Loco #s After Accidents; Missing Locos/UP Locos

[CSXfoamer1997]

UP has now gone from numbering its GE ES units from 8000 series to 2000 series. UP barely has any room on its loco roster for newer locos. Why is UP, as well as a few other railroads, not getting rid of the older locos to make room for the newer locos? I mean many of the locos like the SD40-2 and prior are starting to reach their age.

 

[CCC1007]

Newer locomotives have to comply with more strict emissions standards, and cost more to purchase and operate than older *already paid for* locomotives do to operate.

 

[Acela150]

Yup. The have to meet Tier 4 standards. Anything to raise the price. Most freight units are trash anyway. But the AC units are nice.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

I heard there is a shortage of freight locomotives. It does explain why CSX is rebuilding their SD40-2s and even UP has converted it's SD40-2s into SD40-3s. BNSF I last heard wants to convert it's Dash 9s into AC locomotives.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

I heard there is a shortage of freight locomotives. It does explain why CSX is rebuilding their SD40-2s and even UP has converted it's SD40-2s into SD40-3s. BNSF I last heard wants to convert it's Dash 9s into AC locomotives.

Yeah. CSX is rebuilding its SD40-2's with safer cabs and also installing different electronics. For example, the Graham-White horn valves are being replaced with solenoid valves, which I kinda hate, and replacing pneumatic brakes with electro-pneumatic brakes. Also, they're redesigning them to have a higher tractive effort.

And yeah, BNSF is rebuilding its Dash 9's to AC units, and so is Norfolk Southern. Only difference is, BNSF's will have A1A-A1A (4 out of 6-axle powered) wheel arrangement, but NS's will have the standard C-C (all 6-powered axle) wheel arrangement.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

Yup. The have to meet Tier 4 standards. Anything to raise the price. Most freight units are trash anyway. But the AC units are nice.

Yes, they are indeed. I've heard rumors from railfans and some railroad workers that AC locos are more powerful and tend to last longer than DC locos and require less maintenance.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I heard there is a shortage of freight locomotives.

Source?

 

[Acela150]

I heard there is a shortage of freight locomotives. It does explain why CSX is rebuilding their SD40-2s and even UP has converted it's SD40-2s into SD40-3s. BNSF I last heard wants to convert it's Dash 9s into AC locomotives.

I'm dying to know where you're hearing about a shortage. Considering UP, NS and others are putting units into storage.

Please enlighten me.

 

[keelhauled]

Older diesel engines in a lot of ways are better than newer ones. They'll run just about indefinitely, given proper maintenance, and you don't have to fuss around with the emissions nonsense--no extra filters, DEF, self-sabotaging computers. With fuel being so cheap there's no reason not to run older units.

 

[Ryan]

I heard there is a shortage of freight locomotives. It does explain why CSX is rebuilding their SD40-2s and even UP has converted it's SD40-2s into SD40-3s. BNSF I last heard wants to convert it's Dash 9s into AC locomotives.

I'm dying to know where you're hearing about a shortage. Considering UP, NS and others are putting units into storage.
Please enlighten me.

That's why there is a shortage, they're all in storage! Do I have to do all the thinking around here?!?

 

[Acela150]

I heard there is a shortage of freight locomotives. It does explain why CSX is rebuilding their SD40-2s and even UP has converted it's SD40-2s into SD40-3s. BNSF I last heard wants to convert it's Dash 9s into AC locomotives.

I'm dying to know where you're hearing about a shortage. Considering UP, NS and others are putting units into storage.
Please enlighten me.

That's why there is a shortage, they're all in storage! Do I have to do all the thinking around here?!?

Oh Ryan. You always find a way to make me laugh. Haha! But they're being stored due to a lack of work for them.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

I heard there is a shortage of freight locomotives.

Source?

I heard there is a shortage of freight locomotives. It does explain why CSX is rebuilding their SD40-2s and even UP has converted it's SD40-2s into SD40-3s. BNSF I last heard wants to convert it's Dash 9s into AC locomotives.

I'm dying to know where you're hearing about a shortage. Considering UP, NS and others are putting units into storage.

Please enlighten me.

Unfortunately, you guys are going to look for that information on your own, busy. Heard about the shortage several months ago. Things could of changed in that time frame. Want to talk about a real shortage, I have a shortage of hands.

 

[Acela150]

I heard there is a shortage of freight locomotives.

Source?

I heard there is a shortage of freight locomotives. It does explain why CSX is rebuilding their SD40-2s and even UP has converted it's SD40-2s into SD40-3s. BNSF I last heard wants to convert it's Dash 9s into AC locomotives.

I'm dying to know where you're hearing about a shortage. Considering UP, NS and others are putting units into storage.

Please enlighten me.

Unfortunately, you guys are going to look for that information on your own, busy. Heard about the shortage several months ago. Things could of changed in that time frame. Want to talk about a real shortage, I have a shortage of hands.

I have a shortage of patience.. I work for NS, and we are putting units into storage... You're wrong.. Get over it. And on the railroad things change quickly.. If you don't like the fact that you're wrong go somewhere else to say there is a shortage..

 

[jis]

This is really odd. Someone "heard" from somewhere that there is shortage and using that hearsay keeps challenging folks who actually work on the railroad and have first hand knowledge countering that contention. So what does this someone do? He says go look the information up yourself, something he apparently did not bother to do to verify his claim of shortage based on hearsay. Sheesh!

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

If a locomotive has been in a certain accident and someone has been killed or injured, what the heck does the number have to do with such bad things about the accident?

For example, after the Graniteville train accident, the engineer was killed, and now his family wanted the loco that returned to service re-numbered and does not want NS to use that number ever again.

Another example, NS #7117 (An EMD GP60) was involved in an accident that killed a crew member. The locomotive returned to service, but the crew member's family wanted it re-numbered and does not want NS to use that number ever again.

Is it me, or is that some kind of superstitious nonsense?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Maybe the family members don't want the reminders. If they see the number on a loco, it will remind them of the tragedy. I think it's more important to eliminate the numbers for the families sakes than to keep them for foamers sake.

 

[cirdan]

I agree. It doesn't cost much to renumber a locomotive, especially if its being rebuilt anyway. And if doing so saves hurt to people, why not do it?

 

[Ryan]

^^^ what they said.

Not being reminded of a painful event isn't "superstitious nonsense", it's being a decent human being.

 

[MikefromCrete]

I've never heard of such a request.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I've never heard of such a request.

Neither have I, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

 

[jis]

Yup. Never heard of a locomotive number changed for this reason.

But it could happen as an exceptional case on a case by case basis.

Naturally if the engine is destroyed typically no one will go out of their way to reuse the number immediately. But if it is rebuilt, typically it will get the same number as it had before.

Airlines are known to retire flight numbers of flights involved in accidents. If planes are recovered from an incident typically their registration number does not change. And of course if it crashes and is taken off the roster typically the registration number is not reused for a considerable amount of time.

 

[Ryan]

I've never heard of such a request.

Neither have I, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

You mean "other than the two in the OP", right?

I hadn't heard of it outside of those two, but it doesn't sound like an unreasonable request.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

Yup. Never heard of a locomotive number changed for this reason.

But it could happen as an exceptional case on a case by case basis.

naturally if the engine is destroyed typically no one will go out of their way to reuse the number immediately. But if it is rebuilt, typically it willg et the same number as it had before.

Yeah, there are many locos that have been wrecked, but returned to service with the same number,

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

Maybe the family members don't want the reminders. If they see the number on a loco, it will remind them of the tragedy. I think it's more important to eliminate the numbers for the families sakes than to keep them for foamers sake.

Well, I didn't necessarily mean for foamers. In fact, in the future, they may need that loco number for the future (maybe distant future) roster.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

NS #7100 was originally #7117, but was wrecked and renumbered to #7100 because it was requested by the dead crew member's relatives.

However, I've looked everywhere for sites about the accident, but couldn't find anything.

I know it occurred in July 1998, but where did this accident occur? And was this a derailment, collision, etc.? I'm still unable to find any sites or pictures about this accident.