I found out that NS has added 65 (the units will now go to 9976) to its C40-9W order, the units are starting to be released from Erie. sigh Now they will have almost 1,100. I’d expect 35 SD70M’s, SD70M-2’s, or ES40DC’s also.
Dang, you would think that NS would get tired of a diet of catfish. Variety is the spice of life!
I don’t know why NS won’t go for the extra 400 hp and make them C44-9Ws?
I heard from a GE technician that NS’s Dash9-40CW’s are indeed in reality Dash9-44CW’s they are just held back from giving the extra 400 HP by means of the computer software. NS’s Road Foremen of Engines carry with them a special key to release the extra HP when they think the situation justifys it.
They either don’t trust their engineers with all that HP[:0] !!
Or they just want to simplify the power desk dispatching at 4000 HP like ATSF did for a time at rating the B40-8’s at the GP60’s HP rating of 3800 HP. But they never artificially held back the extra 200 HP.
From what I hear about NS’s attitude towrard their employees it is probably BOTH!!
I thought it was to save fuel too, as the extra 400 HP used more fuel than the benefit the extra horses provided…Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown
Huh…(flaberghasted at NS reasoning)[:0]
I think, all in all, it’s much more likely that the ‘derating’ is to reduce ‘wear and tear’ and perhaps allow longer intervals for scheduled maintenance. Who here (Don Oltmann?) knows exactly what modifications were made in the engine-management software to accompli***he change?
Yay! More lupins!
The locomotives have a switch that enables the operation of the last motor to supply the extra horsepower. It is only used when needed, so horsepower is not wasted. When extra horsepower is needed, the engineer flicks a switch and the horsepower is available immediately.
Ahhh…Grasshopper…
It should be so easy.
Kurt
Sounds like a fuel conservation thing to me.
Yea, macguy, as Rush Limbaugh, says, follow the money.
Wear & tear, whatever, the derating, is always about the money.
The Norfolk Southern, figures, as stated, in their text, the locomotives shall give the work, same as a regular rated engine, and the power reduction, shall ultimately save fuel.
The CSX, studied the same objective, however, they activated a “delayed throttle,” application, starting with the Dash 840-C locomotive. Twenty seconds to activation, after the throttle application.
A capital idea.
Enjoy Corporate Resource Conservation, In A Realtime Horsepower War!
ACJ.
No doubt some bean counter noticed the 4000 hp unit was $5 cheaper than the 4400 hp unit in G.E.'s catalogue and proved mathematically that the 400 hp wasn’t worth $5 over the lifetime of the unit. Using the same logic that the Ford Taurus is cheaper than the Mercury Sable and both go down the same assembly line [D)] Hopefully, his/her bonus for figuring that out was $5.[:P][(-D]
Let’s hope they paint them instead of leaving them grey ghosts.[(-D]
Less horsepower = less fuel burned
I can derate my truck through the performance chip for greater efficiency on the highway when lots of power is not needed. But when i need to tow or when i’m at a redlight with a ricer next to me, the horsepower is upped and to heck with fuel milage. (american V8, YEAH!!)
Adrianspeeder
More of them. Yipee.
You gota be kidding,They must be realy be power short.
Yeah, Roenoke didn’t want wide cabs…then 4,400 HP, they finally broke down and got safety cabs, it’s only a matter of time until we see full blooded dash 9’s.
Right On brother!!! NS’s prime motive power is either a Dash-940C, or a Dash -8 40C or some other Dash something. I think they should invest in some new power like theSD80MACs or something. Even a SD60i would put some spice into NS’s fleet. lol
I thought they stopped producing C40-9W’s or 9-40CW’s. I thought that was something of the past. Can’t every railroad have unified locomotives instead of calling them something different for each railroad?