell swoop but they will gradually disappear from the Class 1 roads and find their way to leasing companies, regionals, shortlines and a few terminal roads (see BRC and TRRA).

[EJE818]

CN has retired a couple of SD40 types, mainly the DM&IR SD40-3s and the ex-GCFX Gray Ghosts, as well as a couple of the wide nose versions they have and two of the WC SD40-2s. They still have a lot left from the IC, GTW and WC as well as their own versions such as the wide cab SD40-2Ws. UP and BNSF have been slowly retiring their SD40-2 fleets but no massive retirements have occured yet. Both of them have quite large fleets of SD40-2s, and UP also has the SD40T-2s. All of the class ones still have sizable rosters of SD40-2s and a lot of the ones that have been retired have found new homes such as the IC&E/DM&E and WSOR, other smaller lines and leasing companies. In general, some have been traded in for new engines, but not a really large amount of them.

[WCfan]

CN has a ton of SD40-2s and SD40Rs. I see atleast one every day on the Valley Sub.

[Andrew Falconer]

Today I was surprised to see a pair of UNION PACIFIC SD40-2s pulling a train west on the CN.

Are they among the last operating on a Class 1?

Andrew

[WSOR 3801]

UP just retired a bunch of SD40-2s in the last month or so.  Maybe a few willl make it over to the WSOR, and other smaller roads...  I read BNSF has also retired a slug of them. 

CSX seems to be holding on to theirs, and maintaining them with the goal of zero failures.  The shops are filled with blowed GEs.  CSX is also working on the SD50s, derating to 3000 hp, basically a SD40-2 with better wheelslip control.  They are classed as SD50-2s.

[carnej1]

 I know that on a number of the Class one railroads the SD40-2 fleets are having a longer life than any of the 50 series engines. This is due to the "Forty Dash Twos" being more reliable and having lower maintenance costs than the 645 F powered locos.

 It is true that the big carriers have been steadily trading them in on new power, though....

[legsbluetrain]

A lot of these very common older engines are being retired according to another site.I noticed they are even more common than SD50s.Has anyone heard they are retiring a lot of SD40-2s?