Motive power news

Please send items to Jerry Doyle, 6209 Beverly Court, Huntington, WV 25705.

Thanks go to Kenneth Borg, Rich Borkowski, Matt Crouch, Brian Gessel, Greig Goodall, Dwight Jones, Richard Menkel, Herb Parsons, Jesse Smith, Chris Strogen, and Everett Young for help with information in this issue.

NEW POWER

Delivery of new units on CSX continues. All of the latest order for CW44AC's have been delivered. This order, numbered 391-421, brings the CSX total to 393 for this model. While this may sound like a lot of units, Union Pacific currently rosters over 700 of them.

In addition to the 4,400 horsepower units, delivery of CW60AC's continues. The highest-numbered unit on the system as of midDecember was 693. Latest reports showed 90 of the order for 114 units have been delivered. These units have been appearing all over the system in various assignments. At least one unit, the 686, has been experiencing problems. just four days from the factory it caught fire and suffered significant damage.

Deliveries of the order for 50 SD70AC's continue as well. The highest unit seen so far has been 754. While the original 25 units were usually found on the Cumberland Coal Business Unit, these units can be found just about anywhere on the system.

AROUND THE SYSTEM

Some of the GE B36-7's that were once the mainstay of the CSX intermodal fleet are apparently heading north. Units 5830-5839 are to be transferred to Selkirk, NY, for service in New York state. For this service, they will have their snow plows modified to clear the third rail in Metro North territory.

The 40 LMS CW40-8's mentioned in the October column have been taken by the Norfolk Southern. There are reports of units having their spartan LMS markings replaced by equally spartan NS markings. Apparently these units will remain numbered 700-739. Interestingly the CSX computer shows these units as CSXT even though their numbers conflict with their own SD70AC's.

LEASE POWER

Over 400 units are currently on lease to ease CSX'S acute power shortage. In addition to the units mentioned in the October issue, several more have been leased, including ten Wisconsin Central units. Additional WC units are on the system, balancing horsepower hours owed. Several Canadian National GP40-2's are also currently on lease. Once again crews have been amazed at the amenities in these units, including hot plates, a coffee maker, and a microwave oven.

FOREIGN POWER

Sightings of foreign power have become commonplace at this time. Brian Gessel reported seeing two BNSF SD70MAC's heading up the Coal River Subdivision as well as a " warbonnet" SD75 heading cast through St. Albans. Matt Crouch reported seeing at least one BN SD60 heading up the Coal River Subdivision as well as a Union Pacific "SD9043," a convertible SD90MAC. Greig Goodall reports seeing two C&NW CW44AC's heading for Coal River through St. Albans. Everett Young reports seeing two BNSF CW44-9's that "looked as if they had just rolled off the assembly line, heading a northbound empty coke train in Shelby, Ky.

C&O GEEP NEWS

Members attending the C&OHS Conference in Cincinnati last summer were able to see a very rare sight these days, a Chessie System GP9.

On August 13, B&O 6196 (exC&O 6196) was seen dead-in-tow during the Society's Queensgate Yard tour. It was en route to Vaughan Terminal, a large intermodal terminal north of Toronto, Ontario. The unit had last worked at New Ridge Mining, an A.T. Massey mine in Kimper, Ky. Trains now use CSX road power while loading at this tipple.

Another ex-C&O Geep has been on the move. The 6163, wearing a bright red paint job, was formerly used at Blackhawk Mining near Lancer, Ky. It now works at Lodestar Energy's Ivel, Ky.tipple. This tipple was toured by members during the Paintsville C&OHS Conference in 1997.

Copyright Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, Inc. Jan 2000
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