Proposed 1978 Locomotive Orders?

[Steve Duncan]

I read a few years ago(on the RITS Archives), that the RI wanted to purchase 70 new EMD locomotives in 1978. The orders were for:

40 SD40-2s(4800-4840)
10 GP38-2s(4380-4390)
20 MP15ACs(????-????)

Only the Geeps were built, and that was after the C&NW had agreed to purchase them! The MP15ACs were to have been built to SCL specs(I think), but the SD40-2s and Geeps would have been the only *true* Rock Islands in the 3 orders!

I also read that the new locomotives would have been painted in a new, more fade resistant livery, with Black replacing the blue, and a darker, richer blue replacing the white. Someone also said that the original SD40s were to have been repainted in *Bankruptcy Blue*, but a repaint just before the new livery would have been redundant! Here are my renditions of the RI SD40s, the Geeps and MP15s are coming soon!

http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h223/ ... he%20Rock/

[NebraskaZephyr]

The RI order of GP-38-2s picked up by C&NW was for 35 units, which became CNW 4600-4634.

As I understood it, when this order was first considered 12 of the 35 were to be numbered in the "gap" in the 4300 series between the 1976 order (4300-4355) and the final 12 delivered in late 1977-early 1978 (4368-4379). The remainder would go up from 4380.

Then in 1979, the RI began the GP40 rebuild program, of which 7 were started and five (3000-3004) were completed. Intersting to note all five units completed were dressed in blue, even though 3004 was finished less than a month before shutdown.

The SD40-2 and MP15 orders were part of the trustee's reorganization plan into a "core system", which basically involved lopping off everything south and west of Omaha & Kansas City. This plan was ultimately rejected by Judge McGarr and the RI's fate was sealed.

If the core system had been approved, the SD40-2s and MP15s would have allowed the RI to dump all the GE's and unrebuilt power (switchers, GP18s, GP35s) and keep only the best of the rebuilt geeps for local service.

At this time, "the word" was a general renumbering into a horsepower-based system would take place, foreshadowed by the rebuilt GP40s. The MP15s would naturally have been 1500s, rebuilt GP7s in the 1600s, GP38-2s would become 2000-2103 (I would presume being renumbered consectutively in order of build date, i.e., the original 56 as 2000-2055, followed by 4368-4379 as 2056-2068, then the new 35 as 2069-2103), GP40s in the 3000s as they were rebuilt, SD40-2s would have been 3500s (4790-4799 to 3500-3509, new units up from 3510).

There has been much speculation over the years that a black version of "THE ROCK" scheme (with a blue-and-white "R", similar to the gondolas and coil cars) was coming on these new units, but I never seen anything in the way of documentation to prove this. I have a couple of friends who were/are connected with EMD and they have checked the archives and found NOTHING....no correspondence, drawings, anything...to indicate a paint scheme change was in the works.

For what it's worth.....

NZ

[Zephyr Rocket]

Fascinating information, NZ! I have always wondered why the Rock chose the numbering system it did for the units in the 4000s. Moving toward the system you depicted would have made much more sense. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if the core system was implemented... so much potential!