THIS MONTH’S TOP NEWS STORIES AND PHOTOS
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Norfolk Southern No. 4000 and No. 4001 pose together outside the paint shop in Chattanooga, Tenn., for their first portrait on December 20, 2015. The locomotives wear a new, special paint scheme to designate the units as prototypes for the d.c. to a.c. conversion program. No. 4000 was originally built by GE in 1995 as a standard-cab D9-40C, NS No. 8799. No. 4001 was formerly D9-40C No. 8879. During their rebuild in 2015, they were converted to a.c. traction, received wide cabs, and redesignated as “AC44C6M.” They will enter into normal revenue service across the NS system. PHOTO BY CASEY THOMASON, COURTESY NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORP.
BNSF RAILWAY SAYRE KOS
Veterans Holiday Special
In December BNSF operated a holiday
special to honor veterans. The train departed Topeka, Kan., on December 2 as Train O-TOPWIC1-02 (Officers Special, Topeka-Wichita, Kan.). The train arrived in Newton about mid- morning and was held there until it was time to head for Wichita. The train made a short deadhead move from Newton to Wichita, then boarded veterans waiting at Wichita Union Station. The train ran to Newton and back to Wichita, where it unloaded and then became a deadhead move to Amarillo, Texas, as Train O-WICAMA1-02. This holiday special had BNSF ET44C4 No. 3907 on one end of the train and ET44C4 No. 3851 on the other end. Between the two locomotives were 15 cars with Christmas decorations on the interiors and banners on the outside declaring, “In recognition of those who
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serve our country.” The cars included the power car No. 52 Mt. Baker, sleeper No. 68 Rollins Pass, diner No. 11 Fred Harvey, business car No. 3 Red River, bi-level coaches No. 40 Fox River and No. 45 Powder River, dome/lounge No. 31 Bay View, bi-level coaches No. 44 Colorado River and No. 41 Flathead River, business car No. 4 Missouri River, lounge car No. 28 Mountain View, diner No. 10 Lake Superior, business car No. 7 Santa Fe, sleeper No. 66 Cajon Pass, and power car No. 53 Mt. San Antonio. The train was scheduled to make stops in Wichita, Kan.; Amarillo, Texas; Cheyenne, Wyo.; Lincoln, Neb.; and Kansas City, Kan.
Power Briefs
In November 2015, the stream of new ET44C4s from General Electric slowed down somewhat. Road numbers of those locomotives that were received from the plant in Fort Worth, Texas, mostly filled gaps that had been left over from earlier deliveries. November 2015 deliveries included 3858, 3878, 3883, 3885, 3892-
3894, 3905, 3907-3909, and 3973. In November, BNSF received five
rebuilt 600-series Dash 9-44CWs, 602, 606, 607, 610, and 611. The locomotives, rebuilt in Mexico, now are classified AC44C4Ms as they have the as- delivered FDL prime movers but rebuilt electronics and C4 trucks that feature only four traction motors on six axles, similar to ES44C4s. Five GP39-3Rs from various rebuilders were received in November. From Relco’s shop at Albia, Iowa, BNSF 2602 and 2601 (both former ATSF GP35s) were released. From National Railway Equipment (NRE) in Paducah, Ky., BNSF received GP39-3Rs 2573 and 2574. Lastly, from NRE at Mount Vernon, Ill., BNSF accepted GP39-3R 2558, a former ATSF GP38. BNSF continued to lease 100 CitiRail ES44ACs, CREX 1201-1215, 1301-1350, and 1401-1435, into November. The seven CEFX SD40-2s have been sent to Northtown Yard in Minneapolis, Minn., for lease return inspection. Additionally, the seven NREX SD60s leased by BNSF continued to operate across BNSF into
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