The latest grab bag on the VRF channel shows 23 former BNSF C44-9Ws with KCS patches on the move in Elkhart IN.
Saw that. We know that ultimately they become rebuild fodder. Will any see service before rebuilding?
Supposedly CP had picked up maybe 40 SD9043s from UP a couple of years ago. Outside of one report the story goes cold. Do you have any more intel?
Outside of what’s already known about acquiring 40 ex UP SD9043MAC’s from Progress Rail in 2021 (some say from Union Pacific, but most reports state Progress Rail), the only concrete thing that I can add is that a handful were reactivated and have seen service for CPR (Mostly it seems on work trains). Linked below is someone’s picture showing one of these at work.
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/821722/
For non-concrete information that I’ve seen, there’s been some debate at various places that I’ve seen on whether or not these were even intended as SD70ACU rebuild fodder. While I think most believe that CPR was eyeing expanding the roster, some say that CPR got a great deal on these and picked them up primarily to cannibalize with no serious intentions of rebuilding them to ACU standards.
Lastly, like I said I swear I saw on Loconotes that two or three of these have been cut up (presumably stripped clean of useful parts for the SD70ACU’s if accurate). But without digging into the archive, don’t take my word on this since I could be misremembering.
That’s about all I’ve heard, too. So the new CPKC has parted with 44 Dash-9s and may be sitting on a few dozen SD90/43s for a potential rebuild. Oddly, NS gave up 66 SD70ACUs that no one seems interested in.
Speaking of those ex NS SD70ACU’s, I’ve inquired on Loconotes a couple of times if those are still intact but never got an answer. Progress has been scrapping large numbers of power (including many UP SD9043MAC’s), but the fate of these has me curious given their ACU rebuilding.
While still in need of a heavy overhaul on the engine and such (which originally was deferred by NS to get them online as quickly as possible), they strike me as well positioned for having a future given the ACU rebuild compared to the scores of well worn SD70MAC’s, SD60’s, and such that Progress is cutting up.
I’d be interested to know if Progress Rail thinks similarly and has held on to these in the hope of marketing them to a customer like Canadian Pacific that wants to finish the job that NS started (which makes perfect sense to me, but I still wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they’ve all but parted out and scrapped).
And now it appears CN has picked up 60 ex-BNSF Dash-9s for AC rebuild.
Can we suspect that with all the DC to AC traction work that rebuilding parts unique to DC traction has completely tanked?
There were over 1300 ES40/44DC variants built. There are also hundreds of Dash-9s still running around so the DC traction spares business should be healthy for at least another decade. When the ES44DCs start coming in for their AC rebuild then the clock will be ticking for the GE DC traction parts’ market.
GE ES DC engines are approaching or have already past the 10 year mark so rebuilding is not that far into the future.
Using the Dash-9s as a template the first pair of rebuilds were 20 years old when they got their inverters. The locomotives following average 22-23 years old when they get their rebuild. If they stick to this pattern the ES locos may see something by the end of this decade.
With all the AC engines CSX had purchased I was surprised when they bought so man ES44DC’s. To my ground level, not board level mind - it didn’t make much sense, though it may have made cents.
My thought about surplus DC parts was especially traction motors. What are the different DC traction motor models that are being replaced by AC?
It is definitely not for me to tell you that it takes an act of congress and an act of god to change the paradigm of railroad management. Even 20 years ago the bigs saw AC traction as power for coal trains and DC for everything else. Since then the maintenance costs of AC over DC more than justified their universal adoption and it hasn’t hurt that the cost of AC hardware has continued to decrease.
For Dash-9 rebuilds to AC traction all TMs will be from the 752 family. And even though NS proved a DC traction motor “roller blade” truck could be modified for AC motors they’ve decided on new trucks for the rebuilds. 752 TMs are still quite numerous for now and should have at least another healthy decade before there is a supply issue. As an aside, the one non-GE/Wabtec DC-to-AC rebuild (AC44C6CF) used third-party inverters and TMs. To the best of my knowledge, and I’d love to hear from someone who’s had their face in there to see, those TMs were drop in replacements for the 752’s. Whilst not a total game changer it does open new possibilities for older locomotives. Imagine a Dash-8 to AC rebuild.
Rumor mill is saying that more CPR SD70ACU’s are planned for 2024.
I have zero insider information on either types of rebuilds. My educated guess is the cost for either will be almost the same. A running Dash-9’s book value is likely higher than a derelict SD90 and since it’s going for a rebuild it doesn’t matter. Ergo, selling the Dash-9s for the higher price and keeping the SD90s for a potential rebuild makes sense.
My money would be on the SD90MAC/SD70ACU conversion .
The word on the street I hear is that the Dash 9/AC4400 type conversions sometimes don’t go so well . Particularly if the later cabs are fitted non isolated .
“SD70ACU” has the best of the 70ACe internals and isolated cab - plus the bigger traction motors and fuel tank of the 90MAC .
Looks like CPKC has given up on further SD90 rebuilds: https://youtu.be/uj2awjWoApc?si=vwFWGXs693UodC63
Yeah, they’ve been heading south not for rebuild but for component recovery and scrapping. I do wonder about those Norfolk Southern SD70ACU cast offs and if they still might not figure into CPR/KCS plans down the road when they go locomotive shopping. If Progress Rail has held on to them, the job is halfway done to prepare them for service where as CPR/KCS would’ve been starting from step 1 with what they’re now scrapping.
They only need the heavy mechanical overhaul (and chasing some gremlins) that NS deferred to get them online quickly, in order to turn them into fully rebuilt SD70ACU’s. Where as what’s being scrapped now not only is high mileage and in need of a full mechanical overhaul, but also would’ve needed the ACU conversion to also be performed (new cab, new electrical system, new inverters, etc.).