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More retired BNSF units on the move
Santa Fe All The Way! I hope BNSF will donate some of these old engines to some not for profit tourist railroads like the Midland Railway in Baldwin City,Kansas where they can pull tourist trains!
It would be a bonus to get the rest of the story. Why are they being moved?
These units aren’t being retired for scrap. They’re not even 20 years old yet. They probably don’t fit logistically in BNSF’s scheme due to odd parts or some such for the 75-series design. These engines will end up on other railroads, probably regionals with a need for higher horsepower. The cost of upkeep on one would bankrupt your average tourist line, not to mention that they’re probably too big to negotiate their trackage.
They are coming off lease, BNSF cannot donate a unit they don’t own. I believe they are owned by Bank of America.
I can’t believe they are retiring these units!!
Those units are not that old. Unless there were some underlying mechanical issues,looks like some good use units to be had by another class 1 or short lines.
Those units are not that old. Unless there were some underlying mechanical issues,looks like some good use units to be had by another class 1 or short lines.
From what I see at trackside there a lot of new EMD &GE AC units going buy. I may be wrong but I think the old power is DC. In the TRAINS vidio, BIG POWER, the comment was made, “If you want to run your train uphill at 1 mph a AC will do it!” Maybe that’s why they are going away, any other ideas out there?
I will miss those EMD’s… the transcon and places out west wont be the same…just ALL those gevo’s Yech…
I agree they’re too young to get retired. But with new Loco’s, that are up to 40% more efficient, coming every day, it makes sense to send these back. there’s probably a payout/ purchase at the end of the lease, and its not worth it. These units may suffer from a mechanical failure that,s not worth fixing. No doubt some railroad is going to get good heavy power for a minor repair and low price. I would be interested if I had short line
Yes, these units seem “too young to die”, but time flies.
I suspect that they will be re-sold by Natl;. Railway Equipment Co. to bargain seeking regional carrier (Indiana Railroad or MRL?) or perhaps even a class I carrier seeking a bargain (CN or KCS?).
It would be nice to see one of these units ultimately preserved as an example of the last original “Santa Fe” RR purchased locomotives.
So sad. I had the 8222 (222) on its first run out of Corwith yard. Another time I had 4 new SD-75’s and 2 developed computor problems south of Joliet. We could barely make 55 mph (track speed was 70). Mr Krebs and UPS officials were riding in a business car on the rear end of train. I caught hell for not reporting the problem to the mechanical dept.
These units will get picked up by a Class 1 since they are not that old. BNSF doesn’t own them and they are not renewing the leases.
Here’s the link to the video of all 29 locomotives going through Prescott, WI.
I would not be surprised if CN buys the entire fleet of the ex-BNSF SD75Ms and rebuilds them. They have a fleet of SD75Is, so fixing them should not be a problem for them.
I’d get one in full Santa Fe scheme just to save it.