Does anyone know wht the cost would be to upgrade and engine to a -3? Say an SD40 to an SD40-3. I know you would need a new electrical cabinet with its computers and new wiring an probably other things.
Thanks I nAdvance
Ira
Ira,
Upgrading a ‘40’ line locomotive has several issues:
- Electrical - The usual solution is to replace the switch gear in the electrical cabinet with a micro-processor based system.
- Emissions - This is the big one. The cost of doing a major upgrade to many of these older locomotives is that they may need to be brought up to EPA emissions standards EMD offers a ‘710ECO’ upgrade package(prime mover/generator/cooling) that has been done by several railroads. CP just had EMD build SD30C-ECO units using old parts with the new power package.
I have not seen what the ‘cost’ is of these 20 units, but I suspect they may be in the $1 Million range each.
Jim
The engine falls into Tier 0 group for emissions, so none would be needed. All that I am intersted in is the cost of the computer, electrical and control upgrades needed to make an engine a -3 (the latest micro processor controled locomotive.
Ora
Ora,
The SD40 is a 1966-1971 era machine - and does not need to meet the Tier 0 requirement(built 1973 - 2001). However, certification usually is needed if there will be a major ‘re-manufacturer’ of the locomotive.
On a tour of the DM&E Huron Shops about 5-6 years ago, they were building a complete new wiring harness and had an EMD EM EM2000 control cabinet on site. They said that about $50,000 was in the EM2000. I have also seen the Wabtec electrical upgrade on WC Ltd SD45’s. I suspect the cost of the EM2000 system, the wiring harness and the labor/installation cost could top $100,000…Maybe someone here has some current examples they can share.
Jim
Jim:
Even if the total is say $300,000 to $500,000, that is still very inexpensive an upgrade to add another 30 years to the life of an engine compaired to the purchase oa new one which costs 2 million dollars. Thanks for the information.
Th
Except, the “new” SD40-whatever, will still have less than one half the tonnage rating, and burn much more fuel per HP produced than a current AC unit. What seems like a bargain, may end up costing way more in the long run…
When you have enough money for the ‘bargin’ but not enough for the ‘long run’, you do what you can afford.
LOL. Absolutely true. That is an accountant’s dream situation, especially when they know they will be long retired in 20 years when everyone else realizes it would have been cheaper just to buy the new locomotives in the first place.
True if you are talking about high-utilization road service. If you are talking about low utilization service such as helper or yard and local work, then you are only using a fraction of the fuel and are willing to trade a small amount of utility for cost. Keeping rebuilt SD40s around to switch feed mills or push a couple trains a day over a hill makes a whole lot of sense. Rebuilding to “Dash 3” is actually cheaper than rewiring in kind.
Yes, but… If the proposed upgrade costs more than the fully depreciated “book” value of the locomotive then it’s a bad investment. (A secondhand SD40-2 runs in the $250K-$300K range.) The increased longevity of the locomotive has to offset the increased property tax after the rebuild. That’s why most railroads will just park/scrap a locomotive and buy a same model locomotive which is in better condition and not bother with a rebuild/upgrade.
There ar lot of SD40M-2’s (SD40’s upgraded to a -2) around and working mailine service. I just saw on another fourm that a bunch of SD40’s went for $100,000 at auction. As previosly stated, if you cannot afford to spend 2 million dollars for a new egine and you can get an SD40 if good shape inexpensivly it probably is worth the cost of the upgrade. If the total is say $400,000 ( cost of engine and upgrade) that is still 20 percent the cost of a new engine, depreciated over 30 years, even with the taxes included is still less than what it would be for a new engine.
A trade mag stated (a few years ago, but might still hold true) that if you were running less then 60,000 miles a year or so, SD40-2s are still cost-effective compared to buying new(er) power. Might spend a little more on fuel, but the availability and ease of service are big plusses.
Straight SD40s with the Flexicoil trucks would be good to upgrade, as they just don’t pull as much as a SD40-2 with the HTC truck.
While you’ve got it torn apart, might as well insulate the cab better… The older engines are noisier inside.
I feel upgrading a SD40 with a Dash-2 cabinet is foolish, so many SD40-2s available that already have one, pull better, and are just newer, less rot (hopefully).