Eastern Railroad Discussion > CSX SD80MACs to WC

It looks as if the 8 CSX SD90MACs going to WC for temporary testing (see previous threads in Trainorders) have made it to Chicago. According to the CSX system, CSX Q38314 arived in Chicago yesterday morning (12/15 07:30) with all 8 of them. The units are CSX 801, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 809, and 810. The CSX 801 is in CSX paint while the rest are still in their original Conrail blue and white...

Did anyone get any photos of this train? With 8 SD80MACs in the consist it must have been a sight...
- BCM

Got some crappy night digitals of Q343 that had them out of Cumberland...none worth posting though :(
801 was the last unit in the consist and they had a SD40-2 in the lead that night.
It was a great sight to behold as all were idleing away in transport.

At least two of the SD80MAC's spotted this morning at WC Shops Yard, near diesel shop. Could only verify #802.BCM wrote:
>
> It looks as if the 8 CSX SD90MACs going to WC for temporary
> testing (see previous threads in Trainorders) have made it to
> Chicago. According to the CSX system, CSX Q38314 arived in
> Chicago yesterday morning (12/15 07:30) with all 8 of them.
> The units are CSX 801, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 809, and 810.
> The CSX 801 is in CSX paint while the rest are still in their
> original Conrail blue and white...
>
> Did anyone get any photos of this train? With 8 SD80MACs in
> the consist it must have been a sight...
> - BCM

What the guy at the shop in Cumberland told me and my engineer the other day is that WC needs them for some ore trains, because they need units with LSL. I'm not exactly sure why WC is getting our beloved 80's instead of SD60I's or M's, or something of that sort. In exchange, CSX is getting 20 WC SD45's for 4 months. Obviously CSX is getting the shorter end of the stick IMHO.


-John Zuna

I don't think it was CSX #802 that you saw at WC Shops Yard. CSX #802 is currently in Herbert, MD on a train with CSX #812. Two other CSX SD80MACs - #800 and #811 - are at Bennings Yard in DC, and the other one, #808, is in Cumberland, MD. The eight units for WC (#801, 803-807, 809, 810) were delivered at 6am yesterday (the 16th) and at least 7 of them were in Fondulac, WI by last night.
- BCM

John, WC is borrowing the SD80MACs to test them in distributed power mode on some of their ore trains. WC is considering ordering some SD80MACs or buying some from NS or CSX.

From a hp standpoint the trade is to CSX's advantage.
8 x 5000hp = 40,000hp to WC vs. 20 x 3600hp = 72,000hp to CSX

However, nobody at CSX likely took into consideration the crew comfort features of the SD80MACs as compared to the SD45s.

In good weather which would you rather have, a pair of SD80MACs or 5 SD45s which were just rebuilt last year...

-BCM

You're right. Went back to check and it was the 810 not the 802. Looked like 3 others but could not see the #'s

>> WC is borrowing the SD80MACs to test them in distributed power mode on some of their ore trains. WC is considering ordering some SD80MACs or buying some from NS or CSX.<<

Yes, WC is borrowing the SD80MAC's to test the Distributed Power concept, but there has been NOTHING said that they would place an order for SD80MAC's (or any other new locomotives) and there has been NOTHING said that they may attempt to buy the SD80MAC's from CSX and/or NS.

Bryan

Well Bryan, they must have some intent of puchasing SD80MAC's, because what would be the point of testing them? Just to screw CSX out of some nice warm locomotives during the harsh winter months?

Also, are the 80MAC's set up for Distributed Power? I thought it took some fancy electronic gizmo's to do it, and I don't think I have ever heard them having this capability.

I bet the WC crews are laughing their butts off when they climb into the Comfort Cab, and know somewhere a CSX crew is getting on their WC units, bundled up for the full brunt of winter weather, like they have always done.

Actually...the WC's aren't that bad. The one SD45 I was in, leaked around the windows, but most units do that. A little duct tape fixed the problem somewhat.

As for the SD80MAC's, I've only seen one of them up on the Chicago B&O line (before the 8 came west on Q383). That one I saw, was on a K377 I took. Other than that, I think they keep them hidden in the Cumberland vicinity.

Take care
be safe

Yes CSX_CO the CSX (ex-Conrail) SD80MACs were normally used in coal train service between Grafton, Cumberland, Bennings Yard (DC), and the Popes Creek Branch power plants in southern Maryland...
- BCM

While your horsepower calculations are correct, CSX is still getting the short end of the stick power-wise. The 80MAC's have virtually no stall speed as far as burning out traction motors and can put out huge amounts of tractive effort, exceeding 200,000 lbs when needed.

If you look at power ratings, one 80MAC is worth about two NS C40-9's when it comes to tractive effort. I don't see how even three SD-45's can even come close.

For what the 80MAC's are intended to do, they can't be beaten by a bunch of 30 year old locomotives.