Railroad Forums 

  • NS Purchases A-B-B-A F Units

  • Discussion relating to the NS operations. Official web site can be found here: NSCORP.COM.
Discussion relating to the NS operations. Official web site can be found here: NSCORP.COM.

 #500705  by ziggy44
 
Ok I’ll tell you what I know about these units. I don’t know any tech specs or any of that but I talked to the engineer who ran them from Bristol to Roanoke last year on the corporate train. He said they had a desk top control stand ( old N&W heads hate these) and was noisy. He didn’t seemed to impressed with them. He is the last engineer on our division passenger qualified which doesn’t really matter on these corporate runs. Also they are planning to run it through Shenandoah this summer sometime to Roanoke.

 #501477  by Rico Suave
 
ziggy44 wrote:Ok I’ll tell you what I know about these units. I don’t know any tech specs or any of that but I talked to the engineer who ran them from Bristol to Roanoke last year on the corporate train. He said they had a desk top control stand ( old N&W heads hate these) and was noisy. He didn’t seemed to impressed with them. He is the last engineer on our division passenger qualified which doesn’t really matter on these corporate runs. Also they are planning to run it through Shenandoah this summer sometime to Roanoke.
They DO NOT have desk top controls, they ride like a wagon on square wheels, the air conditioner is marginal at best, the windows don't open, and they are rather anemic when it comes to power.

But they sure are pretty.

Rico

 #503292  by uhaul
 
Isn’t it a violation not to have opening windows? Looks like NS took four good units and made them worse.

 #503455  by AdamCKach
 
Rico Suave wrote:
ziggy44 wrote:Ok I’ll tell you what I know about these units. I don’t know any tech specs or any of that but I talked to the engineer who ran them from Bristol to Roanoke last year on the corporate train. He said they had a desk top control stand ( old N&W heads hate these) and was noisy. He didn’t seemed to impressed with them. He is the last engineer on our division passenger qualified which doesn’t really matter on these corporate runs. Also they are planning to run it through Shenandoah this summer sometime to Roanoke.
They DO NOT have desk top controls, they ride like a wagon on square wheels, the air conditioner is marginal at best, the windows don't open, and they are rather anemic when it comes to power.

But they sure are pretty.

Rico
Which windows? Here you can see an elbow semi-out on an almost-down window.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 8&nseq=167

Here, too, the window appears to be half-way open.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 61&nseq=54

 #505035  by jgallaway81
 
I've never been aboard the units, but I'm hoping to get called as a conductor one for the ICS outta Altoona... at least once, to be able to say i've done it.

Anyways, from what I've heard as of late, the rebuild on these things weren't as thorough as was originally planned... not due to lack of money but due to lack of time. JBS crews just didn't have the time necessary to rebuild them to the usual PRR standard becau NS wanted them out for that first trip.

I was thinking... there seems to be ALOT of questions...

If you guys want to put together a list of questions you have on the units, I'll be happy to pass it up the line to the guys @ JBS to see if we can generate any answers for the group?

Just an idle thought.

Be safe & take care...
And remember: When its a tie at a crossing... YOU LOSE!

 #505036  by jgallaway81
 
*** Duplicate Deleted ***
Last edited by jgallaway81 on Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 #505122  by Tadman
 
There seems to be a dispute about the F's having desktop controls - I don't know about the NS units, but someone may be confusing them for the KCS F's, which indeed do have desktop controls per a Trains Mag photo in this month's OCS article.

 #507828  by SOU2645
 
they DEFINITELY have AAR control stands like the 5500-5600 series rebuilds. I have been aboard them myself. The KCS units have desktops.
Larry