NS and UP

[cfinchum]

Quistion for the guys who model Norfork Southern and Union Pacific, What is considered mainline and road switcher loco's now. I model 50's to 60's mostly NKP but now I thought I would go present day. Is there such a thing as a road switcher now. Right now I have a NS sd-70, sd-45-2 sd-60m,dash 8-40c. In Union Pacific a sd-70ace. I also have 2 mp-15ac's in SOO markings, one all red and one in white and red. Plus a GE-ac 6000 demo. The last three were deals at a local train show and I thought why not. Any advice. As always many thanks for help. CF.

 

[nwdrummer379]

There's an NS local in my area that utilizes 3 GP40-2's for power.

 

[ICG/SOU]

For NS, I see mainly Dash 9s and Dash 8s (with the older spartan cabs) for GE mainline units, and SD60s (wide cab and spartan cabs). I see some older SD40-2 high nose (ex SOU), high nose GP59s, and a mix of high and low nose GP38-2s, as well as low nose GP40-2s. I have yet to see a Genset or a switcher, since I haven't been to a big enough yard. The GP38-2 and GP40-2 have been yard power, mainly. This past weekend I saw my first GP15 there in Hattiesburg yard.

For UP, Dash 9s, AC44000s, SD70M, SD70ACe, SD70M-2, SD9043MAC, Gevos (ES44s) are pretty common around here. I see SD60s (three window wide cabs) doing the local work, although I do see GE units doing locals too. Occasionally there will be an ex CNW unit, but most of the ex SP stuff around has been painted by now, as patched units are few and far between. I don't see any SD40-2s, and rarely see a GP, although when I do, it's usually yard power somewhere. I've only seen 1 MP15, and that was a few months ago in the Spring, TX yard.

For a while, Flatonia yard had an unpatched SP GP60, but I only see ex MP GP38-2s there with regularity.

 

[cfinchum]

Hey Trey, Thanks for the Info. Can hardly wait to tell the wife I need some new loco's for my updated railroad.

 

[OCN Guy]

I used to work near an NS siding, where a lot of various cars would be left for days on end (hoppers, mostly) and they had this itty bitty little switcher that looked barely big enough for someone to sit in doing some of the switching!
It was 3 years ago, and for the life of me can't remember what the name of the unit (stenciled almost vertically!) was.

 

[psychobeagle12]

I live not too far from the Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona, PA. Like everyone else says, mainly sd40-2's, dash 8s, I saw one GP9 down there but it was painted red (there was a set of streamlined coaches with it, I believe it was a gp9 from the quick look i got at it.) NS is pretty much everything that is around here aside from a small CSX operation (also Conemaugh and Blacklick operate about five blocks away) and I have never seen any kind of small switchers on any NS tracks around here. Frequently see SD40's, seems like their most popular loco in my area for switching work.

 

[Scordicus]

I used to work near an NS siding, where a lot of various cars would be left for days on end (hoppers, mostly) and they had this itty bitty little switcher that looked barely big enough for someone to sit in doing some of the switching!
It was 3 years ago, and for the life of me can't remember what the name of the unit (stenciled almost vertically!) was.

Wouldn't be a trackmobile would it??

 

[h44]

hello i live in the sunbury pa area served by ns. the local trains H44, HN11 use gp38-2s and gp40-2 both high and short nose versions they normaly hold the local assignments from 1-3 months then are sent south to enola yard on train h2w, h2w is a nightly train that runs from northumberland pa to enola yard and back depending on the day it has from 0 cars to 150 sunday nites tend to be the shortest. this train has all sorts of power, gp38-2, gp40-2, gp50, gp60, sd-38, sd-40, sd60, sd-70, with a single unit up to 6 units normal 2-3 is the norm this wee has a gp40-2 and a dash 9, good combo, also sees a lot of leased engines and ocasional up or csx power added in the mix.

 

[cfinchum]

Thanks h44. I live in Indy, grew up in Muncie, kind of free-lancing the area. So what does h44, hn11, h2w stand for. people on the net around here talk about stuff coming or going from the yard in Avon, Ind. heard q and a number being used and I always wondered how the trains were despatched and what they meant. Those sound like a fun mix. Do railroads use single units to move stuff now? Is that still common? Thanks CF.

 

[h44]

hi the H44 train normaly uses one gp38-2 or a single gp40-2, this past week they have been using a gp38-2 #5314. this train on m-w-f runs north from the yard in northumberland pa they mainly work in watsontown which is 10 miles north of the the yard, a normal consist is 10 boxcars lately GTRR( Golden triangle) and NS and csx, a single tank car 3-4 covered hoppers 1-2 65'long tank cars and 2 TBOX cars so roughly about 20 cars. the first 10 boxcars have paper pulp that go to moran industries which is a large warehousing company, the tank car , i belive is empty that is also dropped off at moran. once the switching is done at moran the engine runs around its train and heads south about a mile then switches to the watsontown secondary, the train heads east about 5 miles to switch out the covered hoppers to be loaded at a feed dealer, they drop off the empty covered hopers and pick loaded ones add to the train then head east another 5 miles to strawberry ridge which is a large coal powered power plant( served by 1-2 daily coal trains) here the traain drops off the 65' tank cars these have ammonia oxide or something like that for pollution control, and also picks up the empty tank cars and then crosses the street to drop off the tbox cars at national gypsum to be loaded with wallboard, then the train with its added cars heads back to watson town and picks up the rest of the emptys from moran and heads south back to northumberland with about the same amount of cars, once at the northumberland yard the cars are shoved into a track to be picked up by h2w and taken to enola.
the H in H44 means Harrisburg Div. the HN11 is Harrisburg Division Northumberland , the numbers are the train sequence i guess., next will be the H44 on t-Thu-sunday

 

[CNJ2509]

Speaking for what I see with NS trains near me it seems anything can end up in any type of service. I have seen locals with a GP38-2 and an SD50 to just a single dash 9. It comes down to whats available to go at the time.

 

[trainman78]

the NS branch in my area uses GP38's and GP40's for the local work and sd70m-2's, sd70ace's handle the run throughs

 

[hamltnblue]

GP38 and 40 series in Delaware in the Edgemore area daily.