Hey folks. I just won a George W. Bush SD70ACE on eBay and now I am having second thoughts. I won it for about $70 shipped which I guess is middle of the road for this loco... I am wondering what you folks think the approximate value of this is. Honestly I am planning on stripping it and building it into an SD70M-2, so the paint job isn't important to me... but was this a collector's item or something sacred that shouldn't be stripped? Thanks...
If you are worried about the person it is named for, it is named for "Bush 41," or George H. W. Bush, George W.'s father.
I might buy the decorated shell from you, but Kato is not showing any 70ACe shells in stock, so you would be out of luck. But, I don't think it is some major limited run thing either...they're available. Go ahead and strip away.
Just an FYI, the real engine roamed the UP system for a while, then stayed mostly in Texas. It's now parked at the Little Rock UP Jenks shops, back in the back. It's been there several years.
It isn't used very much- it seems to be treated like one of the heritage engines, a la the Es or the Centennial.
The images on Bing Maps show it to be in good shape, just sidelined. I'm sure at some point it'll get painted into UP. Interestingly, while looking for it the MKT heritage engine was in a consist there at Little Rock as well.
According to posts on other forums the engine is being held to pull the funeral train for George H.W. Bush (after he passes away) in Texas and after that it will be released to system wide use.
Wow, they would do that for him? That seems like a long time (loss of revenue) to keep a locomotive sidelined? I wonder if the Bush family is paying "rent" on it, till they need it? That's kind of creepy, keeping a locomotive around for one & only one purpose? Oh well... WEIRD!
There must be a story behind keeping a perfectly good engine set aside. I can hardly believe they'd hold it for the suggested purpose, as that could be a while out of service.
Folks, let us not get into this area of discussion. As with so many sites, subjects such a politics, profanity, race, religion and sex are strictly off limits. TrainBoard is meant to be a refuge away from the too many stresses of 24/7/365.
