Western Railroad Discussion > CPKC Orders 65 SD70ACe-T4s (and 70 more ET44ACs)

CPKC continues its locomotive ordering spree with 70 ET44ACs from Wabtec and 65 SD70ACe-T4s from EMD/Progress Rail.

The EMD order is surprising to me, especially given the lukewarm reception that these units got from the other Class Is (although I've heard good things about these units from UP crews).

Like most previous late-period SD70ACes and SD70ACe-T4s, they'll be built at the Muncie, IN factory. If I'm not mistaken, these are the first new build EMD (Progress Rail) locomotives ordered by a North American railroad in several years.

Trains.com mentions that they "feature a new energy management system that improves fuel efficiency by 5% to 7% over prior first generation Tier 4 unit". -- do we know if that's just Trip Optimizer or is there actually new tech at play?

Link to the article:
https://www.trains.com/pro/mechanical/locomotives/cpkc-orders-65-new-emd-sd70ace-t4-locomotives-from-progress-rail/?

Outstanding news, really good to hear more of the Tier 4 ACes are finally being ordered.

I think some short line/regional railroad just recently ordered and is taking delivery of 4 EMD SD70ACe-T4 units.

texchief1

CPKC has decided that they will do no more rebuilds
like the SD70ACU and AC4400CWM, so all these
locomotives will need to be replaced. This means all
the AC4400CWs built in the 90's and not yet rebuilt
will need to be replaced. Meaning all the KCSM and
KCS AC4400CW locomotives, The remaining
CP 8500 series that weren't rebuilt, and the remaining
CP 9500 and 9600 series locomotives.  

texchief1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think some short line/regional railroad just
> recently ordered and is taking delivery of 4 EMD
> SD70ACe-T4 units.
> texchief1

Those are two ex-Demos and two refused by
Union Pacific. They probably got a very good
deal on them.

CPKC must be flush with cash. Total 800 million and counting.

SOO6617 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Those are two ex-Demos and two refused by
> Union Pacific. They probably got a very good
> deal on them.

Lake State Railway received ex-EMDX 7209-7212 from the Progress Rail lease fleet.  None were demonstrators nor built for UP.

atx_railfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CPKC continues its locomotive ordering spree with
> 70 ET44ACs from Wabtec and 65 SD70ACe-T4s from
> EMD/Progress Rail.
>
> The EMD order is surprising to me, especially
> given the lukewarm reception that these units got
> from the other Class Is (although I've heard good
> things about these units from UP crews).
>
> Like most previous late-period SD70ACes and
> SD70ACe-T4s, they'll be built at the Muncie, IN
> factory. If I'm not mistaken, these are the
> first new build EMD (Progress Rail) locomotives
> ordered by a North American railroad in several
> years.
>
> Trains.com mentions that they "feature a new
> energy management system that improves fuel
> efficiency by 5% to 7% over prior first generation
> Tier 4 unit". -- do we know if that's just Trip
> Optimizer or is there actually new tech at play?
>
> Link to the article:
> https://www.trains.com/pro/mechanical/locomotives/
> cpkc-orders-65-new-emd-sd70ace-t4-locomotives-from
> -progress-rail/?

EMD/progress rail comes with LEADER. Trip Optimizer is GE/Wabtec. LEADER is better than Trip Optimizer, but can still do stupid things.

Posted from Android

Wonder if this 5-7% improvement overcomes most of the Tier 4 fuel inefficiency issues that the RR's have reportedly been unhappy with (vs. Tier 3).

Oliver Barrett

atx_railfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Trains.com mentions that they "feature a new
> energy management system that improves fuel
> efficiency by 5% to 7% over prior first generation
> Tier 4 unit". -- do we know if that's just Trip
> Optimizer or is there actually new tech at play?
>
 

Are these additional 70 units from Wabtec in addition to the 170 unit order that had 100 delivered by the end of 2025? Or are they just restating the 70 units that will be built this year to finish the 170 unit order?

GN1969 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Are these additional 70 units from Wabtec in
> addition to the 170 unit order that had 100
> delivered by the end of 2025? Or are they just
> restating the 70 units that will be built this
> year to finish the 170 unit order?

I thought that it was a new order but apparently it's just the second half of the previous previously mentioned order. It looks like.

Apparently, CPKC is trying to spin this like it's new, but it really isn't. 

I seem to recall they had a lease arrangement with union Pacific for some of their T4 units. I guess they performed well if they went ahead and made an order like this. Some scuttlebutt I've seen has indicated that these aren't as unreliable as they've been portrayed, but mechanical departments didn't want to deal with the new prime mover design. 

With all the locomotives in storage by CSX, UP and NS, you'd think those roads would try to sell some of their unwanted power.  UP has so many SD-70's in storage that thieves are vandalizing them, and UP doesn't seem to care.  It's shocking how wasteful it is.  

BNSF has 100+ units stored near Gillette WY as maybe Katie Farmer can have a garage sale on used locomotives for her buddy Keith Creel!

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> With all the locomotives in storage by CSX, UP and
> NS, you'd think those roads would try to sell some
> of their unwanted power.  UP has so many SD-70's
> in storage that thieves are vandalizing them, and
> UP doesn't seem to care.  It's shocking how
> wasteful it is.  

Slight correction 
Trip Optimizer is a GE-Wabtec product that can only be installed in a GE/ Wabtec
Leader is a Wabtec product that is hosted inside the PTC system 
Talos is a Progress Rail / EMD product thats got 4 million miles of testing but no USA railroad has ordered it publicly untill now that CPKC has ordered those T4s with it installed. 
57A26 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> atx_railfan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > CPKC continues its locomotive ordering spree
> with
> > 70 ET44ACs from Wabtec and 65
> SD70ACe-T4s from
> > EMD/Progress Rail.
> >
> > The EMD order is surprising to me, especially
> > given the lukewarm reception that these units
> got
> > from the other Class Is (although I've heard
> good
> > things about these units from UP crews).
> >
> > Like most previous late-period SD70ACes and
> > SD70ACe-T4s, they'll be built at the Muncie, IN
> > factory. If I'm not mistaken, these are the
> > first new build EMD (Progress Rail)
> locomotives
> > ordered by a North American railroad in several
> > years.
> >
> > Trains.com mentions that they "feature a new
> > energy management system that improves fuel
> > efficiency by 5% to 7% over prior first
> generation
> > Tier 4 unit". -- do we know if that's just Trip
> > Optimizer or is there actually new tech at
> play?
> >
> > Link to the article:
> >
> https://www.trains.com/pro/mechanical/locomotives/
>
> >
> cpkc-orders-65-new-emd-sd70ace-t4-locomotives-from
>
> > -progress-rail/?
>
> EMD/progress rail comes with LEADER. Trip
> Optimizer is GE/Wabtec. LEADER is better than Trip
> Optimizer, but can still do stupid things.
>
> Posted from Android

NSDTK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Talos is a Progress Rail / EMD product thats got 4
> million miles of testing but no USA railroad has
> ordered it publicly untill now that CPKC has
> ordered those T4s with it installed. 

BNSF has installed Talos on a majority of the SD70ACe fleet

You'd think it would be overall cheaper to rebuild the AC44s. Must be some massive tax write advantage or something. Guess only the bean counters could explain but, thats not information available to us bottom feeders (ie labor).

Posted from iPhone

The CPKC order will be for 30 SD70ACe-T4s to be 
delivered in 2H 2026 with the remaining 35 in 2027.
This should also allow the 25 KCSM SD70ACes in
the 4200 series to be recertified in the US as
Tier 4 Credit locomotives, improving fleet utilization. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/26 11:29 by SOO6617.