Got this nugget off of Railspot (a Yahoo! group)- seems that several electric locomotives (E60Cs, IIRC) purchased by NdeM in Mexico are being transferred to Craig, CO, for overland shipment to the Deseret-Western Railway. The motors are to arrive at Craig on the 20th of this month, and are passing through Texas as I type this. UP is handling the movement, so they may go north thru Texas to Kansas, then westward to Denver (either on the Overland route or the old Kansas Pacific), then up the old DRGW to Bond, and up the Craig branch. So heads-up, you Front Rangers!!
Update: there are three of these electric motors DIT in UP freights, one numbered EA028- they were in dead storage in the Rio Grande Valley area for some time. NdeM had purchased them for a stretch of electrified track near Mexico City, but either never used them or got little use out of them. This is the tentative schedule of this movement: Load Departed Winslow, TX Oct 7 9:29 QAGFW 03 Scheduled Events: Status Event City, State Date/Time Train ID or Road Load Scheduled Arrival Ftworth, TX Oct 7 14:33 QAGFW 03 Load Scheduled Departure Ftworth, TX Oct 8 12:30 MFWNP 08 Load Scheduled Arrival Nplawest, NE Oct 10 20:00 MFWNP 08 Load Scheduled Departure Nplawest, NE Oct 12 1:00 MNPNY 12 Load Scheduled Arrival Nyard, CO Oct 12 20:30 MNPNY 12 Load Scheduled Departure Nyard, CO Oct 19 6:00 MNYPH 19 Load Scheduled Arrival Phippsbur, CO Oct 19 16:30 MNYPH 19 Load Scheduled Departure Phippsbur, CO Oct 20 10:00 LDZ11 20 Load Scheduled Arrival Craig, CO Oct 20 14:15 LDZ11 20 Load SCC Craig, CO Oct 20 14:16 UP Load Estimated Time of Arrival Craig, CO Oct 20 14:16 UP YARD Nplawest is North Platte (Bailey Yard) Nyard is North Yard in Denver, CO The MFWNP apparently is heading up the former Katy from Ft. Worth thru Denison (and I have to work today- ) up to KC, then west on the KP line to Topeka and northwest to the Overland Route, and west to North Platte.
It appears that you've answered my question, before I could ask it! Maybe if Ed sees this, he can help with more info? Boxcab E50
While I'm not really familiar with the locomotives, I have heard about the stretch of road north of Mexico City that was electrified. Here is a post regarding the locomotives from over on the MexList forum by forum administrator, Lowell McManus: ======================== I have received a photo of ex-NdeM E60C electric locomotives EA012, EA017, and EA028 being removed from storage at Mercedes, Texas, on October 1 by two locomotives of the Rio Valley Switching Company. The electrics are now en route to western Colorado via Houston. The photo is at www.mexlist.com/temp/e60c.jpg . Here is the last know location of each of the 39 E60C's built by GE for NdeM between September 1982 and December 1983: EA001--stored, for sale by GE, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México EA002--stored, for sale by GE, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México EA003--stored, for sale by GE, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México EA004--Black Mesa & Lake Powell, Page, Arizona (parts source) EA005--[wrecked on FNM, May 12, 1994] EA006--[wrecked on FNM, May 12, 1994] EA007--[wrecked on FNM, August 9, 1995] EA008--[wrecked on FNM, August 9, 1995] EA009--stored, for sale by GE, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México EA010--Navajo Mine Railroad, Fruitland, New Mexico *EA011--stored, for sale, Mission, Texas *EA012--en route to western Colorado *EA013--stored, for sale, Mercedes, Texas *EA014--stored, for sale, Mercedes, Texas *EA015--Canada Allied Diesel Co. Ltd., Lachine, Québec *EA016--stored, for sale, Mission, Texas *EA017--en route to western Colorado *EA018--stored, for sale, Mission, Texas *EA019--stored, for sale, Mission, Texas EA020--Navajo Mine Railroad, Fruitland, New Mexico EA021--Navajo Mine Railroad, Fruitland, New Mexico EA022--Black Mesa & Lake Powell, Page, Arizona EA023--Black Mesa & Lake Powell, Page, Arizona (parts source) EA024--[wrecked on FNM, May 12, 1994] EA025--[wrecked on FNM, May 12, 1994] EA026--stored, for sale by GE, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México EA027--stored, for sale by GE, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México *EA028--en route to western Colorado *EA029--stored, for sale, Mission, Texas EA030--TXU Martin Lake Power Plant and Mine, Tatum, Texas EA031--Deseret Power Railway, Rangely, Colorado EA032--Black Mesa & Lake Powell, Page, Arizona EA033--TXU Martin Lake Power Plant and Mine, Tatum, Texas EA034--Black Mesa & Lake Powell, Page, Arizona EA035--Deseret Power Railway, Rangely, Colorado EA036--Black Mesa & Lake Powell, Page, Arizona EA037--TXU Martin Lake Power Plant and Mine, Tatum, Texas EA038--Black Mesa & Lake Powell, Page, Arizona EA039--Black Mesa & Lake Powell, Page, Arizona * Never placed into service by either NdeM, FNM, or TFM. The above list is compiled from information furnished at different times by Juan Celorio, Randy Curlin, Jorge Luna Helú, Mike McGowen, Bruce Mercer, Ricardo Hernández Lecanda, Mike Palmieri, Ed Graham, Stéphane Éric Bisson, Bob Cronmiller, and Dave Grigg. Lowell G. McManus MEXLIST Administrator Leesville, Louisiana, USA ========================= Regards Ed
Ed- The electrification we're touching upon- Is this still in use? Is it part of the trackage that the KCS-TFM combination will be using? If so, and still electrified, I would believe KCS-TFM will be striving to increase traffic? And then they'd need these motors? Could you ask why the units were purchased, but never used? Traffic levels did not warrant placing them in service? Or? Boxcab E50
Ed: thanks for passing that message along! I've since found out that quite a few of these electric motors never made it into Mexico, and sat unused in storage, having never turned a wheel in service. I've also found a link to a pic of the 3 motors, shot today at Centennial Yard, Ft. Worth: http://www.railroadforums.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=17520 As before, all info I've passed along is from the Railspot group at Yahoo. At least these three should suffer no more dry rot, and finally see some use, even if it is on an isolated (and I mean ISOLATED) rail line.
Okay, reporting back. Here's the response on my questions from Lowell McManus, the admistrator over at MexList. Pretty quick response on his part on a Saturday night!! ================= GE built 39 6,000-horsepower E60C electric locomotives for NdeM between September 1982 and December 1983. They were numbered EA001-EA039. Serial numbers are 44028-44066 (in order by unit numbers). A larger fleet had been envisioned, but the order was cancelled at 39 units. These locomotives were intended for use on a new double-track electric line running from México, D.F., at least as far as Irapuato, Guanajuato, but economic conditions delayed the project and prevented its completion as planned. On February 14, 1994, 28 of the locomotives (already as much as eleven years old) were finally put into service by FNM on a shortened version of the project between México, D.F., and Querétaro, Querétaro, but six of these were soon wrecked. Eleven more were never placed into service and remained in storage. When the electric line was privatized in 1997, the 22 E60C's then in service passed to TFM, and the unused eleven remained in government ownership. Most of the catenary was soon removed for increased vertical clearance. TFM traded its units to GE, and the government sold the unused units privately. The reversion to diesel power had several purposes: Maintenance of the catenary and electrical supply system was expensive. The catenary was two low to allow the passage of tri-level autoracks and stacked containers without the danger of arcing. Advances achieved in the horsepower, computer control, and AC traction of diesel locomotives during the more than two decades since the E60C's were built have made the new diesels quite competitive. Many of the ex-NdeM E60C's have found homes on various electric power plant railways in the USA. One has gone to Canada. Six of the used units remain stored and for sale in Mexico, and seven of the "brand-new" units (which have never turned a wheel under their own power since leaving the GE test track) remain stored for sale in Texas. Additional comments are welcome from those who know more than I. Lowell G. McManus Leesville, Louisiana, USA ======================== There you go. And now I know a bit more too. I do remember hearing the comment about removing the catenary to allow more vertical clearance, but the rest is new to me. By the way, it was just by accident that I saw this thread as I don't normally hang around up on this particular forum. Best regards Ed
And another response received on MexList this morning that I thought I'd add to the thread: ========================= 3. Why did they decide to revert to diesel locomotives on this stretch? Besides all the reasons already mentioned by Lowell, I think there is one more point of some importance: More and more railway companies want their "traction units" to work a train from the start to the final destination or at least to a point where other changes occur (helper service needed etc.). Mexico - Querétaro was too short in this respect. And the same is true for most other Amerian (North and South) electric freight operations. This is why they all have disappeared. What is left are specialised operations over limited distances. The alternative would have been to extend electrification schemes. But this would have meant heavy investments ... Only Europe and parts of Asia have electrified stretches that are long enough to make electric freight operation interesting - with more and more multi current locomotives being built, to allow long hauls. Markus, Gürbetal, Switzerland ============================= Best regards Ed
Ed- Looks as though my questions are answered. In retrospect, from very far away, I'd have to say that building the electrification was a mistake. It was seemingly poorly planned, and poorly done. Thanks for digging up the info! Boxcab E50
"It was seemingly poorly planned, and poorly done." Of course my usual snappy comeback would be, "Of course, it was done by NdeM, what did you expect." Of course that would be unfair. I suspect they suffered under government ownership like a lot of industries, with reduced budgets and political appointments instead of career railroaders in positions of management. The electrification of the stretch of mainline on the Mexico City - Veracruz route was much more successful. That was done back in the early 20's. But they had some really stiff ruling grades (like 4.9%) to deal with. Regards Ed
Yes. Exactly what I also suspect. Guess we'll see what happens now, with the influence of KCS more strongly in the picture. It may be interesting to follow. Boxcab E50
