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Need a Dash 8 or an MP15?: See the Union Pacific auction on Thursday
What will UP do their switching with if they sell off all their switch engines? The way I understand it, no switch engines have been built the US in a lot of years. Am I right about that?
They will still have GP15’s and the like to do yard work.
A year ago they couldn’t get those old GE’s back in service fast enough.
NS come on down, these are your next new, old power. It is grandfathered in from Tier4, so there you go.
“The way I understand it, no switch engines have been built the US in a lot of years. Am I right about that?”
If you define “switch engine” as being a low-horsepower four-axle end-cab diesel-electric loco made by either GE or EMD, maybe. But other makers such as Brookville have certainly made road-switcher-based locos intended for switching, including hybrids.
When you say switch engines, I would say that it depends on how one defines “switch”. Nowadays yard switching is often handled by six axle power with four axle units reserved for servicing industrial trackage with lightweight rails or tight curves. Also, do MP15’s have toilets? I more or less assume that they do, but if they don’t I could see why they could not be used for work away from the terminal.
Hey I’ve bought stuff from Blackmon. They generally have UP MOW stuff at the Lonoke yard mentioned above. (A side note, the driveway/road to the facility is on the old Rock Island Memphis-Tucumcari road bed)
Just so everyone is aware, you can go to their web site on the auction day and follow the links to the auction and you can watch in real time on the net. I think you click on “catalogue”. You don’t have to register, but you obviously can’t buy anything without registering. Just in case you’re curious to see what they go for.
Michael, I have seen a MP15 at one of these UP auctions with a toilet, it was in a very cramped area and right next to the main generator, in between it and the cab.
Also, Knoxville Locomotive Works makes single-engine, green, “switch” locomotives but many Class Is are using larger 2000-3000 hp locomotives to do their switching nowadays. Anything over 2300 hp is a line haul locomotive in the eyes of the EPA, regardless of how it is actually used.
Hump yards use SD40 and larger to switch. Flat yards mostly use remote control Geeps. The MP15’s were
purchased by the MoPac.for light local work mostly. D. Jenks set up a business car trip between St Louis
and Poplar Bluff with one MP15 and one Heavy business car. Between St. Louis and Bismark we got down to 15 MPH in #8 throttle. Not one of my best trips.
Mm how many state lines I could operate with a few mp15’s and some dash 8’s…