The GP60Ms are getting rare too. They used to be staples of the Southern Trans-con, but I couldn't tell you the last time I have seen an intermodal train with four axle power. Its good that the SD75M and SD75I are still around, all those Super Fleet locomotives from the end of the Santa Fe were so cool. It's too bad they are repainted into H3 and not Warbonnet.
We have a handful of SD75Ms here, but they stay in yard service. One made its escape one day when the empty ethanol train was short power. I've seen it come back on that train a couple times but never back to the yard. I guess it's a road engine now. The ones we use in yard service pretty much replaced the gensets after the grant ran out. As long as the state of Texas was paying for those gensets we used them on the 110 transfer job. Lots of fun trying to get four of those things running at the same time on the point of a 140 car drag. The SD75Ms have been on it for the most part ever since the gensets were parked. Huge improvement. For a time when the B40-8Ws got rebuilt we had pairs of them to use in the yard. A GP60M showed up one day and I had to make a set out of it and a B40-8W. Didn't last long before somebody wanted the B40-8W more than I did.
Is there any reason why the GP60Ms are paired with Dash 8s, or is that just a coincidence? I saw a picture of the exact same lashup on social media today. Are yard crews assigned a locomotive or do they just use whatever is on the ready track or idling somewhere?
They were both purchased around the same time for the same purpose, which at the time was intermodal traffic. Over time they got demoted to local or yard service. I've had to switch cars with them both (GP60 and B40-8) and they don't really shine in that role. Hook up to a vehicle train, intermodal or light mixed freight and they will move. Typically power is assigned to jobs based on the territory they will traverse and tonnage they will deal with. But a trainmaster or yard master might solicit input from the crews. In my case I didn't have a set of power and had to build it, so those were the two I chose. Classic Santa Fe consist.
It's long past sunset at the tail of blue hour at Aurelia, ND, deep into the Northgate Branch on the Crosby Sub.
I totally agree Ryan. Those B40-8's load really quickly compared to most GE's, but like you say very slippery. LOL, you really want to tear some stuff up, use a couple SD70MAC's for switch engines on 90lb rail, with 150+ car cuts.
Gotta respect those SD40-2's, I mean you just cant get much better, especially with extended range dyn brakes.
Not sure. Last I can find is she was in Topeka KS in July of 2020 and according to the latest roster, the GP38/GP38AC series stops at #2185. So possible rebuild or repaint and renumber or possible that she is a goner.
I sometimes have difficulty following the lineage of a BNSF engine--the various roster sites I favor don't always keep up with the changes. Same goes for elevator goats...
