Kansas City Southern's recently-announced acquisition of twenty-five (25) SD50s from National Railway Equipment Leasing will mean new life for a group of former Conrail units.

Soon after the takeover of Conrail by Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation a large group of SD50s, originally purchased by Conrail, were returned to their lessor, National Railway Equipment. The group, Norfolk Southern numbers 5447-5476 and CSXT numbers 8677-8695, were taken to RMDI's Pittston, Pennsylvania facility for storage, pending future service.

That future has come, interestingly enough on the Kansas City Southern. All 25 units will undergo rebuilding by VMV Paducah (19 units) and NRE's Dixmoor, Illinois facility (6 units) before being shipped off to the KCS. According to documentation from NRE, the units will become KCS 7000-7024.

A further breakdown shows the following conversions at VMV Paducah:

KCS 7000 is former NS 5447; KCS 7001 is former NS 5448; KCS 7002 is former NS 5452; KCS 7003 is former NS 5454; KCS 7004 is former NS 5455; KCS 7005 is former NS 5457; KCS 7006 is former NS 5460; KCS 7007 is former NS 5464; KCS 7008 is former NS 5466; KCS 7009 is former NS 5472; KCS 7010 is former NS 5475; KCS 7011 is former NS 5476; KCS 7012 is former CSXT 8677; KCS 7013 is former CSXT 8678; KCS 7014 is former CSXT 8686; KCS 7015 is former CSXT 8693; KCS 7016 is former CSXT 8694; KCS 7017 is former CSXT 8697; KCS 7018 is former CSXT 8699.

NRE Dixmoor will rebuild the following:

KCS 7019 from CSXT 8682; KCS 7020 from CSXT 8684; KCS 7021 from CSXT 8687; KCS 7022 from CSXT 8688; KCS 7023 from CSXT 8689; and KCS 7024 from CSXT 8691.

An additional ten units in storage at Pittston, PA were not acquired by the KCS but will be reatined by NREand shipped to Silvis, IL for storage and future rebuild. This group includes NS 5449, 5462, 5463, 5468; CSXT 8679, 8680, 8681, 8683, 8685, and 8695.