CalTrans Locomotive Roster

[UKrailfan]

According to the last information I have CalTrans rosters 15 F59PHI-ECO rebuilds and 2 DASH8-P32BWH locomotives for Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin service. I recently spent the day travelling along the Capitol Corridor route from Oakland and was surprised to see a number of P42's being used on both Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin services whilst the 2 DASH8-P32BWH locos were in Oakland Yard. 2051 was facing North, chocked and attached to a baggage car whilst 2052 seemed to be acting as yard switcher. Can anyone confirm if 2051 and 2052 have been removed from revenue service?

Many Thanks

UKrailfan.

[Fan Railer]

Locomotives are assigned on an as-needed basis. You aren't guaranteed to see any given locomotive just because it's on the roster. The two BWH units are still in active service, and will see road time every now and then. Amtrak leases out their P42s to commuter service in California, so that's why you will see them on Amtrak Cali trains. Once the state-owned Siemens Chargers start arriving in the next few years, that will mark the end of the state leasing out Amtrak P42s for commuter service.

[Tadman]

The BWH locomotive is very versatile - it can be used for road service or for switching. The F59 and P42 cannot be used for switching due to their aft blind spots. Ergo, the BWH is used for switching while the others are on the road until something goes wrong and the BWH pinch hits in road service. The same holds true for bigger hubs like Chicago, Washington, and Sanford. The BWH assigned to that location can be put on the front of a road train given a shortage of P42's at last minute. Typically they're given short-haul or corridor trains in order to get the power back to the hub.