Western Railroad Discussion > Chessie/Cotton Belt GP40-2

I was wondering if anyone on the Western board could shed some light on this photo. It was taken in 1984 and if you look closely in the orange band above the "e Sy" you can make out part of the words Cotton Belt.
Though the photo is 20 years old i thought maybe someone might know how this could of happened. The Engine is B&O 4432.
My only explanation would be that it was built and painted for the Cotton Belt but was never delivered. It then was added to an order for the Chessie and was repainted. Ideas anyone?

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Wow, this really fascinates me. Looked at this image with a laptop last night and couldn't see didley-squat (thought you were crazy). Now that I am at work with the much nicer G4 Mac monitor, I can see it pretty clear there through the deep orange band. That Cotton Belt is located pretty high up but seeing this unit was delivered in 1984 as a late order phase III GP40-2. They did receive SSW units #7248-7273 as part of the sixth and last GP40-2 order (EMD order #847046) delivered from EMD in 1984 but that was three years after this 1981 B&O/Chessie GP40-2 order. Note that the "COTTON BELT" hood lettering is lower on the '84 SSW order then where it would have been on that B&O Chessie unit you shot.

http://espee.railfan.net/nonindex/gp40-2_photos/7249_ssw-gp40-2-lee_davis.jpg


A possible theory is that these units were part of a follow-up EMD order for SSW in 1980-81after the SP7940-7959 20 unit phase IIc GP40-2 delivery (EMD order #796354) but were cancelled after constructio nand painting by the Southern Pacific. The recession hit pretty hard in the early 80's so perhaps these units were diverted to the B&O/Chessie as numbers 4422-4447. The tough facts to make this story true is that the unit in external appearance are pretty different from the standard SP GP40-2 orders at the time. the Chessie units as delivered were missing the trademark SP nose light package/rear light cluster, they had a non-SP order nose ratchet brake and none of the other standard add-on details like big plow, dogleg engineer window, air conditioning unit, etc.. That was a 88" nose but this was standard for all late phase GP40-2's by 1980-81. The B&O 4422-4447 GP40-2 class (EMD order #807014) was delivered very Chessie-style with the mail slot battery box doors, five chime horn, dinky front pilot "plow"(if you can even call it that), and the regular four front window layout (although SP would switch to the same non-dogleg window layout on post 1984 locomotive orders).

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/bo4437.jpg

Then again perhaps this was going to be a canceled order by the B&O that SP/SSW picked up for a deal. So before repainting to standard SP scarlet and gray the units received the "COTTON BELT" lettering in the orange band up high on the hood sides as shown in your pic! What a cool sight these untis would have been. This diverted order would have been like the DRGW SD50's (5501-5517) that were diverted from the cancelled Seaboard/Chessie SD50 1984 EMD order.

Can anyone shed some real light on these mystery Chessie/SSW GP40-2's?


-Ryan aka "espeeboy"
on the ex-WP Oakland Sub MP11.2

Could it be an SSW long hood used for a wreck repair???
Tom Helliwell

a good theory Tom but it still has the awkward COTTON BELT placed too high on the hood to be from any other previous SSW EMD units...

90mac Wrote:
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> Could it be an SSW long hood used for a wreck
> repair???
> Tom Helliwell

It might remain a mystery cause it's got me stumped. I remember when i was shooting the train i saw the lettering showing through and snapped a side shot of it while it went by.
Anyhow, thanks for the help and maybe some day i'll figure it out.

maybe what you are seeing is something someone has done by hand,(possibly by someone on the SSW) in the road grime that has collected on the engine.