As some you probably already know, most if not all of BNSF’s #800-950 series C40-8Ws are in storage in CA. I guess they were deadlined due to the economy. Though this could be taken with a grain of salt, rumor has it that BNSF is going take some of these former ATSF-Dash-8s off lease, even though some of them have been repainted into the 2005+ BNSF swoosh. I wonder how many Dash 8s have been retired by Class 1s? I know UP retired their former CNW C40-8s. I wonder if the Dash 8s will fare the same or better than their Dash 7 and U-boat predecessors? And I wonder if EMD’s 60-series will outlast the same-vintage Dash 8s in class 1 service? BNSF has former BN SD60Ms and ATSF has GP60/60M/60Bs, and the other class 1s have 60-series locos too.
Given that EMD’s Dash 2 line have far outlasted GE’s contemporary U-boats and Dash 7s I think the answer is yes…
This issue is more than just reliability. The EPA has mandates for the Tier I, Tier II and lower levels of diesel exhaust the will force older units to be retired long before they serve out their time. Some of the SD60M’s are now being rebuilt with 710 computer controller motors and lowered HP rating to utilize the older units for continued use in California and probably other places in the future.
At some point in time, all of the diesels will have to meet lower levels of exhause emissions.
CZ
UP’s rebuilding their SD60M’s BNSF havent ran for a long time Id like to see them out and bad im tired of seeing H2 and H3 i need some green.
We get some Dash 8-40CWs (Railway nomenclature) thru Shelby every day, on the ‘High Line’ and the branches. They all aren’t in storage. Business is picking up, albiet slowly. One new coal train, from Signal Mountain Mine, almost daily, headed west with 2+2 4400s. No potash monsters lately, but it is “windmill season” again and that’s always interesting. Thanks, San Diego!
Hays
Are you sure that you are not seeing Dash-9s rather than Dash-8s. The Dash-8-40CWs are numbered in the 800s and from 900 to 951. Number 961 begins the Dash-9s.
Trucks are different and on the ATSF’s C-40-8Ws the cab was shaped like a Gullwing to clear the York Canyon mine loader. They were the only ones with that shaped cab.
Trucks are indeed different, but all BNSF GE’s have the “Gull-wing Cab”.
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/5/5/0/5550.1170975600.jpg
They do? I was under the impression that only the ATSF ones had that gullwing cab.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=226700&nseq=55
I see a huge differance in the cabs in the previous post and this one.
I don’t think so. Most of the Santa Fe units that became BNSF had the “Gull-wing Cab”, but BNSF has gone back to regular cabs on many of the latest units. BNSF did continue to purchase Dash 9’s with the Gull Wing Cab but that seems to be over now. The first group of Dash 8-40BW ( 500 - 559 ) did not have the Gull-wing-cabs but the last order of those units were the first Gull Wind Cab GE’s. All of the SF 8-40CW’s (800 to 951) and SF Dash 9-44CW’s ( 600 to 699) had the Gull Wing Cab.
CZ
The 1000 and 1100 series Dash9-44CW were BNSF and had the Gull wing cab. I am not sure when they stopped the special cab orders, but the new GEVO units do not have it.
http://archive.trainpix.com/bnsf/GEORIG/C44-9W/1020.HTM
1100 series below
http://archive.trainpix.com/bnsf/GEORIG/C44-9W/1103B.HTM
4700 series new in BNSF Warbonnet with Gull Wing
http://archive.trainpix.com/bnsf/GEORIG/C44-9W/4711.HTM
4800 and 4900 series had Gull Wing Cabs
This picture is one of the new GEVO ES44AC unit and is a regular GE cab. All of the new GEVO units seem to be the regular GE cab for both AC or DC models on the BNSF. There might be exceptions but I have not seen them. It seems most if not all of the Dash9-44CW purchased by the SF and the BNSF have “Gull Wing” cabs, but not any of the new GEVO models.
CZ.
When we bought our first batch of “Dash 9-44CWs”, we numbered them from 961 to 1123, with the incipient merger in mind. Lovely rigs they be, in the faux Great Northern orange and green. The AT&SF units fell into the lower numbered rankings, as their birthright. All are still around, working hard, as only GEs can do! I’ma going to be looking out for unit #960, as that might have been a Dash 9-44CW. Dunno, me.
Hays
You are right about the numbering starting at 961. I missed those units but they are listed and are the first orange and green units without all of the stripes.
There’s an ongoing discussion about the former ATSF C40-8Ws on locophotos.
http://www.locophotos.com/Read.php?ThreadID=16343
One person says the 25 C40-8Ws BNSF is returning to the leaser will be shipped south of the border to a Mexican railroad. I know that in the last 10 years a lot of former Class 1 6-axle Dash7 C307/36-7s have been shipped to Mexico and South America for service on those countries’ railroads. I guess the same will happen to the C40-8/8Ws as these are retired from Class 1s, though I guess some Dash 8s could end up on US or Canadian shortlines and regionals too, which I think is already case with some early Dash 8s. IMO, it’s better than sending old GE’s to the scrapper. If GE ever gets it’s GEVO repowering program going, it may be possible to rebuild Dash 8 and 9s with 6, 8, or even 12-cylinder GEVOS, though GE hasn’t had a major rebuild program since the Super7 in the early 90s.
Wow I haven’t seen any C40-8’s around in a long time.I used to track locomotives pretty close when I was working for the Union pacific through their computers and the C40-8 was all but gone way back in 2001.There was a some CNW C40-8’s that were still in service and I was told that was only because there was still a old union agreement with them prior to the UP merger as a service contract for mechanic work.The C40-8’s were sure a pain in the butt to ride in.They were just bad as the C30-7’s with the cramped cab.If you had to ride in the front conductors seat you had to sit sideways for the whole ride as there was not enough room for your legs as the door was almost to the seat itself.Switching on them was also a pain as the ladders were straight up and not staggered like on the SD40-2’s which made standing on them difficult.I loved the sound though and they pulled just as good as any locomotive out there.Not sure about the BNSF C40-8’s and what will become of them.
Those Union Pacific SD60’s were a miserable piece of junk.I swear I must have boarded all of their SD60’s at one time or another and every single one of them had the cab interior hanging down or it was removed.Either way the cab looked trashed.I don’t know why but Union Pacific loved putting a lot of seats in those SD60’S.Most of them had 5 or 6 seats but it wasn’t unusual to find 8 seats in them.There was also a small flip up toad stool seat on the back of the cab.When ever the SD60’s came to town they were usually bad ordered.
The BNSF SD60’s on the other hand seemed to have done a outstanding job both in holding up their paint and staying reliable.
HOW ARE THE GEVO250 ENGINES STANDING UP . ANY TROUBLES OTHER THEN THE TURBO FIASCO. HARD TO BEAT THE EMD ENGINES. DONT THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER. IME HERE FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO HELP.
What is involved with preparing a motor for deadline storage?
I assume the last part of your post has something to do with the GM bailout which has nothing to do with EMD as General Motors sold the company a few years back… so there is no “baby” in that bathwater…
My information shows that Union Pacific still rosters 250 of it’s original 257 Dash 8-40C locomotives. and 47 of the North Western’s 77 examples.
So nearly 300 remain on Union Pacific’s roster and just 37 have been retired due to wreck damage or leases not being picked up in the case of many of the North Western units over the course of 2008 and 2009 that had a seperate lease agreement from the remainder. Furthermore, this class hasn’t seen widespread periods of storage until this recession hit in late 2008 and was intact besides wreck retirements well past 2001.