ADBF/JAIL Changes Made Under New Ownership

[Erroneous Monk]

I take it that LSRC either does not need these units, or they are surplus, or. ????

These units have been out of service for a while now, probably surplus since the SD70Ms arrived

[LansingRailFan]

I heard ADBF has a couple new engines, a pair of SD40's. Can someone confirm that?

They’ve reached an agreement to purchase four GP40s from LSRC. 1162, 1164, 1171 and 1174

https://railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php/ ... ive_Roster

Wonder where they will end up. They wont fit in the engine house in adrian.

two go there, one plus parts boy goes to mason is my guess.

[joeyuboats]

Thanks for the answers!! The one thing that I just thought of, is that LSRC had these available, and A&B acted and got them, --- but GLC, who seems to power short,-- didn't know, or didn't act. ????

[AARR]

GLC has enough locomotives. The problem is too many are out of service needing repairs. And according to some if GLC were to buy locomotives it should be of the 6-axle kind.

but GLC, who seems to power short,-- didn't know, or didn't act. ????

[DaveO]

I get the impression glc has enough power on-hand. It's that too much is on the sideline.
If that's true, those LSRC units wouldn't solve that kind of issue.

edit: of course while I'm checking the wiki roster AARR is posting the answer
the LSRC units are out-of-service and GLC already has enough of those.

[chapmaja]

GLC has enough locomotives. The problem is too many are out of service needing repairs. And according to some if GLC were to buy locomotives it should be of the 6-axle kind.

but GLC, who seems to power short,-- didn't know, or didn't act. ????

I would agree. If they added power it would likely be SD40-2 type locomotives for use on the mainline traffic between Osmer and Clare. They would use the 4 axel stuff on the branch lines and north of Cadillac where that much power isn't required due to train lengths. I don't think they would go for heavier 6 axel power though for two reasons 1) cost and 2) weight.

[GP30M4216]

Charlotte Southern video of part of the dinner train being shoved to interchange with CN:

https://youtu.be/IVpMq2LbyvY?si=7w8ihHgPJUrJyQfM

FYI as of 01/29/2024 - the City of Charlotte has added EXEMPT signs to all of the ADBF crossings in town. Unknown about the crossings out of town.

Does anyone know the GTW road number of the former RPO that was retrieved from the end of the line the other week and brought down to the interchange? Is it also going to CPMY with the coaches? I’d like to do a little research on it and have a soft spot for postal rail equipment.

[SD80MAC]

Sounds like all 4 GP40s will go to Mason for work and paint. 2 will go to the ADBF and 2 will remain on the JAIL. The remaining GP9s will be sold, most likely.

[NS3322]

Does anyone know the GTW road number of the former RPO that was retrieved from the end of the line the other week and brought down to the interchange? Is it also going to CPMY with the coaches? I’d like to do a little research on it and have a soft spot for postal rail equipment.

The numbers are covered up pretty good...but you can make out "Emergency Response" on the side. CPMY has it numbered 1050 if that helps.
I can also confirm the car was built in 1924.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=6280090

[CAT345C]

Didn't Lake State park those GP40s because they had an upgraded electrical system that was outdated and they were un-reliable?

[joeyuboats]

Up-- graded, but yet out-- dated????
How does that work???

[SD80MAC]

Up-- graded, but yet out-- dated????
How does that work???

You have to remember we are talking about nearly 50 year old locomotives. Many of the "upgrades" done to these GP40M-3s are all from over 20 years ago at this point. Much of that software is very outdated now and is no longer supported by the OEM. Same reason why you see SD60s, SD70MACs, SD80MACs etc, getting scrapped.

[CAT345C]

There are a ton of places that upgraded the electronics on locomotives to try and make them better in the 80-s, 90s and early 2000s and when those places went out of business or came out with something else the systems become defunct and they stop supporting it. Most of your -2 locomotives are still serviceable because there are so many still out there in existence that companies offer remanufactured cards for them.

When I worked at the A&B only one entity (allegedly) had the GP9 wiring diagrams after they were rewired and they were not an employee, could you imagine trying to fix something all the time with no prints?

[Chip]

When I worked at the A&B only one entity (allegedly) had the GP9 wiring diagrams after they were rewired and they were not an employee, could you imagine trying to fix something all the time with no prints?

Harder, yes, but not impossible if everything is labeled correctly.

[Buster Manning]

well, he had the prints for the ex-NHN units anyways.....

and after crawling around in the hell-hole on a couple of those units with him, to say that they had upgraded wiring is being very charitable at best......the raccoons left their opinion of the wiring issues as well

[AARR]

The ex-NHN GP9's were designated as rebuilt. Were they in fact "rebuilt"?

well, he had the prints for the ex-NHN units anyways.....

and after crawling around in the hell-hole on a couple of those units with him, to say that they had upgraded wiring is being very charitable at best......the raccoons left their opinion of the wiring issues as well

[Erroneous Monk]

The ex-NHN GP9's were designated as rebuilt. Were they in fact "rebuilt"?

I believe they were rebuilt under Conrail ownership. That's when they lost their DBs and were repainted.

[AARR]

TY EM.

If it was CR that rebuilt them that was 35-40 years ago. They were well past their peak running time.

The ex-NHN GP9's were designated as rebuilt. Were they in fact "rebuilt"?

I believe they were rebuilt under Conrail ownership. That's when they lost their DBs and were repainted.

[Manistique]

TY EM.

If it was CR that rebuilt them that was 35-40 years ago. They were well past their peak running time.

The ex-NHN GP9's were designated as rebuilt. Were they in fact "rebuilt"?

I believe they were rebuilt under Conrail ownership. That's when they lost their DBs and were repainted.

It was Conrail. In the late 1970's there were a lot of private locomotive rebuilding companies (like Chrome Crankshaft, which bought from the RI bankruptcy sale a ton on locomotives on speculation, rebuilt them and sold them, for instance DCON's SW8 (former Checker Motors who bought it from CC)) and a lot of railroads that rebuilt them (Paducah shops of IC). EMD got into it with their GP15 model that required a geep trade-in. CR had so much worn out old power that they shipped some of their old geeps out for rebuilding (I forget who did them but these came back with short hoods) and then rebuilt many of their own (I don't think they ever chopped the hood on the ones they rebuilt) and also bought a ton of GP15s. The New Hampshire Geeps were former PRR ones that I believed CR rebuilt themselves in the late 1970's. They did a great job running for so many years. We used two of them to start JAIL up in 2010.

[Erroneous Monk]

CR had so much worn out old power that they shipped some of their old geeps out for rebuilding (I forget who did them but these came back with short hoods) and then rebuilt many of their own (I don't think they ever chopped the hood on the ones they rebuilt) and also bought a ton of GP15s.

Conrail had 76 GP9s rebuilt as GP10s of which 53 were rebuilt by IC, 17 by MK Boise, and 6 by PNC. The last 37 IC rebuilds retained their high short hood while the rest were cut down.

I'm not exactly sure what work went into the units rebuilt in-house such as those on the A&B but they all seem to have retained their HHs, had their dynamics plated over, and were repainted. Reading the sale page for the GP9s (https://www.railmover.com/home26885f84/ ... p176204473), it seems all the main components are original and the site claims that the electrical system is "original/okay'' though I don't doubt that it has been redone.