Yeah, pity about the switchers being retired. Is their work diminishing, or is some switching being done by other road units these days?
I don't have any sure fire answers but a few come to mind. Worn out, small yard closures, using shortlines for short runs. They have also been getting rid of all the GP40,s then releasing them after a rebuild to GP38-2's.
UP is just plain short on 4 axle power. Even with spinning off work to shortlines, they still have track where they serve customers requiring geeps and such. Such shortsightedness puzzles those who do the work, but those in the know in Omaha make the decisions. Even the veteran SD40-2's are dropping like flies. Greg Elems
We've had a bedraggled SP SW1500 as a local switcher in GJ for quite a while- I haven't seen it lately, but I have seen another SP duo (GP40-2/SD40T-2) in raggedy gray as the yard switcher. That GP40-2 looks like it's been ridden hard & put away wet.
