Nostalgia & History > What was the story on this unit?

I shot this in Dunsmuir in the late 90's.

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In the early 90's, SP leased 29 former CSX GP38-2's from Helm. They were originally going to be SP's 150 series, and several units were reconditioned, painted SP, and numbered into that series. Before they were finished, though, SP decided to number them 4845-4873 above their existing GP38-2's and clear the 100's for the new GE AC4400CW's.

According Don Stack's site, some units were fully reconditioned and repainted SP, a couple (4864 and 4873 at least) were renumbered SP but kept their Helm Leasing maroon and blue paint, and some continued to run around in Helm paint and numbers. UP assigned them to the 471-498 series. Strack's site says the units were returned them to the lessor in October 2003, but I've seen reports and even a photo or two from as recently as the middle of last year of SP 4864 kicking around south Texas on UP rails.

It is one of a group of ex CSXT (nee L&N) GP38-2's that were returned to the lessor and then leased to SP. The series was CSXT 2580-2608 and they were originally being rebuilt and outshopped in the SP 150-177 series (2596 was sold off). When SP made the big AC4400CW order the numer series was reassigned to SP 4845-4871 and the 150-series that had been done were re# into that block. Come UP merger time UP 1971-1997 was assigned yada yada yada ..... in none of these groups (and later UP 471-497) did all the units ever get where they belonged. As for the unit being in HELM paint but lettered SP, that was probably part of the confusion as they were returned (on paper) and re-leased under new terems multiple times. That being said there is also SP 4873 which is like the one pictured, and it was a replacement for one of the originals. SP 4873 is ex CSXT 2177/L&N 4047 and that unit was re# UP 498 still in HELM paint !! Many of the original group are now HLCX 38xx series.

The two Helm painted units were last minute substitutions Helm made to fulfill its contract with SP.

As Evan mentioned, SP signed on for 29 former L&N units. Two of the units originally chosen for the program were found to be in such poor shape that Helm substituted two units that it had already rebuilt and repainted for its lease fleet.

Wasn't there some sort of bizarre story for the two b-truck units being there? ...B-trucks being fairly useless on the steep curvy grade just north of town.