Here I am, sitting in the siding at Debeque CO, on a westbound manifest, waiting on a few trains. This was fairly early in my RR career, I was still carrying that old Chinon 35mm camera (still have that old camera). The SP 8663 was a rebuilt SD45. I think it was called an SD40M-2? Behind that was a DRGW GP40, then a SP tunnel unit, then an SP MK5000 (DIC, they always were DIC), an EMD SD60 demo unit, another DIC SP MK5000, and three GE's that would soon become very popular on the RR. Those MK units had long wires lying on the walkways, once in a while there would be a guy riding them, testing or working on them. Over 1000 tons of idling or DIC locomotive tonnage added to the train. We only had the head 3 on line. Note all those CN boxcars behind the power, those were almost always headed to a big print publisher in Nevada. I can still hear that EMD turbo'ed idling chant, then when you fwd the reverser, it was like the Mistro tapping his baton on the stand calling those EMD's to attention, they would seemingly wake from their slumber, ready to give you everything they had. scan of a print.
Those are certainly some interesting looking units. I would hate to be on one of those hitting something, man, your the first one there. They will never be any cleaner then they are right now.
VIA Rail is getting those too, finally replacing their aging P42DCs, which were built in the fall of 2001. There's a nice photo of one on the back cover of Canadian Rail magazine (got it in the mail just this week). What sort of shocked me is that those VIA P42s are now 20 years old. I was working for my current employer for just a year and a half and had a whole lot more hair on my head. Once MK rebuilt them into ersatz SD50s, they finally ran decently. I've always liked the MK5000's distinctive cab design.
Caught this unit in the small yard in Durham NC this past Wednesday 4/23/22. I've managed to make it by this yard twice and of course, both time's it's been wet and rainy
Yesterday morning began misty. NS 21E comes out of the fog heading West from Wyomissing JCT. with a western visitor.
I'm more jealous of your proximity to see the NS heritage units... I've seen 2 in seven years. I will say it is a blessing to live nearby an Amtrak route, maybe as a consolation prize for living in this bitterly cold state in winter!
Excellent photo! I just cannot get any special feelings about these units. They just lack any real visual appeal for me.
Caught up with NS 1073 leading 12R at Simpson, SC on Thursday. That peeling paint looks awful. NS wouldn't have to reach too far back in the paint cabinet to touch it up. Alternately, a friend suggested that NS hire a graffiti "artist" with a can of black spray paint and in 15 minutes all would be well.
Yessir after they EMD-ised them, the Utah RY ran them a lot, saw them many times on Soldier Summit. That is a distinctive cab.
Keeping with the NS theme, this morning a westbound freight landed with 5 NS units leading! And the 4003 as second! Wow! I tried to be available to catch it in action, but it sat here on the main for 6 or 7 hours, and I got tied up working.....
