Western Railroad Discussion > UP SD9043MACs assignmrnents

When, or if at all, is UP going to put the SD9043MACs back into coal service? Kind of a bummer seeing only GEs on their coal trains.

It was not long ago that they were taken out of the coal train power pool. If it all, it would be we start running more coal trains again - aka when the economy picks up (more). Right now they are running on anything and everything. You can still find some in coal train service, others in freight intermodal and unit train service. Also seeing a lot of AC4400CW's in frieght/intermodal service, so they have cut some of the GE's from the coal pool as well, presumably. On the other hand, we had a ZDTMX the other night come off CSX from Detroit with UP 3306 (SD40-2) in the lead!

I guess I'll never understand why anyone likes a 90/43, of course there are a lot of people that don't like -2's and I don't understand that either... With that being said, I doubt that you'll see the 90's back in coal service again, at least in the numbers they where before, they're finishing out there lease out running though the system... The unfortunately there are so many road failures with them they are hated by all!!!!

There was a time when UP touted them as among the most reliable units they had. Supposedly it was them and the former SP 70M's that helped to convince UP to go ahead with the thousand unit SD70M order.

Just spotted 2 SD90's in Moose Jaw Sask Canada today they will be turned back west on Portland bound Potash train or Grain train to US ports.

You can gladly have them back. They're pieces of crap as far as I'm concerned. We were supposed to have one as the leader on the LADU-18 last night but fortunately it went belly up and they swapped it out with a GEVO. The 9043MACs are just plain worn out and they ride worse than anything I've run (other than the ex-MOPAC U-23b's.-BMT

washybryan Wrote:
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> I guess I'll never understand why anyone likes a
> 90/43, of course there are a lot of people that
> don't like -2's and I don't understand that
> either... With that being said, I doubt that
> you'll see the 90's back in coal service again, at
> least in the numbers they where before, they're
> finishing out there lease out running though the
> system... The unfortunately there are so many road
> failures with them they are hated by all!!!!

That's a fact! Every time a train is stalled or un-linked there is always a SD-90 involved.They won't stop putting them into a consist.Every time we come up to a train dead in the water with a problem we see a SD-90 on the front or rear or hear the dispatcher talking to a train with a SD-90 number.

Now Brian don't speak ill of the MOP little U Boats, they just
weren't used to going that fast.

I cannot agree with you guys more. I accually got to ride in UP 8113 when she was on the CSX Toledo Sub in Ohio. Even that SD9043 was a piece of crap. Even though I was excited, I could still feel it rattle like it was coming apart, and thats from the siding to the main!

Bath_wildcat Wrote:
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> I cannot agree with you guys more. I accually got
> to ride in UP 8113 when she was on the CSX Toledo
> Sub in Ohio. Even that SD9043 was a piece of
> crap. Even though I was excited, I could still
> feel it rattle like it was coming apart, and thats
> from the siding to the main!


OK? And what do you have to compare that to?

Come on guys! They just need to make it down to the jenks shop & North Little Rock for a good old-fashion rebuild. The girls are over 10 years old & have close to 2 million miles on them. Darn thats SD40-2 credentials.

Yes, and even the newer SD70ACe's are rattleboxes.

UP_Tops Wrote:
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> Yes, and even the newer SD70ACe's are rattleboxes.

Don't get me started.-BMT

UP_Tops Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bath_wildcat Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I cannot agree with you guys more. I accually
> got
> > to ride in UP 8113 when she was on the CSX
> Toledo
> > Sub in Ohio. Even that SD9043 was a piece of
> > crap. Even though I was excited, I could still
> > feel it rattle like it was coming apart, and
> thats
> > from the siding to the main!
>
>
> OK? And what do you have to compare that to?


Why doesn't personal expierence count, long with hearing ever rattle in the damn thing?!!!!

rehunn Wrote:
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> Now Brian don't speak ill of the MOP little U
> Boats, they just
> weren't used to going that fast.

Actually, I liked the "Baby Boats" as we called them. I only ran them down the 20 MPH 'Pedro Branch on locals, but they had a terrible harmonic rock between 15 and 18 MPH. The regular crews on the locals that ran up and down the branch were able to get them banned off the 'Pedro and shortly thereafter, dissappeared from the L.A. Basin.

When I was still a hostler, we had to go up to Spence Street (East Yard in L.A.) and gather up all the extra 'Pedro power to take to the backshop. There were two, two unit sets of U-23bs that had been sitting there idling for days on end. We lashed up the four "boats" together and when I opened up the throttle, it engulfed the whole west end of the yard with gray smoke that settled in like a thick fog. The herder and I were laughing so hard, we just about fell out of our seats. Their excessive smoking was probably another reason they were banned from L.A.-BMT

Bath_wildcat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UP_Tops Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Bath_wildcat Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I cannot agree with you guys more. I
> accually
> > got
> > > to ride in UP 8113 when she was on the CSX
> > Toledo
> > > Sub in Ohio. Even that SD9043 was a piece of
> > > crap. Even though I was excited, I could
> still
> > > feel it rattle like it was coming apart, and
> > thats
> > > from the siding to the main!
> >
> >
> > OK? And what do you have to compare that to?
>
>
> Why doesn't personal expierence count, long with
> hearing ever rattle in the damn thing?!!!!


Well, locomotives (even new ones) aren't known for being comparable to a Lexus. They always shake, they always rattle. Some just do it more than others.

They should have been right at home on the Haulers, .5hp/ton
was light duty compared to the MOP who'd hang 12,000 tons
behind two or three of them.