Well, I finally got a crack at the throttle on the 2003. I haven't run it since it came back in service.
I spent no more than 5 minutes operating behind the throttle and a plume of smoke starts emitting from the back of the control stand. Here the wire leads conecting to the front headlight switch shorted out and went into meltdown. End results, no front headlight the rest of the day. Glad the ditch lights held out.
Overall, it ran very well and has a lot of pep. Also it is very quiet in the cab compared to her sister 2004. One reason is the independent brake exhaust is vented through the floor making the independent brake almost completly silent. Also, it inherted trucks from the ex NS SD40-2s we bought for parts. These trucks include double shoes on each wheel. Very nice for stopping.
Mike
READING COMPANY "AMERICA'S LARGEST ANTHRACITE CARRIER"