A while ago Jeremiah was bragging about some twins (two locos with consecutive numbers) he caught. Today at the BNSF 31st Street Yard a twin came parading by... How many horsepower does that yard switching tandem have? Talk about yard switchers on steroids!
Am I the only one intrigued by the horsepower invlved here? A "normal" switching lashup rarely would have more than say 4,000 hp. This little tandem has 6,000 hp. How much h.p. do you need for switching? I know little about this topic, but my curiosity was piqued by the high horsepower invlved...
There is no telling... I have seen NS use 3 Dash 9's (13,000 + h.p.!) in switching moves,,,, I guess it really depends on what units are online, available, and how much time is wasted replacing the units with others,,,, Harold
I agree for occasional use. However, this yard has several dedicated SD40-2's, most of which are remote control equipped. Admittedly, most of them operate alone (which would make sense) or with a smaller engine, such as a GP 38 or 35. Maybe these units are just close to the end of their productive lives and BNSF just wants them close under their noses...
