Western Railroad Discussion > Some SD70MAC's

   Took advantage of a warm January day today to do a little shooting, so I took a run down to Palmer Lake to see if anything was happening rail-wise.  Got this rather routine shot of the head end of a southbound coal train at 3rdswitch's "secret spot," and the DPU consist was a lot more interesting.
   A lot of the old SD70MAC's have already been sold. scrapped, or otherwiswe disposed of, but here's three of them, two in the old "Grinstein Green" paint scheme still doing a days work for the BNSF.  The railroad has certaintly gotten their moneys worth out of these old brutes.
   Thanks for looking, and as always, comments welcome.

Brian Black
Castle Rock, CO

---

---

---

The last three visits I made to the Joint Line within the last two months I did not see any UP trains over periods of three hours or longer.  Have UP trains been rerouted, is there MOW being performed elsewhere, etc?

Nice shots!

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX

ah, 70 macs are my favorites.  thanks for posting..........

66

seaboardc30-7 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The last three visits I made to the Joint Line
> within the last two months I did not see any UP
> trains over periods of three hours or longer. 
> Have UP trains been rerouted, is there MOW being
> performed elsewhere, etc?

To my knowledge there is no re route SB for UP trains on the Front Range of Colorado. As for trains that are currently running. The daily MNYPU or Denver/North Yard to Pueblo, Coal Loads to both Drake in Colo Sprngs and Ray Nixon at Fountain, the local that works some of the ex Rock trackage in Springs  which is based in Colo Sprngs (Power is kept just north of the old Guiseppes Restaraunt) and perhaps a few other runs a few times a month. Those being Wind Energy Trains, Rail Trains, the Rock & Rail Rock train btwn Pblo and Colo Springs/Kelker, perahps a Cochise Coal and that would be it that I am aware of.  Locals in Pueblo both south to Walsenburg and west twds Portland/Canon City and the previously mentioned Rock & Rail Rock trains which use UP power.  Hope that helps ya.  Ben

BNSF still got over 600 of these beauties still on staff.

Posted from iPhone

Nice shots, Brian! Good to see the Macs still out making noise....

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

The-late-EMD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BNSF still got over 600 of these beauties still on
> staff.
>
> Posted from iPhone

How is that possible when the original order was for 350 units??

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The-late-EMD Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > BNSF still got over 600 of these beauties still
> on
> > staff.
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> How is that possible when the original order was
> for 350 units??

642 SD70MACs on the roster due to the initial order, plus follow up orders

alamode Wrote:
> 642 SD70MACs on the roster due to the initial order, plus follow up orders

is it really down to 642 now?   I know some got discarded from the peak of what, 790 units, but I didn't think it was that many.  I thought they still had around 750 of them left.   (but I know that it's a surge fleet and many of these are often LUGO when train volume is down)

A few of them have been reworked as SD70MACe models, and the way that many Class Ones are choosing to remanufacture old Tier Zero and Tier One emissions units rather than bother with Tier Four, makes me wonder if that would be an incentive for BNSF to hold onto these going forward. 

Android Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> is it really down to 642 now?   I know some got
> discarded from the peak of what, 790 units, but I
> didn't think it was that many.  I thought they
> still had around 750 of them left.

I get 746 from BNSF 8800-8989 and 9400-9999. This includes the loss of:

14 let go from lease 12/17, became PRLX 9551-9564
20 upgraded to SD70MACe
8876
8945
9412
9413
9418
9600