It appears BNSF is in the process of ridding itself of it’s #8200-series SD75Ms, the first 51 of which were originally delivered to ATSF just before the merger in 1995. I guess they’ll end up as leasers, unless another class I like CN or NS picks them up.
I’d like to buy some, if I had the money. Maybe some B40-8Ws and a few SD38s, too. Seems Warren Buffet’s scheme is modern for the road, old for yards to get rid of them faster, and if the unit isn’t reasonable for either, it’s for sale.
It shouldn’t be too surprising that the SD75M’s are being unloaded, they’re fully depreciated and formed a relatively small part of the roster.
Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway owns BNSF but the Railroad has it’s own management that makes decisions on Motive Power, etc… Berkshire Hathaway’s business model is to have good management in place at the companies the buy, people that know that particular industry. If BH ran like an old fashion “top down” conglomerate with centralized management trying to run numerous different industries it would be out of business by now…
well, first of all they are tier 0 compliant. secondly one of the mechanical guys here told me they were bedeviled with computer clitches
What would NS do with them?
NS currently has their “SD60E” rebuild program with a goal of 240 units. NS has 213 SD60 variants on the roster so they will need a few more cores for the program. That said it is highly unlikely the SD75M would fill that need.
CN purchased 175 SD75I units in the 1990s which are mechanically identical to the SD75M. They’ll go north if the price is right.
The SD75Is are just “juiced” versions of NS’s ex-CR SD60Is. Same engine 16-710, etc., just a bit more HP. They’d make good cores for SD60Es…
NS’s SD60E program would put split cooling on them to make them emissions compliant as well as a new control system to make the “glitches” go away.
As built the SD60 came with the 16-710G3A with mechanical fuel injection. As rebuilt the SD60E has 16-710G3B with electronic fuel injection. The SD75 family came with the 16-710G3C. (The traction motors are different as well between an SD60 and SD75.) It’s up to the NS bean counters to decide if they want to pay more for an SD75 over an SD60. If the higher cost of an SD75 core lowers the cost of a rebuild into an SD60E then it works. If more engineering is required to convert an SD75 into an SD60E then it doesn’t work.
60 Series were built with (now obsolete) ‘Mod-3’ controls. SD60E’s (as well as some others) get EM2000 controls-same as current EMD production.
Just a historical note: here is a link to a photo of an SD75 m :
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=422994&nseq=6
and another one that shows a little more ‘scruffier’ photo of how they are looking these days:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=413748&nseq=15
They still are seen around this area on some of the lower class trains,singlly, or in pairs, not leading too often, but still pulling their loads. The “War Bonnet” paint scheme is a re- creation of Michael R. Haverty’s when he was running the former Santa Fe.(AT&SF RR., 1989/1995).
Mike went to the KCS in 1995 and has also brought back a historical re-creation of their distinctive ‘Southern Belle’ scheme. The the delight of may railfans.[bow]