Western Railroad Discussion > UP rebuild program question

Ref prior post, link below

Can anyone provide scope of this UP rebuild program ?
-- number of units
-- work involved
-- etc

(google search says 20 units, no details)

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4670316



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/18 14:15 by NKP715.

“Due to the age and type of systems on these locomotives, the reliability of these locomotives no longer supports our service model,” said John Estes, vice president-Mechanical. “While still a significant investment, these locomotives can be modernized for a fraction of the cost of a new locomotive.” 
Built from 1994-1999, these were GE’s first-generation AC (alternating current) locomotives and have an older, GTO-based AC traction control system. They also have early-generation distributed power and air brake systems. Renamed as C44ACMs, nearly 1,000 GE C44 locomotives will have the latest generation AC traction control systems, locomotive operating systems, electronic air brake and distributed power. 
 In recent testing for mean miles between failures (MMBF), UP’s newer, EVO-based locomotives averaged 43,000 miles, far superior to the C44s, averaging 21,000 MMBF while using four different control systems. 
The modernization reduces variability in operating systems and includes capacity for future software upgrades. 
 “We’re really excited to see the hard work that we’ve put into this, taking something 24 years old and making it modern,” said Tarek Elkhatib, senior manager-Locomotive Engineering & Quality. 
 Jay Dempsey, assistant manager-Mechanical Engineering, said it’s a key resource productivity enhancement, because UP will be able to get more use out of its assets while reducing delays.  “When you get improved reliability, you get better customer service,” Dempsey said. “It also means we’re less likely to need to use our older, poorer-performing units, making our system more fluid and less congested.” 
Crew comfort is primary in the process, said Dempsey, who leads the team’s five UP employees. He coordinates with UP’s Supply Chain Department to ensure everything GE needs is delivered on time. Dempsey also serves as liaison with the railroad’s PTC group. The Information Technologies (IT) System Engineering group also provided assistance.  
 In phase I – the modernization of 195 locomotives over three years – started in 2017. The first locomotive was finished in June and put on display in Erie. 
Eventually, all 980 of UP’s C44 locomotives will be modernized, including updated phase modules and air brake systems. They’ll be PTC-compliant, will run in distributed power and have new HVAC systems. They’ll have new seats and fresh paint jobs, inside and out.- source: Union Pacific