Western Railroad Discussion > NWP Gets a Genset Demonstrator

It looks like the "new" Northwestern Pacific won't have to rely entirely on a 54-year old GP9 or a 32-year old GP40-2 once freight service gets underway later this month. UP delivered RJ Corman Railpower genset RPRX2009 to the California Northern interchange in Suisun-Fairfield, CA early this morning for further forwarding to the NWP. The 2009 is a Railpower model RP20BD unit with three Deutz V-8 667 h.p. engines built in Dec. 2007 on the frame of BNSF slug 3966. I have no information on the duration of the lease(or demonstation tryout) worked out between the NWP and RJ Corman.

The 2009 is seen in three photos at 08:00 this morning in Suisun Fairfield. The unit was actually idling away and the color computer screen can just be made out in the second photo. This engine is the cover girl on RJ Corman's Railpower home page:
http://www.rjcorman.com/railpower.html

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The RPRX2009 was under power and m.u.'d up to a pair of N. Little Rock-overhauled SD40-2's on last nights' Suisun Fairfield to Roseville Turn. "Class" unit UP1550 drew point duty. A CFNR crew will forward the train on to Napa Jct.

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Well, that will probably make the people in Novato happy, and they will approve the vote the city council is taking on the 28th.

Jamie Miller

Thanks for the heads-up. Be interesting to try to catch one of CFNR's NRE gensets handing off to NWP's Railpower genset at Schellville sometime. Not that they are going to paint it, but it would be interesting to see what an RP20BD would look like in NWP's SP-inspired scarlet and gray.

Any sign of a horn on that beast?

Gutless POS...they would be better off with one of those dash two's towing it....but, the greenies whined loud enough I guess..political correctness gone wild...

I know the angle of the sunlight has something to do with it, but what's up with the long hood doors on 1550? Almost looks like a pressurized engine compartment.

-YD-

Noticed that too... they're all bowed. Can't be a camera illusion.

Sandblasting too aggressively can expand sheet metal. It can ripple it up pretty intensely, in fact...

~ BZ

In the last NCRA meeting they indicated that the loco is on a $500.00 hour lease. They said that they would not purchase a loco up front before using it for a while to see how it worked in service. Maybe they should also try one of UP's rebuilt SD-40s.

Newman Wrote:
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> Gutless POS...they would be better off with one of
> those dash two's towing it....but, the greenies
> whined loud enough I guess..political correctness
> gone wild...


Have you ever ran a RP20BD? Are you sure they are a POS?

Those SD-40's look gorgeous!

How does the loco get to NWP?

Paul Ramer
Cincinnati, OH

MRS11818 Wrote:
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> Newman Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Gutless POS...they would be better off with one
> of
> > those dash two's towing it....but, the greenies
> > whined loud enough I guess..political
> correctness
> > gone wild...
>
>
> Have you ever ran a RP20BD? Are you sure they are
> a POS?

Positive.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
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> Thanks for the heads-up. Be interesting to try to
> catch one of CFNR's NRE gensets handing off to
> NWP's Railpower genset at Schellville sometime.
> Not that they are going to paint it, but it would
> be interesting to see what an RP20BD would look
> like in NWP's SP-inspired scarlet and gray.
>
> Any sign of a horn on that beast?

I don't see a horn there either, but knowing my neighbors up North in Novato, they've whined loud enough to get full quiet zones installed hence "no horn needed". Hah big laugh!

Regards,

-Frank C.

Frank Christ
Cloverdale, CA
FranksRails Photography, LLC.

Horn and radio were stolen.-----Mike Pechner

The UP Cops will harass railfans all day long and yet they can't stop the theft of equipment that is under their care.
Time to adjust some priorities?

We'll know tomorrow (Thurs) afternoon if Novato has this on their June 28th agenda or not. There are rumblings that the agreement will push back to July 12th.

Notch16 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Noticed that too... they're all bowed. Can't be a
> camera illusion.
>
> Sandblasting too aggressively can expand sheet
> metal. It can ripple it up pretty intensely, in
> fact...
>
> ~ BZ


Regardless, they sure look puuurrrurdy.

Never thought I'd get excited about seeing clean yellow 40-2s, but these look nice....

Too bad BNSF didn't/hasn't embarked on a similar program.

-Rick

Rick Selby
Redmond, WA
Pacific Northwest RPM

pramer Wrote:
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> How does the loco get to NWP?

Like Evan said; CFNR takes it to the Schellville yard where the NWP starts.

Peter Arnold

It's official: NWP won't be starting up until after July 12th.

The NCRA agreement with the City of Novato is not on the June 28th agenda: http://ci.novato.ca.us/agendas/cc062811.htm And, their next meeting to possibly ratify (vote on) it isn't until July 12th.

...just another setback. Time for a light at the end of the tunnel metaphor?

~jake