NYSW SD70M Official Thread (Please Read)

[Noel Weaver]

As I understand it, work on the 4052 to qualify it as a lead unit on the Florida East Coast is expected to be completed at the
company shop later this week. The other two are now on the Florida East Coast and are headed for the shop for addition of
cab signals and train control as well as other work to make them suitable for through freight service on a high speed freight
railroad where I think they will do OK.
Noel Weaver

[mainetrain]

Just found this nice picture today

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1489169

[dreese_us]

Great picture, never thought I would say the SD-70 looks small!

[Noel Weaver]

From what I have heard the 4052 is having problems again so all three NYS&W SD-70's are now in storage, don't have any
idea what the future plans are for these three locomotives. Business is down on the Florida East Coast right now and their
GP-40/SD-40 fleet is very well maintained and very reliable.
Noel Weaver

[rrfoose]

I've seen that all 3 of the SD70M's are still waiting around together down in Florida. Any idea on when they may be back out on the road?

[ANDY117]

According to the Yahoo! groups all 3 are on the Q410-18 headed north.

[Noel Weaver]

I understand the three units are headed somewhere on Rail America for probable storage. They still would need work in
order to operate as lead units on the Florida East Coast and with the present economy, they do not feel that they really need
them here and they probably do not want to spend money on engines that they do not own.
These engines are mainly suitable for through freight service and many of Rail America's properties do not have too many
really through freight trains on them.
I would not be surprised to see them end up in St. Albans but this is JUST A GUESS ON MY PART.
Noel Weaver

[rrfoose]

I've now seen on the Yahoo groups that the 3 units are waybilled to NECR. It seems that FEC and NECR have the greatest rebuild/maintenance capacity/capability of RA's road (at least in the East), but maybe St. Albans can do something that NSB can't? Northern New England doesn't seem like an ideal location to store locomotives (snow, ice, etc), but summer is approaching.

I've also heard that RA is trying to return their leased locomotives nationwide due to the slowing of traffic. Seems that these units just aren't needed anymore... I wonder what NYSW would do if they got them back? Return them to EMD? Looks like they could be heading for the EMDX/LLPX lease pool in the near future..

[nysw3636]

Won't be the first time 2 of the 3 NYS&W SD-70's will be in Vermont. NYSW 4052 and NYSW 4054 were used/tested/leased on VRS trains (#263/#264?) back in 2000. I would love to see the SD70's on an SU100/SU99 once again!!!!

[scottychaos]

Recent report on the NYSW yahoo forum says the SD70's were spotted today (Tuesday 4/21) through Ridgefield Park, NJ, heading to Selkirk, then probably NECR.

Scot

[nysw3636]

It also won't be the first time at least 1 of the 3 units have been on the CSX River Line. One was on a SB back in 1999(NYSW 4052?) after the CSX/NS buying CR. I think another was on a NB, but will go through my notes/slides to verify...

[trainwayne1]

Are these units being kept on a Rail America property to honor the terms of the lease, or do they really have the need to keep them? These units have had minimal maintainence at best while they were on lease and are most likely in need of costly repairs/rebuilding to be dependable again. With business being down on all railroads, there is dependable power available all over. Why would RA want to invest a lot of money in lease units it doesn't need or own?

[rrfoose]

Are these units being kept on a Rail America property to honor the terms of the lease, or do they really have the need to keep them? These units have had minimal maintainence at best while they were on lease and are most likely in need of costly repairs/rebuilding to be dependable again. With business being down on all railroads, there is dependable power available all over. Why would RA want to invest a lot of money in lease units it doesn't need or own?

This is probably exactly why they're going to be stored. It's probably cheaper to store them in the St. Albans roundhouse for another year or two than pay to repair them or pay the financial kickback for canceling the lease on the locos. That said, it reminds me of a previously discussed but never fully answered question - what shape must these locos be in when returned to NYSW?

[rcbsd45]

As luck would have it, I got called for an Ethanol train out of the hotel in Selkirk on Wednesday morning. I had hoped to get some pics of the SD70M's before they left town for the New England Central (NECR), and i wasnt disappointed. There was a CN/BNSF set of power parked along side the NYSW units, which made photgrasphic opportunities limited at best. I was able however to grab a few images as we left the enginehouse, so here they are:

The 4050:

http://rcbsd45.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=1576470

http://rcbsd45.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=1576472


The 4054:

http://rcbsd45.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=1576473


All three units:


http://rcbsd45.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=1576471


Finally, a nose shot of the 4052; the only shot i could get of the unit:

http://rcbsd45.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=1576474



As an "added attraction", here are a few Non-NYSW images taken at work:


K678-19 in teaneck on track 1 awaiting permission to move further south:

http://rcbsd45.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=1576459

K678-19 on the approach to "Upper Bay" the lift bridge at the eastern throat to Oak Island yard in Newark:

http://rcbsd45.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=1576462


A view of the lift bridge itself, in the lift position:

http://rcbsd45.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=1576463


And finally, a view of CP-1, where the River Subdivision meets the Conrail Northern Branch. the building on the right is the cNYSW customer who ships out the big grey TLAX garbage cars on the 99's:

http://rcbsd45.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=1576458


Thats it for now.... enjoy!

[trainwayne1]

Great pics...I'm assuming the NYS&W units weren't running?