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America's dirtiest railroad/locomotive?

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Posted by emdgp92 on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 1:41 PM

Many of Penn Central's engines were pretty grungy, especially the ones that hadn't been repainted.

http://rr-fallenflags.org/pc/pc4027acz.jpg

http://rr-fallenflags.org/pc/pc4224ags.jpg

http://rr-fallenflags.org/pc/pc4821ags.jpg

Some of this wear was because the railroad was more concerned with keeping things running than their appearance. Also, when PC repainted units, they didn't bother scraping off the old paint and decals--the new paint went right over the old. After awhile, the paint would come off the old decals in sheets! However, before that happened, most units looked pretty good, http://rr-fallenflags.org/pc/pc4312ags.jpg

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Posted by NS SD70M-2 on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 4:16 PM
 chefjavier wrote:
 I am having problems downloading the picture. Does anyone has better way to do it?
Copy and paste?
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Posted by espeefoamer on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 8:03 PM
It's a NS Dash 9 in gray primer in a snowstorm.
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Posted by chefjavier on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 9:35 PM

 NS SD70M-2 wrote:
 chefjavier wrote:
 I am having problems downloading the picture. Does anyone has better way to do it?
Copy and paste?

I already did the copy and paste. Do you have another choice?

Javier
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Posted by silicon212 on Thursday, July 19, 2007 2:42 AM

You need to use an image host.  Something like photobucket, webshots, Geocities premium etc.  You can't cut and paste into a message - the image has to be somewhere on the internet where you can image tag it into this message, for example the picture below:

would have been using the image tags <img> </img> (except use the [ or ] instead of < or >)

<img>http://www.silicon212.org/sd40-2.jpg</img>

Same image but formatted so you can see the text.

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Posted by NS SD70M-2 on Friday, July 20, 2007 2:08 PM
 chefjavier wrote:

 NS SD70M-2 wrote:
 chefjavier wrote:
 I am having problems downloading the picture. Does anyone has better way to do it?
Copy and paste?

I already did the copy and paste. Do you have another choice?

Save the picture in a file and then go to the little tree icon on the options board when you are posting a message.
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Posted by Railfan1 on Friday, July 20, 2007 6:20 PM
 silicon212 wrote:

 

would have been using the image tags <img> </img> (except use the [ or ] instead of < or >)

<img>http://www.silicon212.org/sd40-2.jpg</img>

 

Just to stray off topic for a second, thanks for posting that picture. I have been looking for a good example of that UP scheme.

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Posted by Railfan1 on Friday, July 20, 2007 6:22 PM
 Limitedclear wrote:
 Railfan1 wrote:

$30,000 for a paint job? Now I know Why NS and CSX painted their own locos.

Some painting is done in RR shops and others by outside contractors or manufacturers. NS does paint at Juniata Shops. EMD is well known for contracting out paint work to Alstom, Super Steel and others. Repaints can be done in house or contracted out depending upon the railroad and their union agreements and other factors, primarily cost. A large portion of the cost is the labor needed to prep the locomotive for painting including masking off all the doors and trucks, removing lights and numberboards or masking them off and grinding and filling rust or other damage. Once all that is done, the actual painting is much simpler and quicker, usually 3 coats depending upon the type of paint used. Remember, if specialty paint like Imron is used there are strict temperature and humidity requirements that must be met to assure the paint cures properly. These and other concerns all factor into the cost in addition to the number of colors, size of the unit being painted and other factors in my last post. Improper painting can be embarassing like two different numbers being painted on one locomotive or very expensive like accidentally painting the wheels (wheels are prohibited from painting by FRA Regs as it makes it more difficult to identify critical defects in the wheels and if painted, the wheels must be replaced).

LC 

I always wondered how that was done. Thanks

"It's a great day to be alive" "Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been......"
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Posted by J. Edgar on Sunday, July 22, 2007 5:25 PM

 dirtiest RR/loco is ANYTHING in the NE on 4-1-76.....

i love the smell of coal smoke in the morning Photobucket
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Posted by MLG4812 on Sunday, July 22, 2007 6:46 PM

Sweet mother of Moses!!! What is that!? Man, that's an ugly loco....(topic) I didn't realize it was that difficult just to keep locomotives clean. All the EPA, tree-hugger hoops and everything. Where's Morrison K. when you need him? We need a fleet of new, high hp green locos that don't get so gummed up with dirty diesel residue (God bless it anyway). Then we can bring the squeegy and water hose back.

 

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Posted by bobontroy on Monday, July 23, 2007 11:07 PM
The worst I remember was the second hand fleet of filthy locomotives operated by the short lived Chicago Missouri & Western RR.  Most had minimally patched paint and lettering and looked as if they were total strangers to a wash.
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Posted by Railfan1 on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 1:16 PM
"It's a great day to be alive" "Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been......"
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Posted by Ishmael on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 1:50 PM
 Railfan1 wrote:

Here are some candidates:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/21867/BNSF8282.jpg

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/13141/UP%204417.JPG

 

 

The BNSF Warbonnet locomotive is a good example of what we're talking about. BNSF's River Line runs past my house, and I have seen these locomotives, arguably the best diesel color scheme ever, get dirtier and dirtier over the years. For some reason, the Santa Fe blue and gold locomotives don't seem to show the dirt as much. Neither do the Cascade green locos.

I guess this goes back to costs and environmental regulations. This is why I seldom bother to go to the window when I hear a train whistle.

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Monday, July 30, 2007 5:59 PM
 snagletooth wrote:
 foamer8101 wrote:

thanks, dansapo  that is filthy ....WOW!!!!....I thinks its bath time!.....,foamer8101Wow!! [wow]

If it was still on the Grande, it'd be voted the cleanest locomotiveSmile,Wink, & Grin [swg]. If you can read the name, It's no longer a Grande!

From what I understand, the Rio Grande loco's didn't get chronically dirty until after the merger with the SP.  Only then did it become the "real grime" rail road.

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Posted by nsrayman on Monday, July 30, 2007 9:10 PM

 

this one was dirty

 

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Posted by Rodney Beck on Monday, July 30, 2007 11:40 PM

A dirty locomotive is one that is makeing money, a clean locomotive is one that has to much time in the shop something is wrong with it.

 

Rodney

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Posted by snagletooth on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 1:07 PM
 riogrande5761 wrote:
 snagletooth wrote:
 foamer8101 wrote:

thanks, dansapo  that is filthy ....WOW!!!!....I thinks its bath time!.....,foamer8101Wow!! [wow]

If it was still on the Grande, it'd be voted the cleanest locomotiveSmile,Wink, & Grin [swg]. If you can read the name, It's no longer a Grande!

From what I understand, the Rio Grande loco's didn't get chronically dirty until after the merger with the SP.  Only then did it become the "real grime" rail road.

Rio Grande did wash and maintain their loco's quite well. It's just black paint seems to atrract coal dust like a magnet. After a trip thru a coal loder and several trips thru tunnels at full throttle, they had a tendency to get dirty again real quick. It only takes a couple of Craig-Denver trips and you got one dirty loco. Add in the dynamic often cooking off the paint, mostly on older unrepainted GP40's and SD45's. The paint often tended to loss it's glossy black sheen, which gave them a whitish or grayish "tint" making them look dirtier than they were. Old N&W units did the same thing. 

They washed quite often,probably more often than most roads, but they still got dirty faster than they could wash them. 

Snagletooth
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Posted by TimChgo9 on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 11:56 PM
 Limitedclear wrote:
 galaxy wrote:

I have to say that if I owned a railroad, I'd want the locos to be cleaned at least as often as they were refueled, or as often as possible. Just like we do with our cars, especially when dirty in winter. Today's pressure washers can use filtered recycled water and sprayers can make high use of little water and soap.

Black locos tend not to show dirt as much, but I don't care if the locos are pink with purple and yellow polka-dots, they should be reasonably clean if the railroad has any pride in its equipment! Trucking companies and owner/operators tend to keep their fleets clean on the dirty open roads, and RRs can't?  LOL

I love the railroads, but think they should spend a little more care in their appearance.Cool [8D]

Not to pick on you, too much. I at least give you credit for saying what you mean.

Locomotive paint is expensive. A good locomotive paint job can cost $30,000 or more. EPA regs, spray booths, limitations on sand blasting, labor costs and specialized paint requirements and new FRA reflectorization requirements have all combined to these high prices. When a short line has to make choices between necessary bridge and track repairs or payroll versus a nice looking paint job, the responsible choice is to fix the infrastructure or pay the employees. That is the reality of railroading. Sure, its nice to have a clean good looking locomotive, but even washing the power can give rise to litigation. Remember, they have to be washed at a wash rack that has EPA approved drainage handling equipment so all that oil and fuel that are getting washed off plus the detergent don't get into streams and lakes or perhaps the groundwater. More expense. No more just get out the hose and the squeegee at the roundhouse.

Railfans like to have pretty paint for nice photos. Railroaders like to have good looking property and equipment, but it isn't a priority and isn't likely to be in the future as costs continue their upward spiral.

LC  

 

I don't mind a dirty locomotive... Sometimes it gives the photo that extra "character" you know?  I like shooting train pictures, but, I am not picky. I don't "need" a  shiny locomotive to make a good photo. Heck give me a loco with the doors open, a reflecto-vest on the hand rails, the and the engineer NOT waving, and I am still happy.....Laugh [(-D]Whistling [:-^]

"Chairman of the Awkward Squad" "We live in an amazing, amazing world that is just wasted on the biggest generation of spoiled idiots." Flashing red lights are a warning.....heed it. " I don't give a hoot about what people have to say, I'm laughing as I'm analyzed" What if the "hokey pokey" is what it's all about?? View photos at: http://www.eyefetch.com/profile.aspx?user=timChgo9
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Posted by MLG4812 on Wednesday, August 1, 2007 8:44 AM
 Rodney Beck wrote:

A dirty locomotive is one that is makeing money, a clean locomotive is one that has to much time in the shop something is wrong with it.

 

Rodney

 

Bow [bow]

 

 MLG4'8.5"

 

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Posted by dansapo on Wednesday, August 1, 2007 9:03 PM
 Rodney Beck wrote:

A dirty locomotive is one that is makeing money, a clean locomotive is one that has to much time in the shop something is wrong with it.

 

Rodney

Like this one

When I blew this picture up "Road Hog" was written on the fuel tank.This would make a neat  model project.I guess UP has no time to repair the paint job.All in the details

 

 Eastbound NS freight Berea Ohio 7-31-07

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Posted by kevin hill on Saturday, August 4, 2007 4:57 PM

Here's a good one!

 

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Posted by Railfan1 on Thursday, August 9, 2007 4:04 PM
 kevin hill wrote:

Here's a good one!

 

Now that's a winner.

"It's a great day to be alive" "Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been......"
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Posted by Railfan1 on Thursday, August 9, 2007 4:05 PM
 nsrayman wrote:

 

this one was dirty

 

Ha! A locomotive with two different paint schemes of the same railroad.

"It's a great day to be alive" "Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been......"
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Posted by bakupolo on Thursday, August 9, 2007 9:19 PM

I'm not big on posting pix (too technical) but none of these locos holds a candle to UP3216 - the rat loco of all rat locos. Peeling paint adds luster, oily smears on glass, wheels not eactly round, sheet metal worn thin, and this sucker earns it's keep because I see it pulling all kinds of freight over town lake bridge main UP road and it hardly smokes - believe me this machine can-not-be-mistaken. It's a living example of how durable the old SD40-2 is.

 I haven't seen it for a month, however. I hope UP didn't send it to the glue factory.

I can send a picture or 2 if anybody wants one.

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Posted by silicon212 on Thursday, August 9, 2007 11:55 PM
 bakupolo wrote:

I'm not big on posting pix (too technical) but none of these locos holds a candle to UP3216 - the rat loco of all rat locos. Peeling paint adds luster, oily smears on glass, wheels not eactly round, sheet metal worn thin, and this sucker earns it's keep because I see it pulling all kinds of freight over town lake bridge main UP road and it hardly smokes - believe me this machine can-not-be-mistaken. It's a living example of how durable the old SD40-2 is.

 I haven't seen it for a month, however. I hope UP didn't send it to the glue factory.

I can send a picture or 2 if anybody wants one.

 Here's a picture of it, taken 31 - that's thirty-one - years ago -

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Posted by da Milwaukee beerNut on Friday, August 10, 2007 10:52 PM

A significant batch of 40-2's in the UP 31xx-32xx series have that same paint problem. Looks they got a bad sunburns and are now half peeled.

UP 3156 7/22/07 in El Paso

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=821559 

6/13/07 Omaha shot of bakupolo's nominee for buttugly: conductor's door is a real classy touch!

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=780251 

 

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Posted by bakupolo on Saturday, August 11, 2007 7:59 AM

I still haven't figured out linking pix but heres a link to 3216 now - quite a contrast

 

http://www.kodakgallery.com/PhotoView.jsp?UAUTOLOGIN_ID=516498341208&collid=516498341208.264609341208.1186837077573&photoid=164609341208&folderid=0&amp;view=1&amp;page=1&amp;sort_order=&amp;albumsperpage=&amp;navfolderid=2007

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Posted by Railfan1 on Saturday, August 11, 2007 8:20 AM
"It's a great day to be alive" "Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been......"
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Posted by Railfan1 on Saturday, August 11, 2007 8:21 AM
"It's a great day to be alive" "Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been......"
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Posted by bakupolo on Saturday, August 11, 2007 5:24 PM

I;m very new to posting pix on the web. I did click something to share the pix (just now) but don't know if it'll work.

 But anway - railfan's picture is very similar and it's a much better picture. More professional. I feel that engine was only painted once - at the factory, over 30 years ago. I've seen it hauling autos, bulk, containers, boxcars, everything but aggregate and coal (coal drags always have GE44's - 2 in front 1 in back). There's no mistaking that engine, as you can see.

 

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