You are the new President and CEO of a new major railroad in the United States and some lines will run into Canada. [;)] You have some work to do now. [:p] [8D] [;)]
Now you have to start buying locomotives to pull your trains. (Forget about rolling stock for now, and forget about grades and all that other stuff, this is for fun so don’t be overly serious.) [:p] You have decided to buy 300 locomotives, but only about 50 % of them can be currently purchased new, the others must be purchased used. You will also need about 50 switch yard engines. Tell us what locomotives you will buy to start your new railroad. And also, you must design a color scheme, so what colors are you going to use?
Tell us what locomotives you are going to buy and what colors you will use on your new railroad? Inquiring minds want to know. [:D] [;)] [:)]
Well the Toledo Lake Erie & Northen would buy EMD SD-70MACs and SD-40-2s for road service and SW1500s for yard duty and local work. They would have a black under frame and maroon body with gold lettering.
My Railroad would be the Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnestoa Railroad. I’d buy 50 GP15D and the color would be Red and White and 100 would be SD70MAC the My would be in Red & White and my 2nd hands would be 30 GP38-3, 50 SD40-2, 20 GP9 and 10 SD50’s and 20 GP 40-3, 10 SD45 and 10 GP50’s. I’m sure you can tell I am anti- GE.
They all would be and red & White
Other than paint, which is of the lowest priority, we would need to know A LOT more about the RR to make those sorts of decisions. I’ll try and get you a few questions later, for now I gotta go…
A couple quick ones. What are the ruling grades? What does the railroad haul? What is the budget for locomotive acquisition? How many locomotives in the existing fleet? Leased or owned outright? Maintenance contracts on any units? What is the RRs shop capability? Any air pollution non-attainment zones on the RR? Any high elevations?
Mines has no high elevation because were in the midwest, our railroad hauls Grian, Iron Ore, Paper, Lumber, Intermodal, Coal, Chemicals, Automobiales, scrap and Miscolance. We owned all of our Locomotives, we do all of our own matiance we’ve got a few reiling grades but the highest is 1.2% and we cab do all of own Matiance
Jim
the colors would be royal blue and yellow like the B&O .Now before I buy any engines i will tell you this. Need to know what part of the us and canada Im going to.it makes a difference.
stay safe
Joe
OK, people, this is suspose to be for fun. Don’t make it rocket science. [;)]
Your railroad runs in the area where YOU live now. Some lines might run into Canada. If you live in Canada then some of your lines will run into the US. Use grades that are typical of your area. As for the paint scheme remember that railroads do stress safety and visibility/safety IS an issue to consider. Now have some fun. What locos are you buying and why?
The Southern Pacific & Western would buy 100 SD70s & 50 C44-9s as new power.I would buy 100 SD40s.For switchers & locals,I would buy 40 GP38s & 10 GP7/9/CF7s.The would be painted dark grey with red ends for visibility at grade crossings.There would be a white Scotchlite stripe along the frame.Lettering would be white Scotchlite.
I would buy the Dash 9s to build friendly relations with both builders in view of future orders.[:)]
If I ever became CEO of a Class I, the only thing I’d focus on is the infrastructure, and I’d let other railroads use my lines on a fee per ton/mile basis. Why should I worry about locomotives, crews, et al?
I would do SD70 MACs for the mainline and SD40-2s for the mainlines and switching. Also some GP38-2s for switching and maybe a few slugs and I wouldn’t mind resurrecting any retired locomotive for the mainline or switching. My paint would red, white, and blue, with some gold here and there.
Since I live on the Northern part of the Left Coast with rptgmks of PNWE (Pacific NorthWest and Eastern). SP Daylight with an NP two-tone green accent added. Grades around here aren’t considered grades until they exceed 1.5%, and a train isn’t a train until it reaches 11,000 trailing tons. Most grades are in the 1.8% to 3.3%.
Trains in this area are a) passenger (fast if you call 60 MPH fast), b) pig (containers from the far east – relatively fast at 55), c) manifest - two types - expdiited and manifest and local.
Amtk runs the varnish. Pigs would be DC 62/15 - SD40, SD45, SD70. Distributed power for best train control Wouldn’t want train lenghts to exceed 50 cars or 4500 tons - that way you have two units on each end and no helpers. Manifests would run 8,000 tons to 11,000 trons trailing, so there would be helpers. Speed on grades would probably not exceed 8-11 MPH. If your power is DC, you are stuck with powering for 11 which means 8 units. If you have AC power you should be able to escape with 4 SD70AC’s with 8,000 tons. You might even get to 5 MPH with that power. Don’t know if I want M cabs - cramps your style when you need to use the power as a walk way, and you need to do that plenty in this country. Not being able to decorate the tops is a real bummer here also. Locals - 6 axel power - 7’s, 9’s, 28’s, 39’s - nothing over 2300 HP.
Goats - SW9, SW12, SW15, S6, C415, S12.
Wouldn’t paint them except for the name and unit numbers until all else in good repair. New units would come painted Red-Orange-Black with two-tone green striping. Oh, yes, SP headlight arrangements with duel ditchlights - one gyralight set at angles to blast out the stupid drivers at crossings and the other two straight ahead.
Well…Zach Lines would have SD70Ms, SD40-2s, GP38-2Ws, C420s, S1, SW2000, SW1500, C36-7, B23-7, B30-7, (the GEs are just to **** yall off!!!). The paint scheme will be a flamed nose with yellow/green then a purple stripe than blue, then an orange stripe, then green. With Zach Pacific on the sides!!! [:D]
Ill buy some switchers, 4400’s and SD70’s. I dont need 300 engines. The monies would be better spent in building a high speed electrical corridor from Little Rock Arkansas, Paducah Ky, Toledo OH Detroit and cross into Canada from there. Paducah can send traffic via Cincinnati OH, Cleveland and on to Buffalo and cross there. These would be my divsion points.
Bypassing St. Louis with it’s rusting and worn out network of track sunk into the mud will give me a better transit time and lure loads off both the CSX and UP.
Hopefully with good electrical supplys from my own power plants and decent high speed sparks (Locomotives) I may be able to strip traffic off of the UP. (HAr har har.) Little Rock will take traffic from both the CSX to the east by way of Chatanooga TN points southeast and from the UP to the southwest by way of Oklahoma City or Dallas.
The funds saved by buying just 140 engines (8 (up to 3 units per train) main trains a day per division) would go into improving standards of living and improve infrastructure. Cannot run a railroad on bad track and sick people.
Oh, and I intend to be wholly own this railroad. No stockholder will tell me what I can spend funds on or where to go.
I’d go with Pacific steam locomotives for passengers, Alcos for frieght, GP9s, GP18s, maybe an SD80MAC or 10…
…and a Big Boy for show and the occasional revenue train (mainly passengers.)
Oh, and I’m taking out Indiana rt 10 east of the first north/south road before 14. Gonna run a rail line straight over that. After we get to the end of 14, then I’ll run parallel to 10 a few hundred yards away into K3, IL.
