Thanks, Tim... I wasn't planning to railfan today, but like any good railfan, I had my camera handy Harold
Nice catch on the 7556! Poor unit is looking a little rough though. Wonder how much longer the 7500's will be around?
I don't know... It seems like I went a long time without seeing any, and now it seems like they have shown up everywhere! They even run out of Raleigh regularly. I think CSX's initial order was made in 1989 (those stealth units with slanted cab numbers ) Harold
Harold, Seems like your right about 1989. That's about when I remember them showing up. I like the ole standard cab dash 8's and 9's. Hopefully they will hang on for many more years.
If new in 1989, they're probably at the outside edge of the service lives for diesels today. Boxcab E50
I had heard that NS is retiring and/or scrapping some of their C39-8's,,,,, Maybe the C40's won't be far behind. Harold
If they are on lease, odds are that 20 years will mark the end of the line. Seems like the NS Dash 8's are already hitting the 20 year mark. Is it just me or does it seem strange that most GE's seem to leave a Class 1 roster after 20 years but the EMD's seem to hang on for a lot longer?
It's not just you, in fact, that's how the world works. I'm not trying to start an EMD vs. GE debate here, but it's a simple fact that the EMD units last longer. Of course, since the length of the lease is about the lifespan of the locomotives none of the Class 1 systems are going to worry about it. It's the leasors that have to deal with the future razor blades they just financed...
I don't know the specifics, but CSX and NS sure have a lot more, older EMD units on their rosters than GE units. Harold
Is it just me or does it seem strange that most GE's seem to leave a Class 1 roster after 20 years but the EMD's seem to hang on for a lot longer? [/QB][/QUOTE] Thats so true. You dont see many GE units hanging around or in lease pool service either.. Maybe something to be said there?
