Eastern Railroad Discussion > NS SD40-2s with some upgrades

NS 3379 and NS 3352 both left Altoona a few days ago on NS 39Q to Conway. Both units got PTC installed on both sides of the Air Conditoners in Roanoke and got rebuild control stands, floors, windows and more. Sadly they lost their cab signals due to age and more. Both got a full repaint in Altoona. Looking nice though. 

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Kind of surprising that they kept their original cabs. Aren't most standard cab rebuilds getting Admiral cabs these days?

The Ex N&W and Southern units were getting new cabs. The Ex Conrail units cab were in good condition, although just needed new windows, floors and rebuilt control stands. Electric handbrakes were added when the units were upgraded in Roanoke. 

Not surprised these units lost thier cab signal equipment. Probably allowed the shop to feed the PTC equipment with the same wiring. Also, in the utopian world of full PTC, conventional cab signaling/train stop/train control, etc., will be superfluous and the carriers fully expect to get wholesale approval to discontinue all those legacy systems once PTC is fully functional. This is one of the main selling points the FRA blew up the carriers' arse, that it would save them money by allowing all this old, hard-to-maintain stuff to go away.

​So I'd be willing to bet NS's mechanical deparmtent sees this as only a temporary limitation on their usefulness. It also tells me these units have at least some future on NS or why else would they have gone to the trouble of installing PTC?

NZ

CR6377 Wrote:
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> The Ex N&W and Southern units were getting new cabs.

Ah. New cabs and noses on the former high-nose units, but not on that which already has a low nose.

CPR_4000 Wrote:
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> Ah. New cabs and noses on the former high-nose units, but not on that which already has a low nose.

Not completely.  NS also replaced the cab and low short hoods on its former N&W SD40-2's that were originally built with 81" low short hoods. That included NS 1636-1652 and 6073-6138, some getting new EMD cabs and 88" low short hoods, with the rest getting the NS-designed "admiral" cab and low short hood after that became the NS standard. 

NS has also replaced the cab and 81" low short hoods on units 3457, 3458, and 3502-3506, which are former leaser units NS acquired over the past 6 years. Those all received the NS "admiral" cab and low short hood.


Chris Toth
NSDash9.com