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Burning Journal -> Engine Pit -> What's The Purpose Anymore?
Post Info TOPIC: What's The Purpose Anymore?
The Krink


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Have to say I concur with these 2 guys. The BNSF motive power fleet of 10,000 and the only thing new in last 10yrs is repainted/rebuilt GP39's.

A couple orders of more GE 4400HP in the 3200 series and 3700-3900 series. Stagnation. Pictures I took at BNSF Bayside Yard 10 yrs ago could be

passed on as just today. Other than the local power assignments I've never been able to figure out loco assignments for mainline trains as its a

"revolving door of 7000 locomotives". Not that you need to see any GE 4400HP more than once or at all. Little need to take train pictures today.

Virtual Railfan does it all now.

What's The Purpose Anymore?



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Snippy


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Even the graffiti has gotten to be like a band of ho-hum bunck of gibberish tags, rather than the whole car canvases that used to appear out of nowhere.

Snippy kind of hates the flat wheels once the locomotives pass by. Up through the 80's, which Snippy reminds himself is 40 years ago, at least one railroad that signed Snippy's paycheck was serious about flat spots. Of course, they probably saw them as a profit center by replacing wheels on other people's cars.

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Freddie Krueger


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Around 582,000 are changed every year....

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The Krink


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And to think the majority of flatspots caused by inattentive switching and lack of communication.
Many places/yards and the need to set hand brakes and then forget to release them or something
like that. BNSF has a "silent detector" between Seattle and Everett that is really good at catching
those forgotten handbrakes. "The Warm Bearing Desk" notifies dispatcher and dispatcher tells the
train you need to stop soon and check axels R204 and R205. Thats a long walk back. And let me know
what you find. Pretty much a daily occurance with "Warm Bearing Desk".

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jonnycantdo


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CSX has a similar thing...hot box detectors can make a note of a particular bearing getting warmer and warmer...and DS will call....only it won't be "tell me what you find" it will be, "set that car out.....somewhere...."

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Pipes FC


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Wasn't it all SD40s for about 20 years?

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The Krink


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Yes on the BN for sure. When I started taking video of BN trains 1990-1995 seems every train with 3 SD40-2's and
one those GE B30-7 cabless 3000hp. Also the era of the LMX B39-8's mixed in and the EMD painted SD60's or Oakway.



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Snippy


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Pipes FC wrote:

Wasn't it all SD40s for about 20 years?

 Even if SD40-2 sightings got boring, the sound of them going by never did to me. Al Krug vehemently disagreed when I made that comment on a forum around the turn of the century. That guy's still the railroad forum poster GOAT tu Snippy.



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jonnycantdo


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Al Krug is still kicking? Where does a body that old coot?!

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The Krink


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What Mr Snippy said about the "sound" of multiple SD40-2's pulling hard. The thing about video is "that sound"
can be enjoyed any time you want. I got lots of video of SD40-2's in 8th notch going up Stevens Pass and the
sound...its like you are there. The CP was maybe the most SD40-2 orientated railroad.

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Snippy


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The Krink wrote:

 The CP was maybe the most SD40-2 orientated railroad.

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A true BNer like Mr. The Krink would know better than Snippy. But, BNtown would have been my guess. My travels took me tu Powder River line east of Alliance. 



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The Krink


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I made a travel to "Coal Territory" with video camera. Whole different ballgame for power assignments. There you
see 5 SD40-2's (15,000HP) or 5 GE C30's (15,000HP) or a mix of both as standard coal train power. Adhering to
the "1HP per ton" to get this coal to destination. Coal Country at high altitude so its mostly downhill to destination.
Exceptions are Crawford Hill Nebraska and the MRL westward over 2 Continental Divides where manned pushers
were used. The BNSF GPNW is a "Coltrane conveyer belt" to Roberts Bank BC for export to China.

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jonnycantdo


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Pipes FC wrote:

Wasn't it all SD40s for about 20 years?

 SD40's However many GP40's you could string together....C40-8's when they came on the scene...on my road at least...



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The Krink


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BN had the GP40 and GP50 fleets and Santa Fe had the GP60 fleets plus the GE B40's. Both railroads believed
in the high horsepower 4-axel units on the hottest trains which may not been as heavy as todays hottest trains.
Dont see a 4-axel locomotive ever on a Ztrain. Pretty much the high horsepower 4-axel assigned to locals.


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jonnycantdo


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It's a shame neither GE nor EMD make new four axles...you can only rebuild so many times....and railroads are going to wish there was a source sooner rather than later...I mean with new truck castings and everything....

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