Western Railroad Discussion > End o' the line for this Cascade Green?

Without digging around on line, looking for engine roster websites & such I’ll offer speculation that this old bird might be headed for retirement. I remember they were new as I was going through engineer training with MRL. I entered their program in the fall of 1989 and took promotion in May of 1990. So retirement after 32 years of service seems reasonable. Of course I will cheerfully stand to any corrections. I’m fond of quoting one of my favorite science/science fiction writers, Arthur C. Clarke. He once wrote: “The truth, as always, will be far stranger”...

1. BNSF 1466 in Topeka, KS on February 19, 2023.

Thanks for looking one more time?
Lance Garrels
santafe199

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Yes it's hard to believe how time flew so fast. Back on 9/9/90 I got to shoot the 9244 (built 3-90) on display during an Open House by BN at Superior,WI. It was with GN 400 SD45 Hustle Muscle (built 5-66). Almost 25 years age difference in those models. Looks like the railroad got their money's worth out of these SD60Ms.  As an engineer,how did you rate their performance over the years? 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/23 06:50 by perklocal.

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For what it's worth - I found a photograph of 1466 at Topeka in September 2022. Also in the same line of locomotives was 1475 in patched BN paint. Heritage Units reported the 1475 repainted a few days ago.

Matthew

I guess I've been lucky, I had the still green BN 1469 and 1473  working on manifest trains thru the back yard this past week.

Larry

They've been rebuilding the SD60M locos for local and secondary services. I would guess it's going for a overhaul and new paint. Appears the locomotive had been given a good scrubbing already.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

Great image of the 1466, it will be interesting to see if she gets rebuilt and repainted, or just retired.

Dan in Wichita

BNSF 1466 overhauled 11/30/22. The new hardware on the truck frames and new bolts around the engine air intakes are clues.  It's headed to MAC for paint.

Last time an SD60 with paint that good filled the viewfinder was back in '07 when this one came west on a 2x2 seen descending Cajon Pass between Blue Cut and Old Keenbrook. Thanks for rattling loose an old memory with this one.
—Mac



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/23 11:21 by MacBeau.

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Thanks for posting your interesting photo.
ALLEN

From a crew member’s viewpoint…they’re great on the mainline in freight service. Not good in the yard as a switcher.

And in their original setups with the desktop control stand, the cab was roomy and comfortable with great visibility. Some of them have since been overhauled and retrofitted with side control setups like in an SD-40-2…and it is terrible in the cab now. Not as much room, and visibility has been restricted, especially with PTC screens. The middle window of the “tri-clops” is pretty much useless with the overhauled control stand setup, as you can’t even see out of it anymore. Still…I’d take one anyday over a pumpkin.