I was sitting in a parking lot today with a few minutes spare time and I saw this in the middle of auto carriers and tank cars:
Anyone have any information about this partial locomotive? I am interested as to where it was headed and what model it will eventually be.
Looks like a preassembled frame going to be finished.
Its not an old unit because it has new trucks. What superstructure it has is shrink wrapped.
Dave H.
Well, it was headed south on the IC line through Champaign, IL. Maybe headed to Mexico?
Interesting that it was in the middle of the train.
That chassis is not in the correct position of that train.It should be considered a dead in tow locomotive because of the trucks and weight and type of drawbar draft.
It’s in a very dangerous place being behind an autorack with a long drawbar.
I bet the Engineer on that train felt like they had a sping in his/her train [(-D] .
The trucks look like the EMD trucks from an SD-70 (maybe an NS 2500-2700),with the articulated swing design.
Yes, the trucks are HTCR II radial trucks. Must be a future UP SD70ACe. KCS didn’t order HTCR trucks on their last order for SD70ACes and I suspect the next order won’t have them either. The locomotive is either going to VMV at Paducah or Bombardier at Sahagun, MX. Most likely to Mexico with the new agreement.
It looks like most of the parts are missing, so it probably is pretty light. The engineer probably didn’t even feel it. Now having 20-40 loaded tanks on the rear of a train, you feel that.[;)]
Super Steel in Milwaukee does some work for EMD, bodies and such, but this was headed the other way.
I’ve seen picture of new H16-44s towed in a train. They were seperated by boxcars, a few cars back from the engine.
Well here’s what the NS-1 which is the guide book for “rules for equipment operation and handling” says about a dead in tow loco.May not pertain to the railroad in the picture,but does on the NS.
page 57. RULE L-214 of NS-1:
Locomotive units moving dead-in-tow,when not handled as
trailing units in the locomotive consist,must be placed and handled
within the head 10 cars of the train,unless specific instructions are
received from the mechanical department to handle on the rear.
In addition,a locomotive unit not equipped with alignment control-
draft gear,when moving dead-in-tow in the locomotive consist or train
must not be coupled to another unit that does not have alignment control-
draft gear.
EXECEPTION: Restriction does not apply to a light locomotive movement.
NS units without alignment control draft gear can be identified by a
&n
IIRC, it was within 15 cars of the lead locos (2 CN units, have the numbers somewhere…) and only tank cars were between it and the locos. The autorack in the picture is the first one, with the train heading from left to right in the picture.
Actually, the trucks on the SD70ACe or M-2 are the optional HTCR4 radial trucks as in the photo, or HTSC2 rigid trucks, which are basic. The HTCR II trucks were only used on the SD80MAC and SD90MAC or SD90/43MAC. The HTCR II has an altered axle spacing and fits the 1TB2830 traction motor, which was larger in diameter and axle to armature spacing than the DC or AC traction motors used on SD70’s and SD70MAC’s and SD70ACe/M-2. The only difference between the HTCR and HTCR4 trucks is the interlock between truck and underframe whichs makes them non-interchangeable. The HTCR3 never saw production, thankfully.
Dave