International Railroad Discussion > Panama Canal locomotive question

Now that it is widened, what happen to all of the locomotives?

Thx

Posted from iPhone

They are still using the 'old' canal....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 19:43 by RoyS.

RoyS Wrote:
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> They are still using the 'old' canal....


Thank you. Did not know that

Posted from iPhone

The only thing that has changed is that they added some larger locks to the canal. The old locks are still there and in service.

So the other question: how will the new locks affect the Panama Canal Railway? According to Wikipedia, they were handling 1500 containers/day in 2013.

With the cost to move via the canal and the canal damaging ships , the railroad might keep busy

Posted from Android

CPRR - are you asking about locomotives on the Panama Canal Railroad, or the electric locomotives that pulled ships in and out of the locks?  If the latter, on the new locks they've been replaced by purpose built tugboats.

Dave

DavidP Wrote:
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> CPRR - are you asking about locomotives on the
> Panama Canal Railroad, or the electric locomotives
> that pulled ships in and out of the locks?  If
> the latter, on the new locks they've been replaced
> by purpose built tugboats.
>
> Dave

Tugboats that can't keep the ships under control...

DavidP Wrote:
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> CPRR - are you asking about locomotives on the
> Panama Canal Railroad, or the electric locomotives
> that pulled ships in and out of the locks?  If
> the latter, on the new locks they've been replaced
> by purpose built tugboats.
>
> Dave

The electric ones that pill the ships in the old canal

Posted from iPhone

I found this letter in response to the NYT article interesting. I wasn't aware that tugboats vs. locomotives was an issue that provoked "union opposition" down there:

http://nyti.ms/2baavMs

Very late response, but P Hall sez tugboats that can't keep ships under control. That is mostly what tug boats do, dock and undock ships! Why they were invented as ships got larger in the early steam area. Now they do just about anything with the use of tractor tugs, etc. New canal with larger ships will use modern tugs because they are more powerful and flexible. Older canal (which can still take ships up to 900+ feet long and 106ft wide) will use the electric tow locos as originally designed. Most of the ships that will continue to use the old canal can fit the older locks, sometimes smaller ones, like fruiters, two at a time.