i know it doesnt seem like a big deal, but if you look at UP’s roster, you will see that in their whole fleet, UP has only 3 straight GP38s. now the one i saw, UP 909, is not listed in the roster unless hey renumbered it since january 1. but RRpicturearchives lists it as a GP38. i dont know, but i think i may have found a highly rare locomotive. here’s the picture i took:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=411907
so is this really a straight GP38?
I would say that is some other type of locomotive that has been converted to GP38 (or more likely GP38-3) standards. Notice how the dynamic brake housing has been modified for the air filter. Also, the radiator fans seem rather far apart, but not far enough apart to have had another between them.
but why convert it to GP38 rather than the more common GP38-2?
Most likely they converted to newer than -2 standards. That is why I put “or more likely GP38-3” in my reply.
Good to see they can Centre the numbers on the Cab side…
James
Those engines were early GP38s. You can tell by looking at the rear fans, if they’re spaced apart, but not enough to have another fan in between (as in this case) they WERE early GP38s. They could’ve been upgraded to -2 or even -3 electronics. All of Iowa Northerns GP38-2s were early GP38s rebuilt w/ -2 electronics. It was only the early GP38s that had the fans spaced apart, all newer GP38s and 38-2s had the fans close together.
You know, I would say seeing a UP GP39-2 would be much rarer.
According to the UP Roster, there are 3 GP38s - 283, 1783, and 1997.
There are 44 GP38-3Ls in the number block of 900-1062.
There are 17 GP39-2s - 1200-1216 and 2304. In addition, there are 20 GP39-2Ls, 1229-1248.
My guess is that the one above ( 909) (space deliberate ;)) is one of those GP38-3Ls. It looks to have started out as an early GP38.
Look at the dynamic brake housing.
One thing to keep in mind, just becuase it is written, doesnt mean its right. Often enough the info is wrong and the sceener’s for RR.net dont catch it. Most classic case I can think of is a picture of the yard for UP in Phoenix was listed as BNSF’s. I got to point that one out and they were quick to change it. But dont trust the written info. its only as accurate as the photographer thinks he is.
There are no “screeners” for rr.net. UP 909 is a GP38-3. It was rebuilt from a GP38 by MPI, completed January 14,1997. It was numbered 2409 when rebuilt, and the 2 blanked out, which explains the non-centered number. 909 was built as Clinchfield RR 2008 in June 1967, so it’s 39 years old. After the Clinch it went to Seaboard 6279, then to SBD 2188, then CSX 2188, then finally to UP 2409, and now 909. It has a builder’s number of 33070, and a frame number of 5724-9. Hope this helps.
wow. thanks, man. that more than helped. say… you know anything about UP 6060? it’s an AC4400CW on their fleet. i, when i got my senior pictures taken on WC 6620, also had a few shot on UP 6060’s side stairs. so i became kinda attached to 6060. plus thing is while WC 6620 is at the scrapper, UP 6060 will live a long life yet. ah the usefullness of AC4400CWs