The first time I saw the SD 40-2s that CSX were buying up from NS and putting them into service, inspired me to have one. I really like that CSX yellow on black. I'm using a SD40 and not a 40-2 so it's not prototypical by any means, but I think it came out rather well with the light weathering I also did on it.
No they are not, the SD40-2s that CSX got from NS are former Conrail units which are the same as any other SD40-2, just Conrail ordered theirs with Flexicoil trucks and not HTCs. This was due to rumors at the time that HTCs were causing derailments out west on the Amtrak SDF40-2s.
There are some that are rebuilt SD40s... saw a shot of one somewhere... now to find it. Couldn't miss the 4-2-1 door arrangement below the radiator grills... a dead give-away... only the number is off... http://www.railpictures.net/photo/525529
Conrail did indeed rebuild some SD40's into SD40-2R's. The neat thing is some of the SD40's involved in this rebuild came from KCS in looking at the roster of the SD40-2R's over on The Conrail Cyclopedia. One of those, KCS 616, was painted in a bicentennial scheme for a while. It became CR 6969 and is now CSX 8872 and is in the latest CSX scheme with the box car looking logo. Be interesting to see any spotting features of the ex-KCS units. I know some roads had the brake wheel on the rear hood of the unit. I'm not familiar with them at all. Of course they rebuilt 3 of the ex B&O SD40's that came to Conrail via the CNJ into SD40-2R's. Wonder if any of those B&O ones made it back to CSX. Kinda a homecoming in a way.
I understand the confusion. A point in general (not about the former NS units)... CSX SD40-2 is now a bit confusing for rail spotters. CSX bean counters are business people, not modelers. So to them, when you take an old SD40 and rebuild it, bringing it up to DASH 2 specifications, then they call it an SD40-2.... even though (for us) it still LOOKS and will be modeled as an SD40. And of course now it is worse. When you take an SD40-2, rebuild it and then add the special square nose, you now call it an SD40-3. Sigh And how about this one. You and I would call that an SD45-2 (and that's what it was born as). But since it has been internally downrated, CSX now calls it..... (wait for it).... an SD40-2.
And lets not forget the CSX rebuilt SD45s... A group of SD45s were rebuilt with SD40 long hoods so that mechanics could figure out how to fix them but you would never know it if it weren't for a roster.
Sorry... messed up. See the lower part of the following page to see which units use to be flaired 45s... http://rrpicturearchives.net/locoList.aspx?id=CSX&mid=884
I did notice CSX does seem to enjoy muddying the waters with how they designate units when browsing a few of the photo sites trying to find the 12 units they received from NS in trade for the 80Macs.
