You asked about UP's huge purchase of SD70Ms. I believe the order was for some
1000 units. The RR got a great deal because of both the size of the order and
the "apparent" quality of just-previous EMD-built locos like the SD50s. I
believe most UP folks would say that the SD70Ms turned out to be worthy
successors to the SD40-2.
LarryG
--- In CBQ@yahoogroups.com, dhartman@... wrote:
>
> As an engineer, I always hated seeing a GE as a lead unit. The awkward
> throttle (both notch and length), very slow acceleration, horrible ride,
> impossible climb-up the steps with your grip. Give me any SD any day.
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "Phillips, III, J.A." <whstlpnk@...>
> Sender: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2012 02:03:22 -0800 (GMT-08:00)
> To: <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
> Reply-To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [CBQ] Re: BN GP 20s
>
> Mr Barber,
>
> Thanks very much for taking the time to write out that informative reply! I
> hope the list will indulge us a little longer as we veer a little further
> away from the Q and closer to BN territory.
>
> Thank you also for the explanation on EMD's re-engining work. A question came
> up on the NP list as to what sort of changes in the hood would have been done
> to early NP Alco switchers when re-engined with EMD 567s, so it popped to
> mind. I don't think I have any further questions about that at this time.
>
> Regarding the Nixon price freeze, I'd forgotten about that, or at least, how
> it might have impacted EMD. I'd never heard of the EMD escalation clause --
> good thing to know!
>
> ....The GEs were favored in coal service because they were considered to pull
> better under heavy load...
>
> I had not heard this before! If Sheridan Engineer Al Krug is lurking on the
> list, I wonder what he would have to say about this. As I recall, he wound up
> in the coal fields ca. 1974 after leaving the PC and indulging his fetish for
> Cascade green. I've never heard anything but compliments about the SD40-2,
> and quite a few complaints about the GE U-series, especially their
> sixteen-notch throttles. Nor did I realize that BN bought 600 SD40-2s in the
> 1977-9 period -- far more than I'd give them credit for. There was certainly
> still a lot of first generation power rolling around the Pacific Northwest at
> that time.
>
> A somewhat unrelated question that may be out of your field of expertise, but
> what drove the UP's massive SD70 purchase? The need to replace the
> down-on-its-luck SP/DRGW fleet, or the need to keep compliant with
> ever-more-stringent California emissions policies?
>
> ....During those same years, BN was spending huge amounts to improve the
> Powder River basin trackage, including the addition of the Orin Cutoff which
> greatly improved access. At the same time, coal traffic was increasing
> rapidly...
>
> In a note more related to the Q, I've heard repeatedly from an NP civil
> engineer that the BN spent far more than they anticipated on the former Q
> physical plant in the PRB, but system-wide, as the Q's management had never
> really upgraded the plant for the coming of the 100-ton car back in the early
> 1960s. (I imagine the flood of PRB coal trains only exacerbated this
> problem.) The engineer's point of view was that the Q's masters wouldn't
> spring for the work, preferring higher dividends. As the Q was beholden to St
> Paul, I kicked this around with a GN/BN exec, another civil engineer who was
> clear that the Q management never brought it up. I get the feeling his point
> of view was that no reasonable request would have been refused, and upgrading
> rail to handle heavier loads was certainly reasonable. Anyone know for sure?
>
> Thanks again!
> John Phillips
> Seattle
>
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CBQ/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CBQ/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
CBQ-digest@yahoogroups.com
CBQ-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
CBQ-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
|