F59s coming to MMA

[MEC407]

It's been reported on LocoNotes by Mr. Bruce Mercer that three former GO Transit F59PHs, numbered 526, 530, and 532, are headed for MMA's Derby Shop. Apparently they are traveling with CDAC reporting marks (seems strange to me; I thought CDAC ceased to exist when MMA came into existence...?).

Anyway, there's no word yet on what MMA intends to do with these units. My semi-educated guess would be that they might be prepping them for MBTA Commuter Rail.

[RailfanQC]

Hi!

I don't know if these engine can go to AMT (Agence Métropolitaine de Transport) at Montreal, QC. Because I know that AMT had received the SLC #270, #274 and #302 (ex-NJT) and these engines are at Derby...

[CN9634]

Some talk was of a contract for the Austin (Texas) Transit I forgot what the name is but they already have F59's so this could be for them.

[atsf sp]

Some talk was of a contract for the Austin (Texas) Transit I forgot what the name is but they already have F59's so this could be for them.

Austin does not have F59s. They will soon be running DMUs. You may be confusing it with TRE Dallas Fort Worth.

[CN9634]

YES! haha thank you, you are correct sir!

[MEC407]

That's a good point, I had almost forgotten about the TRE contract that MMA announced a short while ago.

[sery2831]

I don't see these unit's going to the MBTA. If anything these units would be headed to Waterville for work and not Derby. So my guess another agency snapped these units up or Rail World is stocking up F59 parts since these will be the next big used engine. They did very well with rebuilding F40s for other uses.

[MEC407]

Yeah, the reason I thought of MBTA was because I had read somewhere else that MBCR was looking to buy a few used F59s, which they would then lease to MBTA. Waterville would make sense... except that MBCR or MBTA probably wouldn't want to wait another two years for the units to arrive on their property.