NS Buying UP SD60's

[cotton_belt]

The other day I thought I was seeing things, but I wasnt. I saw a ex UP SD60 with the letters striped out and a black NS patch on the cab. NS seems to be fond of the SD60.

 

[TPWRY]

Yea they bought 20 ex UP SD60's from HLCX.

 

[CSX 700]

Yea they bought 20 ex UP SD60's from HLCX.

to further expand on that, these are from the group of C&NW SD60's which were retired by UP when the lease expired. Of the 20 units purhcased by NS 15 are in UP colors and 5 are in dark blue. All have been renumbered into the NS #6530-6549 series which is just under the original NS SD60's.

Bryan Jones
Brooks,KY

 

[ciron28]

NS has already retired 2 of them to rebuild them into SD60E's. Thank god.

Travis

 

[shorthoodlead]

They should buy some of those ex SOO 60's that have been running around. They are strong engines. They can pull the house down.

 

[Canadian Pacific SD70Ace]

In reality, they are ex-Soo, Ex-CNW, & ex-UP! Soo was originally supposed to recieve more SD60s, but passed the order on to CNW for financial reasons. CNW in turn, got bought out by UP. Just my two bits.

 

[shorthoodlead]

I wasn't aware of that so maybe the SOO knows how to maintain engines better than UP

 

[nordique72]

In reality, they are ex-Soo, Ex-CNW, & ex-UP! Soo was originally supposed to recieve more SD60s, but passed the order on to CNW for financial reasons. CNW in turn, got bought out by UP. Just my two bits.

These engines are in no way "ex-SOO". The Soo Line may at one time have had the order slot reserved for construction of SD60s and vacated it- but these engines were not built for the SOO. The CNW simply stepped in and had SD60s built in the order slot that the SOO vacated- there were no engines built at the time, and the units actually built were constructed to CNW/UP specs- not SOO. This happens all the time with locomotive orders- companies reserve a slot, vacate it, and another railroad steps in.
The only locomotives on the CNW that were truly built for another railroad and diverted to CNW were the ex-RI GP38-2s in 1980.
You need to check your roster history- at the time the SOO vacated this slot at EMD in 1986- they owned zero SD60s, they did not start taking delivery of their own SD60s until two years later with the 6000-6020 series, which was then later supplemented in 1989-90 by the remainder of the SD60/SD60M 6021-6062 series.

 

[RailfanRails]

These engines are in no way "ex-SOO". The Soo Line may at one time have had the order slot reserved for construction of SD60s and vacated it- but these engines were not built for the SOO. The CNW simply stepped in and had SD60s built in the order slot that the SOO vacated- there were no engines built at the time, and the units actually built were constructed to CNW/UP specs- not SOO. This happens all the time with locomotive orders- companies reserve a slot, vacate it, and another railroad steps in.
The only locomotives on the CNW that were truly built for another railroad and diverted to CNW were the ex-RI GP38-2s in 1980.
You need to check your roster history- at the time the SOO vacated this slot at EMD in 1986- they owned zero SD60s, they did not start taking delivery of their own SD60s until two years later with the 6000-6020 series, which was then later supplemented in 1989-90 by the remainder of the SD60/SD60M 6021-6062 series.

UP and CNW didn't have stainless steel kick plates like the SOO and these where on the CNW SD60's. The winterization hatch was also a SOO item and not a normal UP nor CNW item. The CNW basically picked up the canceled SOO order (Milw RR buy was causing major indigestion at the time) at a reduced cost by not making any major modifications to the order spec. There may not have been any SOO units built on the floor but the CNW SD60's are essentially identical to the SOO 6000-6020.

 

[nordique72]

Railfan Rails-

Check the CNW SD45s, various GPs and GP50s and get back to me on the winterization hatches- by that logic you could also say nose bells weren't standard CNW appliances because only the SD45s, SD40-2s and GP50s had them factory installed (GP40s and SD40s had them retrofitted).
Soo Line engines were not outfitted with low snowplows or UP CCS cab signals like these SD60s were- kickplates mean nothing. CNW was noted for quirks in their ordering habits- various GP light packages and torpedo tubes on GP35s come to mind. These were not a cancelled SOO order- they were a vacated SOO order slot. The changes to the order would indeed be "major" since the units were not yet built- cab signal wiring is not an easy fix to an already built locomotive. CNW specified their own wants and needs on the order in the vacated SOO spot. There was no SOO "order"- they had a spot reserved with EMD in the production line for SD60s if they were able to finance them. The financing never came through and CNW took their spot- if it was a diverted order it would be noted so in the EMD catalog, which it is not. If the units were on order, that would mean they were financed and production was started on the locomotives. Like I said, production slot diversions happen all the time- these were not SOO engines.
The CNW SD60s have little in common with the SOO SD60s in the 6000-6020 aside from the kickplates. I've done research on this tale before- to the point where I have compared the specs on CNW SD60s and SOO SD60s thanks to some help from various folks who had the info- the units are not carbon copies. This story has been floating around for years now- it has been roundly dismissed in the past and it's time the current version of the story was put to bed too.

 

[RailfanRails]

You are obviously too emotionally attached to this subject and I will not be dragged into a pissing match this morning.

Railfan Rails-

Check the CNW SD45s, various GPs and GP50s and get back to me on the winterization hatches- by that logic you could also say nose bells weren't standard CNW appliances because only the SD45s, SD40-2s and GP50s had them factory installed (GP40s and SD40s had them retrofitted).
Soo Line engines were not outfitted with low snowplows or UP CCS cab signals like these SD60s were- kickplates mean nothing. CNW was noted for quirks in their ordering habits- various GP light packages and torpedo tubes on GP35s come to mind. These were not a cancelled SOO order- they were a vacated SOO order slot. The changes to the order would indeed be "major" since the units were not yet built- cab signal wiring is not an easy fix to an already built locomotive. CNW specified their own wants and needs on the order in the vacated SOO spot. There was no SOO "order"- they had a spot reserved with EMD in the production line for SD60s if they were able to finance them. The financing never came through and CNW took their spot- if it was a diverted order it would be noted so in the EMD catalog, which it is not. If the units were on order, that would mean they were financed and production was started on the locomotives. Like I said, production slot diversions happen all the time- these were not SOO engines.
The CNW SD60s have little in common with the SOO SD60s in the 6000-6020 aside from the kickplates. I've done research on this tale before- to the point where I have compared the specs on CNW SD60s and SOO SD60s thanks to some help from various folks who had the info- the units are not carbon copies. This story has been floating around for years now- it has been roundly dismissed in the past and it's time the current version of the story was put to bed too.

 

[nordique72]

Emotionally attached? No.
Making absolutely sure people understand the difference between order slots and cancelled orders? Yes.
Exterior features aren't everything on a locomotive... when I do reasearch I like to be thorough, something that seems to be sorely lacking in todays internet society.

 

[5thGenRR]

Soo...passed the order on to CNW for financial reasons. CNW in turn, got bought out by UP. Just my two bits.

Very interesting. Its like playing 6 degrees of seperation but with RR's.

 

[cotton_belt]

I didnt know it got this serious.

 

[espee4441]

Railfan Rails-

Check the CNW SD45s, various GPs and GP50s and get back to me on the winterization hatches- by that logic you could also say nose bells weren't standard CNW appliances because only the SD45s, SD40-2s and GP50s had them factory installed (GP40s and SD40s had them retrofitted).
Soo Line engines were not outfitted with low snowplows or UP CCS cab signals like these SD60s were- kickplates mean nothing. CNW was noted for quirks in their ordering habits- various GP light packages and torpedo tubes on GP35s come to mind. These were not a cancelled SOO order- they were a vacated SOO order slot. The changes to the order would indeed be "major" since the units were not yet built- cab signal wiring is not an easy fix to an already built locomotive. CNW specified their own wants and needs on the order in the vacated SOO spot. There was no SOO "order"- they had a spot reserved with EMD in the production line for SD60s if they were able to finance them. The financing never came through and CNW took their spot- if it was a diverted order it would be noted so in the EMD catalog, which it is not. If the units were on order, that would mean they were financed and production was started on the locomotives. Like I said, production slot diversions happen all the time- these were not SOO engines.
The CNW SD60s have little in common with the SOO SD60s in the 6000-6020 aside from the kickplates. I've done research on this tale before- to the point where I have compared the specs on CNW SD60s and SOO SD60s thanks to some help from various folks who had the info- the units are not carbon copies. This story has been floating around for years now- it has been roundly dismissed in the past and it's time the current version of the story was put to bed too.

Great information to have. Thanks for posting it. I personally like the SD60, and seein the NS versions show up here in Seattle every now and then is a real treat. Now I can only hope to see one of the ex UP units make it back to Argo Yard again.