New Engines at Pan Am

Oh, maybe ten or so units. Just pick up some SD50s and GP50s then deturbo them so there is no worry of a blown turbo.
Steve Irwin
February 22nd 1962 - September 4th 2006

I don't think they'd deturbo anything. They seem to like turbos.

I think I can recall,about 5-7 years ago,Fink (Jr.) I think,saying in the newspapers that since ALL Guilford engines had Turbochargers,which burnt up fuel completely,they could NOT be responsible for "sparks" from the stack causing the Spring grass fires along the ROW east of Portland,that they were being "blamed" for.


Bud

I remember that too Bud. I think Fink conveniently forgot about the GP7s and GP9s.

Not only that, but if anybody has ever watched a GP40 or GP35 idling at night after dark, you'll see just how many sparks come out of that turbo stack!

All GE locos have turbos, and they are certainly capable of throwing a few sparks. Just look at my icon.

Not to be a jerk, but we see plenty of trains with more than 2 Guilford units...

I can not locate the photo, but it was 6 or so Pan Am uinit with only two working. Here is a similar photo.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=143366
Steve Irwin
February 22nd 1962 - September 4th 2006

Yeah, last time I saw a freight come through here, they had four units but only two were running. They had started out with all four running but two died en route, and they were struggling pretty hard to make track speed.

Well, I wouldn't lie to you

I heard a new rumor around East Deerfield Yard. PanAm is getting 26 ex Canadian Pacific EMD SD40-2's rebuilt and painted in new PanAm Railways colors.
Skull

Oh that would be awesome.

Any reliable sources?

Several things tell me that the rumor about CP units is bogus, such as:

1) CP is power-short and needs everything that they already have;

2) I haven't heard anything about CP divesting itself of any of its SD40-2s -- in fact, they've purchased other roads' SD40-2s in recent history;

3) 99.9% of the rumors that originate "from around East Deerfield Yard" are bogus;

4) It's odd that the quantity of 26 would be used, just as it was a few months ago with the LTEX rumor. (So maybe it's the same rumor and somebody just inserted CP in place of LTEX...?)

I was told as new ES44AC's go on line C.P. is moving slowly newer wide
cab units AC4400CW's to the D&H .Freeing up older EMD's.But, I'll believe it WHEN I SEE IT!!! There was talk of GRS / PAR getting brand new EMD SD70M-2's.Tacked on to a N.S. order to save big $$$.But we will have to wait and see.They said if it happens they will be DC traction and numbered 400 to 425.
Skull

Brand new SD70M-2s would be pretty spiffy. But that's unlikely for a whole bunch of reasons, not the least of which are:

1) David Fink has been quoted in at least one news article as saying something to the effect of "we'll never buy new locomotives;"

2) Most new locomotives are leased rather than purchased outright, and historically Guilford has not liked to lease power;

3) Purchasing 26 SD70M-2s outright would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $80 million. I'm fairly certain they don't have that kind of dough on hand (and what they do have on hand is apparently being funneled to the airline in order to keep that operation afloat, or in the air, as it were), and at this point, between the issues with the airline and their "reluctance" to pay trivial amounts of money to various other creditors... well, you get the picture.

Too bad they're anti-GE... GE would probably give them a better deal than EMD would.

I could be mistaken, but I seem to remember Chuck Petlick starting the SD70 rumor last summer during the NERAIL picnic. The version he told me was 3 SD70s, not 26. He later admitted he was just trying to stir the s*** and see what he could get going.

IMO, Pan Am will never purchase new motive power.

-Chad

chadb9 wrote:I could be mistaken, but I seem to remember Chuck Petlick starting the SD70 rumor last summer during the NERAIL picnic. The version he told me was 3 SD70s, not 26. He later admitted he was just trying to stir the s*** and see what he could get going.

Yup, I remember that too. Three SD70M-2s would be around $9 million (plus tax!)... PAR could probably get 20-30 used units for that same amount of money, which is the more likely scenario.

MEC407 wrote:Several things tell me that the rumor about CP units is bogus, such as:

1) CP is power-short and needs everything that they already have;

2) I haven't heard anything about CP divesting itself of any of its SD40-2s -- in fact, they've purchased other roads' SD40-2s in recent history;

3) 99.9% of the rumors that originate "from around East Deerfield Yard" are bogus;

4) It's odd that the quantity of 26 would be used, just as it was a few months ago with the LTEX rumor. (So maybe it's the same rumor and somebody just inserted CP in place of LTEX...?)

Well CP has sold quite a number of SD40-2's (SD40-3's?) to DM&E, a regional out west. So who knows...