Eastern Railroad Discussion > Rock Island Rail's latest acquisition,.... a GE

The folks at Rock Island Rail posted their latest locomotive acquisition on FB, CN Dash8-40C #2127, which was built as C&NW #8544.It appears that it will be paintedin "Revival" blue and white, which is what RIR is calling the blue scheme.

Photo credit to Rock Island Rail.

Russ

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Wow, that's something I'm gonna have to see.  Imagine a Rock Island Dash 8 in blue and white.  I'm excited already!

Love it cant wait

Is there a map of where this railroad runs?

Regards, Jim Evans

Certain amount of justice that a former CNW unit would end up wearing a Rock Island
paint scheme!
zr190

zr190 Wrote:
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> Certain amount of justice that a former CNW unit
> would end up wearing a Rock Island
> paint scheme!
> zr190

You know the saying, pay back is a b@$&h, the CNW screwed the ROCK. 

FiveChime Wrote:
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> Is there a map of where this railroad runs?
>
> Regards, Jim Evans

Swan Lake to Clarksdale, Mississippi

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EL-SD45-3632 Wrote:
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> You know the saying, pay back is a b@$&h, the CNW
> screwed the ROCK. 

Can you elabroate on that, for those of us born after 1980?

Interesting, I hadn't seen any news that CN was selling these off.

Lot's of marginal track with very little on line industry and miles of car storage. 

If it were me I wouldn't waste my time and money painting engines I would be hustling customers and replacing ties.

Fresh paint never kept an engine running or on the rails.

Exprail

exprail Wrote:
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> Lot's of marginal track with very little on line
> industry and miles of car storage. 
>
> If it were me I wouldn't waste my time and money
> painting engines I would be hustling customers and
> replacing ties.
>
> Fresh paint never kept an engine running or on the
> rails.
>
> Exprail


They've upgraded some sections of the railroad from 10 mph to 25 mph. As for customers, I don't know if they've gotten any new ones. However the CRIP has owned the Mississippi Delta for about a year and a half now, so they've must have drummed up some new business.

Current traffic consists of primarily chemical products, agricultural products, and scrap. There are 3 transload located at various points along the line. The also have the space to store 2100 railcars.

The Mississippi Delta Railroad before the CRIP only had 2 locomotives. Now they have 5. When the CRIP took over they also uped the rate of service to 5 days a week (Monday through Friday).

The railroad also says their planning to go on an aggressive marketing campaign to get new customers. A revamped website, promotional videos, etc. Interestingly enough it's partially fueled by railfans, as the CRIP wants them to provide videos and photos to use in the campaign.

Their website provides some good information as well as their very active Facebook page.

https://rockislandrail.com/
https://m.facebook.com/RockIslandRail

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Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/20 14:20 by Shortline614.

exprail Wrote:
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> Lot's of marginal track with very little on line
> industry and miles of car storage. 
>
> If it were me I wouldn't waste my time and money
> painting engines I would be hustling customers and
> replacing ties.
>
> Fresh paint never kept an engine running or on the
> rails.

But fresh paint does get applied due to pride and passion, both of which can make a business succeed.

            Probably a good thing the nay sayers are not on this man's payroll. 'Those' types never help your business.

inCHI Wrote:
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> Interesting, I hadn't seen any news that CN was
> selling these off.

They are or have sold ~38 GE's, covering C40-8's, C40-8W's, and C40-8M's, both from CN and BCR.

I worked for a lot of short lines where ties, ballast and rail came first...paint ......second? 

These were sucessful and still are. 

I am not a naysayer ...just a practical rail.

Exprail


 

pennsy3750 Wrote:
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> EL-SD45-3632 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You know the saying, pay back is a b@$&h, the
> CNW
> > screwed the ROCK. 
>
> Can you elabroate on that, for those of us born
> after 1980?

Not sure of details anymore but UP wanted to buy Rock Island aroound 1960(you can google for details).  In typical government railroad malaise of the time the merger was held up for years and when finally approved the UP was no longer interested.  Not sure but CNW was proabably a protester.  The odd thing is the Milwaukee and the Rock Island tried to maintian their routes while the CNW didn't have a line they couldn't abandon and finally ended up with UP.  Poor RI actually had some good lines just too much low revenue stuff they couldn't get rid of.

Bob

C&NW bought many ex-CRI&P GP7s and GP9s (some 0f them off lease) in the '70s.  Gerry
===============================
pennsy3750 Wrote:
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Can you elabroate on that, for those of us born after 1980?

exprail Wrote:
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> I am not a naysayer ...just a practical rail.
>
> Exprail


A Ford Focus will get you to and from work
just fine, too!

Regarding the paint scheme - is there a story
that goes with getting permission to use the
livery and logos?  Bloomer did a nice job with
it's Burlington Route livery though it stopped
with the livery without using the logos nor
actual railroad names.  Just wondering...

/Mitch

exprail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I worked for a lot of short lines where ties,
> ballast and rail came first...paint
> ......second? 
>
> These were sucessful and still are. 
>
> I am not a naysayer ...just a practical rail.
>
> Exprail
>

I'm very happy for you, but there's more than one way to skin a cat...

GPutz Wrote:
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> C&NW bought many ex-CRI&P GP7s and GP9s (some 0f
> them off lease) in the '70s.  Gerry
> ===============================
> pennsy3750 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> Can you elabroate on that, for those of us
> born after 1980?

CNW never totaly screwed over the CRIP, years of defered maintenance and regulation did. Yes CNW did end up with some good parts like the Spine Line and some grain lines but funny thing is CNW was just as happy to have their own ex CGW mainlines from twin cities to kansas city, except the rock was much better to run trains on.

There was some hard feelings from ex Rock employees being thrown into CMW senority where they got the shiity end of the deal. Bit for the most part when CNW did take over the Rocks operations things went fairly smoothly.
JC

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