Western Railroad Discussion > New Metro Ports Power Delivered

Maybe a month ago I heard that Metro Ports was getting a Knoxville six-axle (an NZE32C model) that was traveling here with KLWX reporting marks (KLWX 1923, the year Metropoliton Stevedore was founded, Metro Ports original name). I figured getting the unit would be tough, and then I heard it landed at West Colton and sat there for a long time (with conflicting reports that it might be going to Stockton or might be going to Long Beach). Then Wednesday morning, word came it was heading west. Seriously swamped at work, I couldn't even think about it, but then with last light, thought I'd drive down to Mead Yard near Long Beach in hope it had arrived. It was not there yet, but I saw it pass on the Alameda Corridor (unshootable) and stop for a signal for West Thernard. Radio chatter made it clear it wasn't going to beat the sun, so I left. Yesterday, a friend went looking for it and found it back in Dolores, buried. With honestly pretty much zero hope of finding it, I drove down again yesterday (after another very heavy work day) and as I headed to Mead, I saw it at the Wilmington Wye. DAMN. It was being shoved and front coupled, but still. I grabed a tele shot of the shove and then I raced to CP Gaspur and beat it by maybe one minute. Grabbed these on the fly rosters and then set up for some clean shots (figuring they were going to come back and go into Mead). BUT NO... they were shoving all the way to Pier G Yard and Metro Ports. Well... I can't complain. They're not perfect (open door, front coupled, 35mm focal length) but this was pretty much the only 30 seconds this thing was shootable the whole day and I stumbled on it with pure dumb luck. (For the 1,000 times I missed the shot due to my pure bad railfan luck, I'll take this.)



 

---

---

---

one more of the shove

 

---

Glad you were able to get it, Charles.  I managed for it to elude me out this way.
GK

TheNavigator Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Glad you were able to get it, Charles.  I managed
> for it to elude me out this way.
> GK

Honestly, getting this thing, in light, clear, in the Harbor, is like pulling off the Double Slot Electron experiment. 

Great and lucky catch despite the challenges presented! That is one odd looking cab and an unusual paint job, reminds me of a Brazilian iron ore unit, no slur intended.
What is the history of that cab anyway?
Gonut

Gonut1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great and lucky catch despite the challenges
> presented! That is one odd looking cab and an
> unusual paint job, reminds me of a Brazilian iron
> ore unit, no slur intended.
> What is the history of that cab anyway?
> Gonut

If I take no offence to the grafitti image responses, believe me no worries on paint schemes.  :-)

I can't answer, althought it really does look like NRE Genset territory to me. Here's the Knoxville site on the model, however they are showing the older SE32C in their photos.

https://www.goklw.com/nze32c/nze28c

That tricky striping work seems to create the outline of a ship, but I had to think about it.
Or did I just fail some sort of personality test?

TJY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/21 10:17 by icancmp193.

Knoxville has been buying cast-off NRE gensets to use as platforms for their locomotives.  The 4-axle Knoxvilles that went to Cal Northern and San Joaquin Valley kept their NRE-style cabs and short hoods.  It wouldn't surprise me if this unit used to be a 3GS21C-DE.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Knoxville has been buying cast-off NRE gensets to
> use as platforms for their locomotives.  The
> 4-axle Knoxvilles that went to Cal Northern and
> San Joaquin Valley kept their NRE-style cabs and
> short hoods.  It wouldn't surprise me if this
> unit used to be a 3GS21C-DE.

The nose is very NRE, however the cab I'm not positive about.

erielackawanna Wrote:

> The nose is very NRE, however the cab I'm not positive about.

Compare to CSX 3GS21C-DE 1600:

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/370666/

Those oval numberboards in a boxy housing and a slight roof overhang are very consistent with second generation NRE genset "styling."

Is this new unit replacing a older one at the port.

usmc1401 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is this new unit replacing a older one at the
> port.

There is a very difficult to decipher California Air Quality Board site I was directed to that indicates it is replacing a unit that is itself being sent to Trona to replace a unit there. What unit that is, I don't know, but it's called a Tier 2 and the only unit at Metro Ports that seems to refer to would be their Genset. That being said, I'm really guessing, so we'll have to wait and see.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> erielackawanna Wrote:
>
> > The nose is very NRE, however the cab I'm
> not positive about.
>
> Compare to CSX 3GS21C-DE 1600:
>
> https://www.railpictures.net/photo/370666/
>
> Those oval numberboards in a boxy housing and a
> slight roof overhang are very consistent with
> second generation NRE genset "styling."

I see what you're saying.  Maybe it's the paint. Just didn't look as squared off to me as the UP gensets had. But you're right about the numberboards.

erielackawanna Wrote:

> I see what you're saying.  Maybe it's the paint.
> Just didn't look as squared off to me as the UP
> gensets had. But you're right about the
> numberboards.

UP only had first generation NRE gensets, which had smaller numberboards flanking a horizontal headlight arrangement.