Western Railroad Discussion > So Cal Winter Sunshine on a pair of BNSF Gensets

Witnessed at Los Angeles, CA, this past Saturday the 16th of February, 2019. Basking in sunny, yet cool (for California) 55° air and very late afternoon solar rays. BNSF 1310 and 1309, sequentially numbered National Railway Equipment rebuild locomotives, each dubbed 3GS21C-DE. 3 "Generator-Sets" / 2100 total horsepower / "C" (3-axle trucks) / Dynamic braking Equipped

From the cab forward and walkways down, these Gensets are both former EMD built SD45-2s delivered from the factory to the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. BNSF 1310 was originally ATSF 5696 built in May 1973. The 1309 behind it hit the rails one year earlier in May 1972 as ATSF 5654. Decades prior to their current assignments and somewhat augmented appearances, these motors were considered cream of the crop, 20 cylinder, 3600 horsepower mainline road units. Primarily traversing Santa Fe's southern trans-con route between California and Illinois on many of the road's hot-shot freights including early railroad endeavors into the budding inter-modal business on the famed Super-C. In the mid to late 1980s the ATSF 5654 (then numbered 7226, and later 5826) even spent some four years wearing the ill fated Kodachrome colors from the failed merger between Southern Pacific and Santa Fe.

As the years rolled on and locomotive technologies evolved and improved, these increasingly labor intensive and environmentally polluting 'old horses' soldiered on as candidates for rebuilds and surge fleet protection. In the late 1980s roughly 15 years of age, Santa Fe mechanical crews ran both units along with countless others through internal rebuild programs to greatly extend the lives of their second generation fleet. Adding a simple "u" to the end of the model's designation, along with a fresh coat of yellow-bonnet paint and new unit numbers to match. Continuing into the 1990s mixed in now with Santa Fe's classy Super-fleet red and silver warbonnet wide-nosed models, these SD45-2u examples continued to display their worth across the system.

As the merger wars ramped up again in the mid 1990s, the SD45-2s again stuck it out, being festooned with new corporate logos and numbers yet retaining their now nostalgic yellow and blue. Seen throughout BNSF's 26 western state network through the mid 2000s, along with a plethora of additional colorful examples of the newly formed company's motive power fleet. Again as locomotive technologies inevitably improved and fuel costs steadily rose, these units seemed destined for the scrappers torch. Post 2000 era EMD and GE examples of AC and DC traction locomotives were  superior in most aspects for the corporation; fuel savings, parts & labor, computer based technologies, you name it. But on countless occasions the increasingly busy railroad still appreciated the quick access to the additional horsepower for their ever shrinking bottom line.

The final nail in the SD45-2 coffin appeared to be driven in the late 2000s with the global financial crisis, and following US economic recession. BNSF sidelined, stored, and began selling off hundreds of their pre-merger Burlington Northern and Santa Fe era locomotive fleet, deemed too old, fuel thirsty, and pollution ridden to be worth their weight compared to the latest motive power technologies available to them on the market. Rapidly approaching 40 years old, by 2010 these SD45-2s along with several others had notably been kept to the side, initially for unknown or undisclosed reasons to the railfan community. Stepping back a couple years at the onset of the financial crisis, BNSF had began looking at cheaper alternatives to replacing much of their even more aging 'yard switcher' fleet of 1960 through 1980s era EMD and GE 4 axle power. Smaller locomotive rebuild and manufacturing firms became prime targets of this potential business venture. Based on the displayed successes by National Railway Equipment in 2009-10 with nine other rebuilds for BNSF off predecessor EMD SD40 model bodies, eight of their sale or scrap destined SD45-2s were selected for a similar rebuild opportunity in 2011. The now numbered 1309 and 1310 were the first two delivered back to the BNSF off these longer SD45-2 frames in December 2011.

Quickly shipped west to California where the railroad could cash-in on the state's lucrative tax incentives for purging their in-state fleet of (older generation) diesel polluting locomotives, these 'new' 1300s blended right in with the slightly older Gensets already in place at the various inter-modal yards across the state. Finally settling into the Los Angeles and San Bernardino terminals, the 1309 and 1310 are still moving inter-modal freight up and down the yard leads today. In some sense accomplishing the same tasks they were initially ordered for over 45 years ago. All be it at a much more leisurely pace.

Mr. MRL ~ fan safely

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Both images were taken just moments appart, but facing different directions. It was a tough choice over which pic I enjoyed better, the semi-back lit/glint with the interesting clouds to the west, or the full lit 3/4 wedge with the clear blue skies to the east. I submit both to the Trainorders community for observation, discussion, and archive.

* and now I’ve been reminded of a (certain other) site’s screener opinion on “Backlit (nose)” shots being unimaginative and/or unappealing and/or simply too dark...

~ Mr. MRL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/19 07:23 by MrMRL.

Glamour shots! Awesome. Great text too. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/19 22:23 by phthithu.

i like both shots and the explanation for their creation... Thanks!

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

I like the dark nose one best but both are great. Great light and composition, composing with your feet. 

Thanks for the feedback. I’ve been itching to see just what the new dual cameras on my new iPhone XS Max were cabable of. I really like that 2x optical (52mm equivalent) lens. Amazing technology in these tiny 1/4” sensors.

Mr. MRL

What's it like to run these?

mapboy

Great light! Nicely done.

My take on Gensets are that they are, well, pieces of crap as far as a locomotive is concerned, as to why one would often see them hooked up to a standard locomotive.  Are these 6 axle units better?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/19 08:10 by spwolfmtn.

I'm glad I was able to work with them in their better days.

mapboy Wrote:
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> What's it like to run these?


Because they are all hand rebuilt off much older frames, they all have different unique qualities and issues. Honestly, the biggest faults I experience with the 1300 series (6-axle) Gensets I deal with every day stem from the 700 hp diesel motors installed behind the cab. Because they’re essentially 18 wheeler diesel truck motors, their mechanical components are smaller than the original EMD prime movers. So oil and air filters suffer greatly by clogging and failing at an increased rate over the beefier counterparts formerly on the units. And with every aspect of operation in the motor being computer monitored and controlled, at the first glitch or failed internal switch, the onboard computer simply kills power to the throttle, sets the brakes and prevents the operator from moving.

In short, yeah, they suck a fair percentage of the time, but if they’re pampered and babied, they still get the job done. I mean, what’s my alternative?

Mr. MRL

 

MrMRL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> mapboy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What's it like to run these?
>
>
> Because they are all hand rebuilt off much older
> frames, they all have different unique qualities
> and issues. Honestly, the biggest faults I
> experience with the 1300 series (6-axle) Gensets I
> deal with every day stem from the 700 hp diesel
> motors installed behind the cab. Because they’re
> essentially 18 wheeler diesel truck motors, their
> mechanical components are smaller than the
> original EMD prime movers. So oil and air filters
> suffer greatly by clogging and failing at an
> increased rate over the beefier counterparts
> formerly on the units. And with every aspect of
> operation in the motor being computer monitored
> and controlled, at the first glitch or failed
> internal switch, the onboard computer simply kills
> power to the throttle, sets the brakes and
> prevents the operator from moving.

They know how to get an "early quit"!

Amazing how different the sky is in the two photos even though they were just moments apart. Those clouds must have gotten in or out wicked fast.

Steve Sloan
San Jose, CA

Robby: Were thoes your office or offices for the day ?