CSX 4500..nee CSX 700, "The Spirit of Cumberland"

Back in year 2000, CSX had a shop tour (they don’t have them anymore) and had CSX 700. a 70Mac, on display. It was their first 70Mac, and it looked like a bright future, so to speak, for EMD AC out of Cumberland. Since then, though, AC EMD’s are rare around here, the GE AC’s own the hills out of Cumberland, at least the old B&O “West End”.

These were made with my first digital camera, a Kodak DC230, at that shop tour. Since then, 700 was wrecked, nearly destroyed. I hadn’t been able to get a shot of her since that tour. Often looked for her, never saw her again. That is until last week. Thursday she showed up at the Cumberland Loco Shop, looking a little worse for the wear. I shot one of her, had to shoot into the sun. Not good. I dropped by the shop the next day, Friday, and wow! They had cleaned her, she was nice, bright and shiney, but right behind a chain link fence, and between two other locomotives. So I stuck the lens in the fence, pointed up a little, and got this one.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=249888

Now the 4500, it still looks pretty good. The big billboard at the shop still has her as the 700, but at least it’s still up there, to this day!

I went down yesterday to see if I could catch her somewhere else, on the road or at the shop in a place with nothing around her, no luck. She has left Cumberland by now, so look for her and snag a photo if you can.

Big Appa

BigAppa,

Thanks for posting that link. Great up close photo of that cab profile and teardrop windshield [4:-)][tup]!

What amazed me is that she hasn’t been repainted to the dark blue paint scheme yet. Even with many miles under her belt, she is still a beauty!

High Greens to you

that unit was wrecked in ohio some years ago in which an engineer pilot was killed…

http://www.csx-sucks.com/pictures/?csx_700.jpg

it was cleaned up and repaired and put back into service…

csx engineer

Hi

I saw the spirit of waycross (601)yesterday in deshler heading west on the B&O.The Thomas Rice special has been around this part of ohio too.We’ll keep our eyes out.

stay safe

Joe

700 was also apart of a incident along the McCormick Sub (aka Spartanburg Sub) in Augusta during the year 1998, when a rock was thrown at a conductor. To this day I do not know who threw the rock but, since that day in 1998 when I was chasing it. 700 was my second favorite behind the 237. I have yet to see the current 700 and wait for the 4500 to come in the daylight hours.

Conductor was ok besides, having some stitches in the head.

Kevin

Glad the conductor was ok. I did see the “Thomas Rice” at the shop last year, but don’t know the story that goes along with it…like who is Thomas Rice, and why is a loco named for him?

Big Appa

This might help.

http://www.csx.com/?fuseaction=about.news_detail&i=48116

Kevin

Wow…quite a career! Thanks for the info.

Big Appa