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GreenRailNews.com “Green” Locomotive Roundup Edited by Jody Moore
ELECTRO MOTIVE DIESEL: UNION PACIFIC’s last SD59MX ECO conversion has shipped from EMD La Grange in McCook, IL. The unit still carries its original number, UP 2849, but will be renumbered to UP 9900 after completion and painting at North Little Rock, Arkansas. MOTIVE POWER: MotivePower is performing emissions test on CAT-repowered MP20C-3 PHL 66 at its Boise, ID plant. The locomotive was repowered at Progress Tacoma, WA for PACIFIC HARBOR LINE. MPI is the closest available emissions testing facility. NATIONAL RAILWAY EQUIPMENT: On Friday, June 24, Joe Ferguson caught the new slug-mother set for Neptune Bulk Terminals in Vancouver, BC getting ready to ship from NRE Paducah, KY. The 3GS21B mother and its slug are both on new frames. They are numbered 805 (mother) and 805A (slug) but shipped as NREX 8050 and 8051 respectively. Joe sent us these photos of the units: http://www.greenrailnews.com/nre/neptune/805a.jpg http://www.greenrailnews.com/nre/neptune/805b.jpg http://www.greenrailnews.com/nre/neptune/8051a.jpg On May 31, the first genset for INDIANA HARBOR BELT was spotted by Joe Ferguson at NRE Mt. Vernon. Unit number is IHB 2141, and it’s a 3GS21B four axle genset. Around the same time, IHB 2143 was spotted at NRE Dixmoor by Ken Lanovich. The 2141 was to be displayed at Franklin Park Railroad Daze a few days later and Mike Garza took this photo:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2581756 Joe caught another IHB unit, 2140, leaving Mt. Vernon on June 16. PROGRESS RAIL SERVICES: Approximately 12 to 15 UNION PACIFIC SD60M locomotives were moved to Mayfield, KY late in the month of June. Reasons aren’t known, but there is discussion that Union Pacific is beginning another Genset/ECO conversion program. We are working to get confirmation. On June 8, Roger Beckett noted five PACIFIC HARBOR LINE locomotives at Progress in Tacoma for repowering. They were MP20B-3 PHL 20 and MP20C-3’s PHL 66, 70, 71 and 73. PHL 66 later moved to MPI in Boise, ID for emissions testing. Two additional NORFOLK SOUTHERN SD60’s, NS 6550 and 6553 were shipped to Progress in Waycross, GA mid-month. At press time, we were unable to confirm rumors that they were additional CAT repower conversions. RAILSERVE: Add another LEAF conversion to the ranks of Railserve’s growing homebrewed single engine genset fleet. Ken Zeigenbien caught RSSX 35 in North Little Rock, AK on June 27. No information on destination or locomotive heritage was available. GreenRailNews.com is stil working on compiling a list of the LEAF conversions to date, and hopes to present at least a partial list with next month’s Roundup. Ken’s photo of the 35: http://www.greenrailnews.com/railserve/rssx/35a.jpg RAILPOWER TECHNOLOGIES: In mid-June, RJ Corman shipped RP20BD demonstrator RPRX 2009 west from Lexington, KY. Near the end of the month, it was delivered to the NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC in Schellville, CA sometime around the 23rd of the month. THOROUGHBRED MECHANICAL SERVICES: During the month of June, several UNION PACIFIC SD40-2 locomotives were sent to TMS for conversion to six axle gensets by Railpower. First to arrive were UP 3090 and 3359, followed later in the month by 3241, 3249, 3287, 3331, and 3499. No word yet on exactly how many units will be converted, or if the program will be for Union Pacific or another customer. Noted at TMS when the author drove through on June 9, 2011: NS 999 (Brookville BP4), NS 3830 (Railpower RP20BD), an unidentified Railpower unit inside the shop. CSXT RP20BD 1320 and RP20CDs 1601 and 1602 were reported at the facility, but were not visible © CRO July 2011 |
