Eastern Railroad Discussion > Thoughts on the FEC GEVOs?

I am usually on the western board, but what are y'alls thoughts on the FEC ES44s?

I think and I might be wrong but "Everyone is drooling over the paint scheme FEC selected", What is your Western opinion ?

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

To me personally its a novelty that will quickly wear off! while nice shiny champion painted ES44's will look great for awhile in a matter of a few months every FEC mainline assignment will get a pair of these units. Call me crazy but I personally much prefer the FEC from the last few years with veteran EMD GP40-2's, SD40-2's SD70M-2's in a variety of paint schemes covering the mainline. I understand progress and uniformity but from strictly a railfan's perspective ill take the old FEC.
Mark Mautner

What Mark said. FEC lash ups are going to become about as diverse as a box of salt.

Posted from Android

We are taking bets on when they "burn up" the first one! Even though FL is basically flat, when you run 12,000' > 14,000' trains with only 2 units and only 4 axles on each they are going to scorch one or more of them, only time will know when. lol

Does anyone know why they are turning back the SD70M's? Is it just because the lease is up or did they really hate the newer EMD power?

When uniformity looks like this, you won't find me complaining. I have enjoyed the era of variety we've seen in the FEC as much as the next guy, but the former RA red white and blue units look tired, and the bluebird leaders do nothing for me. So I won't miss those, nor will I really miss the blue and gold SDs in the ARR colors. I suspect there will still be a healthy mix of SD40-2s in the Champs scheme and event few blue GPs hanging around to run the locals too to keep things interesting.

Killer paint scheme. They are part of the GE Borg now. Personally and an EMD fan, would love to see the Champion scheme on an ACe or M-2

Posted from Android

PittsburghMike Wrote:
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> When uniformity looks like this, you won't find me
> complaining. I have enjoyed the era of variety
> we've seen in the FEC as much as the next guy, but
> the former RA red white and blue units look tired,
> and the bluebird leaders do nothing for me. So I
> won't miss those, nor will I really miss the blue
> and gold SDs in the ARR colors. I suspect there
> will still be a healthy mix of SD40-2s in the
> Champs scheme and event few blue GPs hanging
> around to run the locals too to keep things
> interesting.

^ exactly what he said. But then I have a preference for railroads, especially short lines & regionals with consistent identifiable paint schemes unique to that railroad. Second hand UP patches, RailGenerica red/white/blue, Alaska Railroad yellow & blue and CITX lease junk may have created rainbow consists and given "variety" for the local fans but a solid fleet of power in two different versions of historic corporate colors ("champs" for mainline, "blue" for switchers/local service predominantly) is far more aesthetically pleasing to me. The paucity and speed of daytime mainline traffic has long made it a challenge to get much on the FEC for the amount of time & effort expended compared to a lot of other things one could do around the country chasing trains so it'll be nice to count on getting something good for the effort rather than boned with a boring CITX leader or a really ratty looking ex-UP painted SD40-2. (Mind you I am glad I have those shots for the history of it, but if nothing was changing I doubt I'd bother going back to shoot more of it)

Michael

I hear some of the "Champion" SD40-2s (of which I count seven) are going to be leased out once the whole GE fleet arrives; I hope whoever uses them takes care of them. But I won't miss the ratty ex-UP painted units or the three CITX leasers and wasn't too fond of the mix-and-match aspect of the Alaska and RA units, either. If anything, I wish their four-axled power were painted in the Champion colors. Individual, regional railroads where one can actually find matched consists are what's rare today, not dog's-breakfast lashups of the sort one so often finds on roads like the Wheeling & Lake Erie or former RailAmerica properties.

lapklub Wrote:
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> We are taking bets on when they "burn up" the
> first one! Even though FL is basically flat, when
> you run 12,000' > 14,000' trains with only 2 units
> and only 4 axles on each they are going to scorch
> one or more of them, only time will know when. lol

I'd worry about it when the railroad tries to pull that big of a train with only one of the units. You don't have any grades to speak of, do you?

Love the scheme, but not a fan of GE fatheads regardless of that factor. especially when one looks at the power they're replacing.

Posted from iPhone

cpn456 Wrote:
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> Does anyone know why they are turning back the
> SD70M's? Is it just because the lease is up or
> did they really hate the newer EMD power?

My impression is that management is looking for better fuel economy and the future LNG capability of the GE's was very appealing.
Also, GE financing probably played a factor in the decision to switch sides.

I heard that when they do start leasing out the SD40's, the Champs will be the last one's to be leased. The others will go out first.

lapklub Wrote:
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> I heard that when they do start leasing out the
> SD40's, the Champs will be the last one's to be
> leased. The others will go out first.


Were the Champion style SD40-2 units rebuilt as part of the painting process? I seem to recall there was some updating or over hauling.