The GP40 series is good as long as you're doing more than 10MPH... Otherwise, they have major slipping problems.
Didn't seem to help our ex-NS, ex-UP/CNW, and ex-UP/MKT units. They just loved to slip and slip and slip the minute you put them on a hill that required more than notch 3 to haul up. Putting them in trail of a GP38-3 didn't help either. They're all gone now to roads that could use them better (flatter, higher speed, or both) and my former railroad's got GP38-3's, GP7's, and NRE GenSets now.
The run I am on has grades that are 2.5-3% and so far they are the best at pulling these grades. The GP20 and GP38 we also have are the slippers. LOL
Must be the Canadian heritage of the CN -40s. They grew up pulling Rocky Mountain grades. Something those poor flatland ex-NS, ex-UP/CNW, and ex-UP/MKT units never experienced...chuckle, chuckle.
Thanks, guys for the chit chat between locomotive engineers. It just hit me that this is what I got (emphasis on got) to hear as a youngster, as my family of rails would discuss the events of the day, various locomotives, problems working a specific spur line, or the always abusive treatment of the administrative types, called "Suits". Thanks for sharing here. Know you took me back to another time and place of what makes up my treasured memories. Now then I need to get back to work on my layout and those memories, I'm trying to re-create. Fun stuff for sure.
At least some locos have had concrete or steel added to the frames for better traction. Or maybe a giant A-Line lead weight? Or maybe it's Jerry's lunchbox? Al
Some BNSF 7300-series SD40-2's are rebuilt CN SD40s, that have slab steel welded to the bottom of the long hood. They were modified to increase TE. I have seen a couple. The only side you can see it on is the long hood on the hogger's side. The snowshields behind the cab, and the oddball round covers above the cab numberboards are also dead giveaways.
Oops - I missed the 4th anniversary of this thread. Thanks, Jerry, for keeping us all interested. :thumbs_up::thumbs_up:
Well I'm pulling the trigger this August (retirement that is). However, I doubt it will translate to more modeling time. It seems there are always "other" projects that tend to get in the way. Keep plugging away. When you work on medium to large home layouts, it takes a lot of time to reach that semi-finished look that we all strive for. I still have a long way to go after 11 years of construction. Watching the progress that we see here on Trainboard keeps the motivation high though.
Ticking away the moments that make up the dull day, waiting for someone or something to show you the way. But the scariest line for me is: And then one day you find, ten years have gone behind you, no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun. Pink Floyd was so right, it will be here before you know it!
