Western Railroad Discussion > An F40 in work train service on the SL&RG

Until yesterday, while chsing ex-SP #1744, I had never heard of the Canadian American Railroad nor seen one of their (ex-Amtrak I understand) F40's which look like they stuck their nose where it didn't belong. #455 was dumping ballast on the San Luis & Rio Grande East of a place named Sierra.

Anyone have any more details?

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The F40's were modified to comply with FRA rules that locomotives used in switching, spotting cars for loading and unloading must have 4 prescribed stair wells at the corners. normally carbody locomotives (passenger engines) do not comply with the FRA rule and are therefor useless in freight operations.

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/09nov20051500/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2005/octqtr/49cfr231.30.htm
states:

Sec. 231.30 Locomotives used in switching service.


(3) Locomotives without corner stairway openings may not be used to

perform any switching service after September 30, 1979 except passenger

car switching service at passenger stations.

(b) Definitions. (1) Locomotive used in switching service means a

locomotive regularly assigned to perform yard switching service.

(2) Switching service means the classification of cars according to

commodity or destination; assembling of cars for train movements;

changing the position of cars for purposes of loading, unloading, or

weighing, placing of locomotives and cars for repair or storage; or

moving of rail equipment in connection with work service that does not

constitute a road movement. However, this term does not include movement

of a train or part of a train within yard limits by the road locomotive

and the placement of locomotives or cars in a train or their removal

from a train by the road locomotive while en route to the train's

destination.

Nice photo Drew, here's one taken on Caltrain (even has a few Herzog cars in the train), my conductor on the job used my camera and fired off a couple shots for me. In this case we were legal, all we were doing was dumping ballast, no switching was done as Jaap pointed out about the switching rules for the F40s, etc.

Oh ya, Brisbane, CA is the location, taken in 2005 sometime thereabouts.

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Thanks Frank,

anyone know the ancestry of that #455? I am told it is an Amtrak hand-me-down, anyone know the number?

Should be ex-Amtrak 254. The CDAC used to run the ex-CP line across Maine, but went under in either 2002 or 2003. I got the chance to chase 455 one afternoon up in Maine when I was working in Freeport back in 2002. Never did I dream it would be running in Colorado half a decade later. Nice catch on the work train, Drew! I saw one out running with 455 last winter, but that's the only work train I've seen out and about down there.

fjc: Thanks for posting the photo. It's interesting to get shots of unusual lash-ups like that.

The Iowa Northern is getting 4 of them CDAC 451 ex 314 will be the INAR 451- CDAC 454 ex 384 INAR 454- CDAC 458 ex 360 INAR 458- CDAC 461 ex 266 INAR 461 From Dan Sabin the president of the Iowa Northern. Look for a Late December delivery from the Hudson Bay RW. That's 12 GP 38AC- 3 GP40-2LW and now 4 F40-2's - one F40PH and a GP 20 ex SP not bad for 120 mile line +the Oelwein line.