Railroad Forums
Moderator: MEC407
ShortlinesUSA wrote:See a snipit on Loconotes that GRS may be receiving 10 leased SD40-2s. With hundreds of these rent-a-wrecks parked since CSX and others turned them back from lease, you have to figure the price is right since there is not really any work in sight for them. Anyone else heard this?Well the only question would be why would they take on six axle power? They have a pretty significant amount of trackage on their system where they won't use them.
cpf354 wrote:Well the only question would be why would they take on six axle power? They have a pretty significant amount of trackage on their system where they won't use them.They don't have a problem using their other six-axle units now, what's a few more? They do need power.
cpf354 wrote: Well the only question would be why would they take on six axle power? They have a pretty significant amount of trackage on their system where they won't use them.In actuallity, there is very little places they cannot use 6 axle power. Nameley the west end of Lawrence yard (and the higher east end tracks) Nashua and Gardner yard.
Heaven knows it's about time they did something, considering they've only got less than 80 of their own locomotives in service, and many of those are iffy.NV290 wrote:The entire railroad, main line and all, east of MP56 (around Bangor) can't handle six-packs, I understand. Many, if not all, the branch lines and industrial tracks prohibit them, I believe. They have retired a number of their six axle units over the year and have only acquired 4 axle power, so it just seems out of character for them to go that way. But yes, they do need the power.cpf354 wrote: Well the only question would be why would they take on six axle power? They have a pretty significant amount of trackage on their system where they won't use them.In actuallity, there is very little places they cannot use 6 axle power. Nameley the west end of Lawrence yard (and the higher east end tracks) Nashua and Gardner yard.
Otherwise, anywhere in Rigby, Ayer, Deerfield and the all the mainlines are fine for 6 axle power. What PAR NEEDS is 6 axle power for mainline trains. That will free up more 4 axle power for local trains.
If this is true, it will make a big difference so long as they maintain them. Once again, the NS GP38's are having issues. One is back to a trail only unit, another was shopped yesterday for electrical problems.
MEC407 wrote:If this plan is true, part of the "point" of it would be that they'd use the six-axle units on road trains between the west end and Bangor; that frees up more of their own four-axle units for use on the branches, the industrial tracks, and the mainline north of Bangor. It's a concept that makes perfect sense, but the reason it seems bizarre in the context of PAR/Guilford is because it's a concept they have never embraced. Fink Senior was always a proponent of having one type of locomotive that can go anywhere and do anything. That just isn't practical anymore. Maybe they're finally realizing that.O, yea, that has been a hallmark of them, one size fits all. But you look at CSX, for example. Now you don't see any six axle road beasts on any of the branch lines there-the locals, even main line ones, are 4 axle, so most railroads mainatin a mix and use them accordingly. But then you do loose some flexibility; you might get stuck having to go to the expense of hauling a GP40 up NMJ for the Bucksport local or the BAMA, for example, becasue the only working power around is some SD's that came in on EDNM, so it takes more planning, but sure, most railroads do it, they should be able to.
cpf354 wrote:You know its funny because I chased the pipe train from Veazie to Old Town today and if any of you have been up there you'll notice the rail is CWR with pretty decent ties. So essentially the track on the Keag "Branch" is better than that of the D1 main line. SaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadNV290 wrote:The entire railroad, main line and all, east of MP56 (around Bangor) can't handle six-packs, I understand. Many, if not all, the branch lines and industrial tracks prohibit them, I believe. They have retired a number of their six axle units over the year and have only acquired 4 axle power, so it just seems out of character for them to go that way. But yes, they do need the power.cpf354 wrote: Well the only question would be why would they take on six axle power? They have a pretty significant amount of trackage on their system where they won't use them.In actuallity, there is very little places they cannot use 6 axle power. Nameley the west end of Lawrence yard (and the higher east end tracks) Nashua and Gardner yard.
Otherwise, anywhere in Rigby, Ayer, Deerfield and the all the mainlines are fine for 6 axle power. What PAR NEEDS is 6 axle power for mainline trains. That will free up more 4 axle power for local trains.
If this is true, it will make a big difference so long as they maintain them. Once again, the NS GP38's are having issues. One is back to a trail only unit, another was shopped yesterday for electrical problems.
