Western Railroad Discussion > Stored Locomotives Where????

I've been driving to Houston for the Santa Fe Historical and Modeling Society's connvention.  Sunday, while driving on Texas Farm Road 156 which follows the former Santa Fe, I passed two strings of stored locomotives.  Some were UP's, mostly AC4400CW's although I did spot an ex-SP C44-9W.  However, about half were CN engines in the 2500 and 2600 series.  All GE's by the way, nary an EMD to be seen.  Now, the UP engines I can understand, but that are CN engines doing being stored in Texas.  Inquiiring minds want to know.  TIA for a reply.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Could be rebuild candidates for GE Wabtec in Texas.

FM 156 goes right by the Wabtec facility north of Fort Worth, so I’m sure you saw power going in for rebuild.

Posted from iPhone

Nick's list is as reported on LocoNotes as pending rebuild units.

Out 

Perhaps I'm just brain dead but how in the heck do you guys remember all these, "what to me are just random", model designations, none-the-less on the fly, on a drive by. When to me they are just big assorted boxes enclosing various varieties of prime movers and other "things" that make trains move. I guess I'm asking why is this so interesting? It isn't like when the really old guys talked about the variations in steam engines? They were certainly different from road to road but the diesels are just big boxes of "stuff". It blows me away you seem to have dedicated brain cells to sort this seemingly endless "lets call it rivet counting" in any sort of manner at all.
It was at least interesting when there were multiple builders in the Fifties today, yawn! Two builder or realistically rebuilders.
So today there were various big diesel smelly boxes moving trains by my house. I guess thay all work as none stalled. Hard to get excited to get trackside to photo another noisy smelly box!
Argh! Todays railroading has really become so generic.
Gonut

Different strokes for different folks.

Gonut1 Wrote:
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> It isn't like when the really old
> guys talked about the variations in steam engines?
> They were certainly different from road to road
> but the diesels are just big boxes of "stuff". It
> blows me away you seem to have dedicated brain
> cells to sort this seemingly endless "lets call it
> rivet counting" in any sort of manner at all.

Who's to say knowing about steam engines is better or more interesting than knowing about diesel-electrics?  It's just one's opinion.  I don't know nor am interested about the intricacies of steam locomotives, but I understand 100% why they're pretty awesome machines.

If you think it's hard to remember, it's going to be hard to remember.

CN units in the 2500 series often show up dead in consist on the Oklahoma City VR camera

Are you sure you are on the correct site because if you think people on Trainorders are not interested in locomotives, then you are completely confused?!?! FWIW, at least those locomotives going by your house aren't some boring electric catenary box as I'll be done with this site once that happens.

Gonut1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Perhaps I'm just brain dead but how in the heck do
> you guys remember all these, "what to me are just
> random", model designations, none-the-less on the
> fly, on a drive by. When to me they are just big
> assorted boxes enclosing various varieties of
> prime movers and other "things" that make trains
> move. I guess I'm asking why is this so
> interesting? It isn't like when the really old
> guys talked about the variations in steam engines?
> They were certainly different from road to road
> but the diesels are just big boxes of "stuff". It
> blows me away you seem to have dedicated brain
> cells to sort this seemingly endless "lets call it
> rivet counting" in any sort of manner at all.
> It was at least interesting when there were
> multiple builders in the Fifties today, yawn! Two
> builder or realistically rebuilders.
> So today there were various big diesel smelly
> boxes moving trains by my house. I guess thay all
> work as none stalled. Hard to get excited to get
> trackside to photo another noisy smelly box!
> Argh! Todays railroading has really become so
> generic.
> Gonut

Gonut1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Perhaps I'm just brain dead

There is that possibility…

> but the diesels are just big boxes of "stuff".

Weren’t steam engines just big grubby kettles?

Posted from iPhone

Gonut1,

Its just like historic cars and today's cars.   I am in my early 50s and muscle cars, while I can appreciate them, hold no real interest to me.   But late 1970s - early 1980s cars?   Heck yeah.  That is when I was just about to drive and really wanted to get a Monte Carlo SS, Dodge Lil Red Truck, or the tiny Shelby enhanced, Dodge Omni GLH-S.

Today I am toying around with mid 2000s Mini Coopers.  They are cheap and parts pretty available to get it to push almost 300hp out of a tiny engine.  

So some folks like steamers and some like diesels.   I can tell the difference with first and second gen diesel locomotives, but the new stuff?  Nope.   But my sons, in their late teens, know all the differences in current locomotive models.

So as someone else stated different strokes for different folks.

exhaustED Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gonut1 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Perhaps I'm just brain dead
>
> There is that possibility…
>
> > but the diesels are just big boxes of "stuff".
>
> Weren’t steam engines just big grubby kettles?
>
> Posted from iPhone

Yep, different strokes for different folks. I personally don't give a flip about steam, and can't tell you anything about them other than how many wheels they have.  They mean nothing to me because I did not grow up with them.  First and second generation generation EMDs and GEs? Now we're talking, and that's why I practically "live" on shortlines when I'm out for some photography.  Those are what I hold my fondest memories of, first cab rides, all that.

As an aside, I recently saw a UP employee on another forum refer to 4014 jokingly-- "Great, hold up the mainline for an oversized tea kettle on roller skates."

Mike Derrick
 

Thanks for the replies about the stored diesels.  I was told by some conventioneers last night they were probaby going to Wabtec.  I'll have to look up the exact location of Wabtec's Ft. Worth plant, however, as I thought it was on the Ft. Worth and Denver.  

Gonut, if you can remember roster information, you can usually remember the locomotive model.  And it's different strokes for different folks.  

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

ntharalson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the replies about the stored diesels. 
> I was told by some conventioneers last night they
> were probaby going to Wabtec.  I'll have to look
> up the exact location of Wabtec's Ft. Worth plant,
> however, as I thought it was on the Ft. Worth and
> Denver.  
>
> Gonut, if you can remember roster information, you
> can usually remember the locomotive model.  And
> it's different strokes for different folks.  
>
> Nick Tharalson,
> Marion, IA 

I second this. I try and remember unit numbers more than models. It easier that way as far as I am concerned. And with the various rosters available today on line, it makes it even that much easier. The models of the units, I can mostly figure out, but there are some I still have issues with. Esp when it comes to all the rebuilds out and about. Like the GE Reblds. UP calls them C44ACM, while NS calls them AC44C6M and I can't recall what they are on CSX. And then UP with there different versions of the basic ES44AC from GE, such as the C45AC-CTE. and such. I just write down the numbers and figure them out later.   Ben

ntharalson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'll have to look
> up the exact location of Wabtec's Ft. Worth plant,
> however, as I thought it was on the Ft. Worth and
> Denver.  

It's most certainly on the former Santa Fe

I think he said the sheriff is near.
 

ntharalson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>  I'll have to look
> up the exact location of Wabtec's Ft. Worth plant,

>
> Nick Tharalson,
> Marion, IA

The Wabtec plant is straight west of the Texas Motor Speedway, on the east side of FM 156 and the former Santa Fe tracks, just north of where Highway 114 crosses.

Posted from iPhone

Went by there this afternoon, the BNSF 3651 and a UP unit were coupled together taking a test run. Both looked fantastic. Wabtec has their own track that has a giant sand pile bumping post on the Northside of Hwy 114 and goes as far north as downtown Justin alongside The BNSF main now goes by the Alliance yard and comes out next to Hwy 156 north of the Wabtec plant. I have seen fresh locos as far north as Ponder from time to time doing what I suspect are test runs. 

ns2557 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I second this. I try and remember unit numbers
> more than models. It easier that way as far as I
> am concerned. And with the various rosters
> available today on line, it makes it even that
> much easier. The models of the units, I can mostly
> figure out, but there are some I still have issues
> with. Esp when it comes to all the rebuilds out
> and about. Like the GE Reblds. UP calls them
> C44ACM, while NS calls them AC44C6M and I can't
> recall what they are on CSX. And then UP with
> there different versions of the basic ES44AC from
> GE, such as the C45AC-CTE. and such. I just write
> down the numbers and figure them out later. 
>  Ben

The two different model designations tell you what type
of locomotive they were rebuilt from, a AC4400CWM
was rebuilt from a AC4400CW with the control system
of an ES44AC, while a AC4400C6M is rebuilt from a
Dash-9-44CW that originally had DC motors. Of course
that is too many letters for UP computer system so they
shorten theirs to C44ACM.