Rumor: PAR to lease SD40-2s?

SteveO wrote:Hi all..I'm new here. Saw a "colorful" lashup headed east out of RJ this morning.

HCLX 6404 (blue & red) leading HCLX 6329 (all black), MEC 370, PAR 505, and another GRS unit. Wish I had a camera, it was definitely interesting looking.

Welcome to Railroad.Net forums and the PAR forum.

That consist sounds pretty cool. I'll have to watch and see what heads my way. I'm at the western (southern) end of the old B&M mainline to Portland just before it heads into New Hamphire.

Thank you JCitron! I grew up near Mechanicville, spent a lot of time watching the action there as a kid in the late 70's. I work out near RJ now.

HLCX 6713 with BM 690 came back west in to RJ yesterday..

Have they run a set of the new lease units together on a train yet?

David Eade posted some photos of a pair of Helm leasers in service on the west end:

http://tinyurl.com/35mfq5

Both units are SD40M-2s -- SD45s rebuilt to SD40-2 specs.

MEC407 wrote:David Eade posted some photos of a pair of Helm leasers in service on the west end:

http://tinyurl.com/35mfq5

Both units are SD40M-2s -- SD45s rebuilt to SD40-2 specs.

I've been informed that there are going to be a total of 15 units. This is from inside PanAm management sources.These units are considered "STORED USABLE" So PanAm (GRS) only pays if they use them,I'm told.

Skullitor wrote:I've been informed that there are going to be a total of 15 units. This is from inside PanAm management sources..

I posted that info as fact on May 22nd. Go read page 7. It's old news.

Skullitor wrote:These units are considered "STORED USABLE" So PanAm (GRS) only pays if they use them,I'm told.

I also mentioned (Or more accuratley, Hinted) at that on page 7 as well when i said this: "But lets just say, these 15 units are not going to be used anywhere near as much people want". Pan Am, in it's usual cheapness ordered these units with no radios, no HTD's and for all intensive purposes "Power by the Hour" lease program. So the dreams of seeing leased 6 axle power on the road every day are not likley to happen.

So although they are called an SD40-2, some (all?) appear to be SD45 rebuilds http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... 20Railways.

tj48 wrote:So although they are called an SD40-2, some (all?) appear to be SD45 rebuilds http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... 20Railways.

Mechanically, all 15 HLCX leasers on Pan Am are SD40-2's. Six of them are original SD40-2's (6200, 6216, 6221, 6225, 6226, 7182). Three of them were originally pre dash 2 SD40's (6317, 6318, 6329). Four of them were originally SD45's (6400, 6404, 6413, 6416). And two of them were originally SD45-2's (6428, 6450).

Thanks for the answer.