by Leo_Ames
Why did they acquire 10 used units to supplement the 30 of their own that they rebuilt, rather than just selecting 10 more of their own locomotives?
Looking at retirement dates for the non-rebuilt members of their SD40 fleet, over 75 members of it weren't retired until the 2-3 years after this rebuilding program started. So they certainly had 10 more operable SD40's on hand already on their roster. What would be the reason to not select from their own power?
Were they at one point expecting perhaps to rebuild many more SD40's in such a manner, necessitating supplementing their own power with second hand purchases? Or was there some attractive attribute to these former KCS SD40's from PAC Rail, like recently overhauled 16-645's for one possibility, that made them an attractive deal to acquire in lieu of the cost of fully rebuilding 10 more locomotives from their own fleet?
Looking at retirement dates for the non-rebuilt members of their SD40 fleet, over 75 members of it weren't retired until the 2-3 years after this rebuilding program started. So they certainly had 10 more operable SD40's on hand already on their roster. What would be the reason to not select from their own power?
Were they at one point expecting perhaps to rebuild many more SD40's in such a manner, necessitating supplementing their own power with second hand purchases? Or was there some attractive attribute to these former KCS SD40's from PAC Rail, like recently overhauled 16-645's for one possibility, that made them an attractive deal to acquire in lieu of the cost of fully rebuilding 10 more locomotives from their own fleet?