KCS Loco Roster Confusion

2827, 2829, 2029, and 1908 were southbound on the Gulfport (MS) Branch yesterday. I used Dutch Shultz's roster (updated in 2005) to identify them, but I got confused. 2029 (#3 in the lash up) looks like a GP40 (see second photo), but Shultz's roster lists that number as an AC4400CW. I don't have a problem with the others because the roster lists 2827 and 2829 as GP40-3s, and 1908 as GP38-2, which they look like. Sorry, but my skills at identifying diesels leaves much to be desired. :tb-embarrassed:
Can someone clear this up?

 

Didn't KCS just go through a major re-numbering within the past two years? I suspect that's the root of the problem.

Ed

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Found some other pics of KCS 2029 on Railroad Picture Archives from 2007 and it is a GP38-2 in those photos as well. On Rail Pictures, I found a 2003 shot of KCS 2029 and that pic shows an AC4400CW. My guess would be that there was some sort of renumbering after the roster was updated in 2005.

 

Two years ago, over on MexList, Lowell McManus posted:

In the new unified KCS/KCSM renumbering plan, the 4400 series is unused.
TFM AC4400CW's 2600-2674 are to be KCSM 4500-4574, and the KCS
AC4400CW's 2000-2049 are to be KCS 4575-4624.

He didn't post the entire new numbering system, but this explains where your AC4400CW's went.

Regards

Ed

 

And just to follow up a little bit, here's a brief list of number blocks that I found on the KCS groups message board. It will give some guidance as to the revised numbering scheme:

On Apr 3, 2008, at 12:47 AM, Zack Hilton wrote:
In a nut shell this is what your most likely to see roaming on the
mainlines:

600 series are SD40-2/SD40M-2 (some are in SD45 carbodies)
700 series are SD50
1600 series are SD70MAC (marked as TFM)
1900 & 2000 are GP38-2
2800 up to 3000 series are GP40-2 (some ex CN safety cabs)
3900 series are SD70MAC (ex TFM)
4000 & 4100 series are SD70ACe
4500 up to 4624 series are AC4400CW
4650 up to 4725 series are ES44AC
6600 series are SD40-3 (ex CN SD40)
7000 series are SD50 (ex Conrail, some still have red nose lights)

Most of those numbers are KCS, though there are KCSM units in the
4000, 4500 and 4600/4700 series that you might see. There are some new
number series popping up with one an two units in that group (6800 that are
former 600 series for example) that I haven't listed because I haven't
seen them personally. Belle units are only numbered 4030 (and up) and
4650 (and up)...outside the three F9's (KCS1, 2 & 3). There are still
some ES44AC still roaming around in primer, but they've been making
trips to the paint booth lately....so the exact numbers are
changing weekly.

 

Thanks Ed and Richard. That certainly takes care of freeing up the #2029 from being a 4400HP GE product, but you now have created a worse conundrum......!

Ed, based on your roster, both 1908 and 2029 should be identical, or at least reasonably similar designs. However, as my photos show (please see 1908 below), there ain't no way they're from the same drawing board. 2029 has dynamics and 1908 obviously does not...?

As admitted, I'm definitely not an expert of diesel identification, let alone EMD, but the differences between 1908 and 2029 are significant enough that even I can sense something. OK, so I'm being a bit of an "educated donkey", but this is kinda fun...:tb-wacky:

Ya know, it occurs to me that dynamics may have been an option that the original buyer of 1908 did not choose, yet the original buyer of 2908 did. Is that rational, or have I blown smoke upon my posterior...?

 

We need someone who really knows "diseasels" to chime in here. Where's Triplex when you need him?

But the presence or absence of dynamic brakes doesn't change the model, they could both be GP38-2's.

.

 

I agree. I'm beginning to think maybe we are two individuals with impaired vision attempting to describe an elephant, yet being limited to only small segments of the body for analysis.......sorry, very old joke.

 

Funny coincidence you should mention that. Only yesterday I was thinking of that same story in regards to trying to describe Mexico. And I hadn't thought of it in years prior to that.

 

Ah yes...two great minds, and all that......:tb-wink:

 

OH NO, I hope my Minute Men forebears will forgive me for not bowing. OK, enough of that BS.......:tb-biggrin:

Bob, what is the heritage of 2908, and is it also a 38-2?

 

Thanks, Bob. It's interesting that 1908 would not have been delivered with dynamics originally. Parts of the B&M were "water-level", but the Fitchburg Div. through the Berkshires to NY, and the lines up into NH had significant grades.