News and photos from our American CRO contributors.

Fresh from their NS rebuild. Mike Ray photographed Norfolk Southern GE AC44C6M 4001 (Ex-NS Dash 9 40C 8879), with NS AC44C6M 4000 on December 28th, beside the Diesel Shop in  Chattanooga, Tennessee. These locomotives wear a new, special paint scheme to designate the units as prototypes for the DC to AC conversion program.

 Iowa and Dakota (DAIR) 2502 is seen fresh from the NRE shop in Silvis IL back in May 2015. Currently, NRE has another one they are now completing and we will have a shot of her as well in next month's issue. These are all former UP GP9's that have been rebuilt. (Mike Garza).

Sibling DAIR 2501 was shot by Mike Garza last year. 

Joe Ferguson caught R.J. Corman GP38-2 (RJCR 3806) spent the New Year's Day 2016 shut down in Louisville, KY, with the first order of business on Monday to start out the work week!

 Road slug CXT 1053 was shot in Louisville, KY on January 1st, 2016. (Joe Ferguson).

 (Former SSW) UP patched GP60 1963 was shot by Joe Ferguson at Mount Vernon, IL on  January 2nd, 2016.

 CSXT C40-8W  7777 scene Monroe, NC January 11th, 2016 Joe Ferguson

 On December 31st, 2015 L.R. Meyers shot these strange "bedfellows" on the NS in Altoona, PA Former GO Transit F59PH 536 lettered RNCX 18536 and FWDX 0002 a brand new TP56 which has just been completed. FWDX 0002 is a TP56, built by Tractive Power Corp; TP for Tractive Power, 56 for 56,000 lbs of tractive effort (can be increased to 70,000 lbs with additional weight). Built from a CP Rail SD40-2 truck and portion of the frame (Via Peter Heatherington).

  https://www.flickr.com/photos/lrmyers/24154160135/in/photolist-CVJvYH-CeVf6c-CNqohP-CLZ8Sn-AwAACw/

 RNCX 18536 heading to NC-DOT is a former GO Transit F59PH. It and some sister units in transit made a short stop at the Juniata Shops in Altoona, PA in December 2015. The units previous RBRX (Rosen - Beaudin Recycling) reporting marks are still visible on the cab side.   

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lrmyers/24111794976/

 FWDX 0002 is the second TractivePower locomotive, and the first built by Curry Rail at the former Hollidaysburg Car Shop. It's a model TP70. NOTE the FWDX 0002 has a Dofasco truck under it.  It was in transit in Altoona, PA in December 2015. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lrmyers/24137917325/

 CURRY RAIL SERVICES Website:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lrmyers/sets/72157645738432701/page1

 NS 6920 in the salute to the veterans livery unit was at the IHB in Riverdale on December 27th.

One of the new GE's (CSX 3361), was at Barr yard in Riverdale, IL on December 31st.

Arnold Mooney caught the pair of locomotives that the Eastern Idaho RR (EIRR) had done up for the special 20 year commemorative paint (1993-2013) at the yard in Rupert, Idaho on Sept 24, 2015. EIRR owned by Watco, Inc., hence the WAMX reporting marks.  The shortline interchanges about 35,000 carloads per  year with Union Pacific, from whom it had acquired the track it now operates on.

On January 4th, 2016 Alan Quigley filmed  CSX Train P923 with the Ringling Brothers Circus Train with Union Pacific 8618 and 5812 on the front, and an RBBX blue unit in the consist, as it passed through Ocala, Florida destined to Tampa in the last hours of daylight. 

https://youtu.be/gumoomhsgCI

Another interesting Youtube video we received this month shows the "BO"  Interlocking tower in Kalamazoo, MI.  Currently, Delray and BO Tower are the last manned towers in the state of Michigan, and at the end of 2016, they will be gone, as the new PTC (Positive Train Control) system will be implemented everywhere Amtrak operates.  

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/15208b504192a704?projector=1

Some great shots from Steven Rathke

During the job briefing regarding the work scheduled for our December 14th journey, the yardmaster mentions we have to spot and pull an industry that has a restriction on 6 axle units due to track curvature.  There are two 4 axle units in the yard and he offers me a choice: either the 5293(GP38-2) or the 551(B32-8).  The engineer in me says to go with the 5293, as they are hands down better locomotives with which to switch and spot cars.  But the rail fan in me says to go with the very rare 551, as I have my camera and the weather forecast showed signs of afternoon sun.  No brainer right?  Here we are at Logistics warehouse on the Campbell Street Lead, getting ready to pull 3 empty boxes and then spot the WC car adjacent to the engine.  This is our last industry move of the day.  The 551 left Toledo that evening on a work train and has not returned since. (Photo Steven Rathke)

                                                                                     

 

 By Herb Iske

Back in June 1976, Donald Haskel photographed this Montreal bound Delaware and Hudson freight just getting under way at Colonie, NY. Montreal was hosting the Summer Olympics and the big 6-axle ALCO's were nearing the end of their careers' on the Bridge Line when this shot was taken. (Donald Haskel).

 At Roseville August 22nd, 1994 (WARREN CALLOWAY),

At Roseville August 22nd, 1994 (WARREN CALLOWAY).

Brand new Union Pacific SD70M 4164 at Super Steel in Glenville, NY. November 2000. (CRAIG STURGEON).

 The date is March 1993 and after a several hours at Pinole, CA George Manley would head over to the BNSF at Christie, CA  which was always good for several trains before the sun went down...but in the first three shots, it is a cloudy day, but the Santa Fe kept on rolling!   

EB Santa Fe 836-96 have a EB container train that has just cleared the main line and is waiting for the WB 199 to roll by.....there are no 'pumpkins' yet for several years to come, so things were still good. 

EB 836-96 are in the hole at East Christie as WB 199 led by 5818 with the UPS train is wasting no time on their way to Richmond. We also see another BNSF EB container train led by 103-556 pass thru the green hills on the way to Franklin Canyon, CA.

  

They were called FE7A's when CSX first did these first two back in 1999. Today,  they have four of them; CSXT 9992, 9993, 9998, and 9999 are all the new paint scheme and are now called F40PH2's.  CSXT FE7A 9992 in Savannah, GA on August 10th, 1999.  (Thomas H Parker lll) 

Tiger Stripe BN SD60 8300 was a rare bird. Instead of purchasing SD60s, BN opted to lease 100 SD60s from EMD under Oakway Leasing. Before the Oakway's began appearing, only three SD60s were painted into BN colors (BN 8300 / 8301 / 8302). They were later added to the lease fleet when their "demonstration" lease expired. (John Rus photo with thanks).

Where Are They NOW?

MMA 2006 Bangor Maine April 17 2007

© CRO February 2016