I hope not!
LONG LIVE NORFOLK SOUTHERN
They started making them in 1985.
Railfan1 wrote:How old are they?
GMDD built 7101 to 7146 during Sept, Oct and Dec 1991, and the 7147, 48, 49 and 50 during Jan 1992, short hood forward. These were later GP60s, with the square DB blister. 7117 was renumbered 7100.
I would seriously doubt it. The GP60/B32-8s are typical power in intermodal and TOFC trains in the Birmingham-Atlanta-east coast routes as well as Tennessee. If they aren't getting bumped from the priority trains I don't think that they are leaving any time soon.
Railfan1 wrote:Darn.....
You don't like the GP60s?
Well, it's just around the location that I live, that is almost all you see on trains. NS has fifty of the things and I've seen every one of 'em two or three times.
Railfan1 wrote: Well, it's just around the location that I live, that is almost all you see on trains. NS has fifty of the things and I've seen every one of 'em two or three times.
Persoal preference here, but I feel the standard cab GP60 is the best looking 4-axle ever built. Most of the crews I've talked to who ran them (usually on locals out here) would select them first out of any number of engines to use on their locals.
UP runs SD70Ms on locals out here in Arizona. Why, I'll never know.
NS SD70M-2 wrote: They started making them in 1985.
The first commercial GP60s went into service on the ATSF and SP in 1988.
Yeah, NS is one of those railroads that seems to have to distinct regions with their own power. The Southeast uses the GP60s/B32-8s on most trains and on the Northern routes (including the x-CR) you can't throw a dead cat without hitting a C40-9W. I suppose it depends which one you want to see a seemingly endless amount of. I prefer the sound of EMDs more so I would chose the GP60s. Besides NS is the last RR to use solid sets of 4-axle power in high-priority service, and who know how much longer that will be.
silicon212 wrote: Railfan1 wrote: Well, it's just around the location that I live, that is almost all you see on trains. NS has fifty of the things and I've seen every one of 'em two or three times.Persoal preference here, but I feel the standard cab GP60 is the best looking 4-axle ever built. Most of the crews I've talked to who ran them (usually on locals out here) would select them first out of any number of engines to use on their locals. UP runs SD70Ms on locals out here in Arizona. Why, I'll never know.I have seen GEVOs on locals before. Some locals could pass for a long manifest so I cna understand using road power.
I have seen GEVOs on locals before. Some locals could pass for a long manifest so I cna understand using road power.
silicon212 wrote: NS SD70M-2 wrote: They started making them in 1985. The first commercial GP60s went into service on the ATSF and SP in 1988.
NS SD70M-2 wrote: silicon212 wrote: NS SD70M-2 wrote: They started making them in 1985. The first commercial GP60s went into service on the ATSF and SP in 1988.Go to thhis web page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GP60. it says they started making them in 1985.
The demonstrators (EMD 4, 5 and 6) were built in '85. The first revenue units were ordered by SPSF (remember that?) for SP in December 1987 and delivered in 1988.
silicon212 wrote: NS SD70M-2 wrote: silicon212 wrote: NS SD70M-2 wrote: They started making them in 1985. The first commercial GP60s went into service on the ATSF and SP in 1988.Go to thhis web page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GP60. it says they started making them in 1985.The demonstrators (EMD 4, 5 and 6) were built in '85. The first revenue units were ordered by SPSF (remember that?) for SP in December 1987 and delivered in 1988.
neil300 wrote: Railfan1 wrote: Well, it's just around the location that I live, that is almost all you see on trains. NS has fifty of the things and I've seen every one of 'em two or three times. ... on the Northern routes (including the x-CR) you can't throw a dead cat without hitting a C40-9W.
With all the frame recycling - you are no longer allowed to throw a dead cat. You must sell it to NRE or Larry's or MK - who will strip it to the bones and re-incarnate it as another locomotive. Remember - every genset switcher means 1000's less ashtrays!
BTW - a former ATSF GP60, BNSF 8713, acted as surrogate leader ahead of P42 #25 on Amtrak's Empire Builder from the Twin Cities out to the left coast and back to Chicago. Very odd to see Yellow and Blue lead a silver weasel and all those double-deck lovelies down to the Windy City.
I must live in a section of NS that really doesn't have boring standard locomotive consists. Columbus, Georgia is on the mainline from Birmingham, AL to Macon, GA, and on to Savannah. There is a wild variety of leased and "foreign" power that goes wandering through town, which leads me to believe that this is not what one would consider a high priority branch of the railroad. I've seen consists with BNSF, CSX, and NS units pulling a freight train. So, I'm never bored down here....
Erik
Complain about GP60s now, but once they are gone you will wish you could see a brace of them again. Thats exactly how things go (well, maybe not the Dash 9s and AC44s), I was sick of seeing BNSF SD40-2s until about a little less than a year ago. Now I am counting them in deadlines. Times are changing fast out there, just look around you, not many SD40-2s on hot trains now adays. Plus, look at what railroads are ordering, 200 of these, 150 of those. What do you think is getting the boot when the new GEVOs and ACes come?
Alec
I would tend ot think that GP 60's will be around for along time. I have no clue about NS practices, since I am in AZ, a White Horse, is a rare treat.
Out here UP uses paired up GP's to do local work. Paired or combo's of 38's, 40's, and 60's. Trains are getting bigger and heavier and those 38 and 40's are pushing some decades on them. I would think the GP-60's would start to replace the ageing 38/40's. Which means, maybe my son can take his son to see a 40 year old GP-60 work like I have shown him a 40's and 38's work
Best Regards, Big John
Kiva Valley Railway- Freelanced road in central Arizona. Visit the link to see my MR forum thread on The Building of the Whitton Branch on the Kiva Valley Railway
silicon212 wrote:Persoal preference here, but I feel the standard cab GP60 is the best looking 4-axle ever built. Most of the crews I've talked to who ran them (usually on locals out here) would select them first out of any number of engines to use on their locals. UP runs SD70Ms on locals out here in Arizona. Why, I'll never know.
Silicon, where have you seen that? I would love to catch that. I watch the McQueen Local, (East Mesa Yard and Chandler Branch) line pretty close, just becuase it is close to my house. One of these nights, the kiddo and I want to explore the Tempe line.
I noticed that UP loves to play round robin with the power around here, I am sure it has somethign to do with maintence schedules and such. But at the moment, there are 2 GP-60's working the east side that are parked over on the McQueen Siding. Both in UP colors and one with the new yellow stripe. My memory is bit sketchy, but think they are 2010 and 2022.
canazar wrote: silicon212 wrote:Persoal preference here, but I feel the standard cab GP60 is the best looking 4-axle ever built. Most of the crews I've talked to who ran them (usually on locals out here) would select them first out of any number of engines to use on their locals. UP runs SD70Ms on locals out here in Arizona. Why, I'll never know.Silicon, where have you seen that? I would love to catch that. I watch the McQueen Local, (East Mesa Yard and Chandler Branch) line pretty close, just becuase it is close to my house. One of these nights, the kiddo and I want to explore the Tempe line.I noticed that UP loves to play round robin with the power around here, I am sure it has somethign to do with maintence schedules and such. But at the moment, there are 2 GP-60's working the east side that are parked over on the McQueen Siding. Both in UP colors and one with the new yellow stripe. My memory is bit sketchy, but think they are 2010 and 2022.
The East Valley local uses paired GPs, lately they've been a pair of GP60s as you've seen. About a year ago, they were even running an unpatched (!) GP40-2M (7137). I live west of McQueen, so I don't know what they have there for power, but the local that operates outside of Phoenix yard uses GP60s lately. I think as far east as that goes is Mesa yard, but it might venture over to McQueen occasionally since that's only another 1.5 track miles east.
The Buckeye Locals running from Phoenix Yard west generally use SD60Ms and SD70Ms. That's what I don't understand - why those big wide-cab road units on locals - especially with their desktop controls! I know they do a lot of switching for British Petroleum in the west valley (ARCO), so that might explain some of it but still. I would think a pair of GP60s would work fine.
Back in the SP days, they used to run all of the locals out of Phoenix, and the Magma Turn local (which went east to Magma siding to switch the Copper Basin and Magma railroads), would often run with a single unit - generally an MK-rebuilt GP40-2M, but on occasion they'd use a GP35 and that thing would be straining. Run 8 all the way from the Mill Ave Curve to Extension Rd, and a whopping 15-20MPH! If Magma could do it running 1 GP40-2, hauling those heavy sulfuric acid cars as well as copper ingot cars, I would think that'd be sufficient to switch BP.
silicon212 wrote:The East Valley local uses paired GPs, lately they've been a pair of GP60s as you've seen. About a year ago, they were even running an unpatched (!) GP40-2M (7137). I live west of McQueen, so I don't know what they have there for power, but the local that operates outside of Phoenix yard uses GP60s lately. I think as far east as that goes is Mesa yard, but it might venture over to McQueen occasionally since that's only another 1.5 track miles east. The Buckeye Locals running from Phoenix Yard west generally use SD60Ms and SD70Ms. That's what I don't understand - why those big wide-cab road units on locals - especially with their desktop controls! I know they do a lot of switching for British Petroleum in the west valley (ARCO), so that might explain some of it but still. I would think a pair of GP60s would work fine.Back in the SP days, they used to run all of the locals out of Phoenix, and the Magma Turn local (which went east to Magma siding to switch the Copper Basin and Magma railroads), would often run with a single unit - generally an MK-rebuilt GP40-2M, but on occasion they'd use a GP35 and that thing would be straining. Run 8 all the way from the Mill Ave Curve to Extension Rd, and a whopping 15-20MPH! If Magma could do it running 1 GP40-2, hauling those heavy sulfuric acid cars as well as copper ingot cars, I would think that'd be sufficient to switch BP.
About 6 months ago, I caught the Mesa Local pulling out to go Magama and they had only one engine. The other one was parked over in the tracks to the News Paper, guessingit was out for mechanical issues. Man, that one engine was straining! Never seen something like that, so I can picture the old SP chuggin' and sluggin'.
Only thing I can think of is they are short on 4 axle power and went ahead and used those to move since they were on hand. Migth also be some weigth issues with the tank cars. Dont know, but sure would like to see that.
canazar wrote: About 6 months ago, I caught the Mesa Local pulling out to go Magama and they had only one engine. The other one was parked over in the tracks to the News Paper, guessingit was out for mechanical issues. Man, that one engine was straining! Never seen something like that, so I can picture the old SP chuggin' and sluggin'.
I remember seeing a unit on the newspaper siding a few months back (while driving west on Baseline Rd)- perhaps it was that engine. Several years ago, one of those MK GP40-2Ms got derailed on that very siding - perhaps that's what happened? Were there cars ahead of the engine? I can't remember.
There was one time that I was waiting on the east end of Mesa awaiting the Magma - they got there about 3 hours later than usual - they told me that their GP38-2 got derailed on the old Creamery Branch at the milling plant (the one in Tempe by the Salt River) and had to get taxi'd back to the yard to get another engine which turned out to be an actual 20-cylinder SD45.
Most of the locals I've seen go west from Phoenix have 6 axle power, and that's with a plethora of GP60s in the yard. Usually SD60M, SD70M, sometimes an SD40-2 and mostly mixed power. I guess they need tractive effort on that train. It usually has a 3-unit consist, so that's some serious power for a local.
Here in Central Texas you see every kind of locomotive imaginable - except they are almost all 6-axel units. Lots of dash 8s and SD40-2s sometimes pulling stack trains.
In the Taylor yard there's usually UP2091 (I think), a well-maintained GP60, and my favorite loco. I love the way it looks and sounds - kinda mesmerizes me.
silicon212 wrote: canazar wrote: silicon212 wrote:Persoal preference here, but I feel the standard cab GP60 is the best looking 4-axle ever built. Most of the crews I've talked to who ran them (usually on locals out here) would select them first out of any number of engines to use on their locals. UP runs SD70Ms on locals out here in Arizona. Why, I'll never know.Silicon, where have you seen that? I would love to catch that. I watch the McQueen Local, (East Mesa Yard and Chandler Branch) line pretty close, just becuase it is close to my house. One of these nights, the kiddo and I want to explore the Tempe line.I noticed that UP loves to play round robin with the power around here, I am sure it has somethign to do with maintence schedules and such. But at the moment, there are 2 GP-60's working the east side that are parked over on the McQueen Siding. Both in UP colors and one with the new yellow stripe. My memory is bit sketchy, but think they are 2010 and 2022.The East Valley local uses paired GPs, lately they've been a pair of GP60s as you've seen. About a year ago, they were even running an unpatched (!) GP40-2M (7137). I live west of McQueen, so I don't know what they have there for power, but the local that operates outside of Phoenix yard uses GP60s lately. I think as far east as that goes is Mesa yard, but it might venture over to McQueen occasionally since that's only another 1.5 track miles east.The Buckeye Locals running from Phoenix Yard west generally use SD60Ms and SD70Ms. That's what I don't understand - why those big wide-cab road units on locals - especially with their desktop controls! I know they do a lot of switching for British Petroleum in the west valley (ARCO), so that might explain some of it but still. I would think a pair of GP60s would work fine.Back in the SP days, they used to run all of the locals out of Phoenix, and the Magma Turn local (which went east to Magma siding to switch the Copper Basin and Magma railroads), would often run with a single unit - generally an MK-rebuilt GP40-2M, but on occasion they'd use a GP35 and that thing would be straining. Run 8 all the way from the Mill Ave Curve to Extension Rd, and a whopping 15-20MPH! If Magma could do it running 1 GP40-2, hauling those heavy sulfuric acid cars as well as copper ingot cars, I would think that'd be sufficient to switch BP.
The sulfuric acid tankcar and the tankcars for BP would all most likely weight 263,000 pounds if loaded to capacity.
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
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