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I would really like to see direct service to Bufallo, or Erie at the very least... seems like a Federal grant could get them there if they promised the trains would travel at 400mph/ :D In reality it is a little upsetting to the the diamond taken out of service as that basically embargoes the track ...

As a little insight here, I rode Britain's much vaunted (and heavily subsidized) rail service from just north of London to Edinburgh Scotland in 2009. The round trip ticket was over 300 pounds which put me close to $500 USD given the exchange rate at the time. I didn't get to sit in a seat on the ri...

I know this has probably been asked before but this thread is getting pretty long. What is going on in Liberty Center that has increased Pioneer's need to use that crossing? Is it just car storage or out reach to future customers? Do they have business lined up east of Napoleon already?

Fort Wayne is all about throwing money in the toilet. I'm not sure about the integrity of our mayor (or the rest of government) but there is a lot of fraud, waste, and abuse going on in the city government. This is just one more example. The involved cities and states would have to pony up the money...

Hello. What is currently running through Napoleon now and when is the best time to catch a train. I went through there on Friday and the track looked terrible, almost abandoned. Yup, the track is pretty rough along the whole line... even after a lot of work. They seem to get started in Defiance aro...

bumthum wrote:The turbo chargers are what I could see making a GP20 more of a burden to a short line. I'm pretty sure most do end up disabling the turbo charger in locomotives so equipped, does Pioneer disable the turbos in their locomotives? You don't disable a turbocharger, you have to replace it...

The turbo chargers are what I could see making a GP20 more of a burden to a short line. I'm pretty sure most do end up disabling the turbo charger in locomotives so equipped, does Pioneer disable the turbos in their locomotives?

Unfortunately, no one makes engines like GP7s or GP9s or GP38s any more. Most railroads that have them won't get rid of them because not much on the used locomotive market is comparable in ease to maintain and operate. Ain't that the truth. That's why Class I's and larger Class II's are rebuilding ...

FWIW, there is only one GP20 on ND&W property. The ND&W roster consists of: PREX GP9 #105 (Gettysburg) PREX NW2 #107 (ex-BN) PREX GP16 #1601 PREX GP16 #1603 PREX GP16 #1606 PREX GP20 #3054 Ahhh yes, I didn't look up their roster before my post. I didn't realized they had 3 GP16's although, thinking...

A minimum of 4 engines are needed on the ND&W: one to operate out of Woodburn, a switch engine for Defiance, a switch engine in Napoleon, and a road engine to work between Defiance and Napoleon or Cecil. This, however does not include downtime for inspections, things also break down, blow up, derai...

Of course, there has been talk of replacing some of the less reliable engines (mostly GP20s) with GP38-2s. That, however, will happen as soon as Amtrak turns a profit... On the other hand, Pioneer does need to buy some new power. This is the problem a lot of smaller Class II and Class III railroads...

I'm not overly familiar with Wabash operations on that line but did their Buffalo-Chicago passenger service take that route? If so then an E unit or PA would likely have been used on that trackage, yes I know that was a long time ago, it does show some 6-axle usage beside IHRC's RSD's if they did ru...

It moved at least once, I saw it on at least one occasion moving around Defiance, that was sometime prior to the time I took the photo... perhaps a year or two.

Yeah, I wasn't seriously thinking Alcos, I was just mentioning that heavy six axle units used to be able to operate on that track... I saw them in the late 1990's, they looked good. Sounds like Pioneer has the ability to put lighter motive power on the tracks, a lot of the derailments I see are the ...

Thinking about it, Indiana Hi Rail operated RSD-15s on that same track before MAW let it get even worse than it was. Too bad the track wasn't kept up. Both GE and EMD are building 6-axle locomotives with an idler axle in each truck but they have a part to play in traction control. I get the issues w...

Bulby- I'll defer to your experience on this one then. It does make me wonder why more short-lines don't show much interest in early SD's though. Would it be possible to install an unpowered axle on an early SD, like an A-1-A configuration to lighten the load without the additional maintenance? TC M...

3 axle trucks are not a good idea on poor roadbed. The roadmaster would probably go throw rotten food at whoever chose to buy a 6-axle. Most early 6-axle units were built with a mind towards light rail and "other than mainline" uses. They used the same power plant, generators, and other equipment o...

I'll have to get back out there this year to see the SD-9. An early SD really is a good choice given the rail conditions as it should have a lighter axle loading than their 4-axle power. It would be nice if it wasn't painted in those ugly colors though, although I know locomotive paint is low on the...

They just started 1601 and lined the switches east of the Defiance yard. ~ That was at 8:16 am. http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll267/bumthum/ND%20And%20W%2031%20MAR14/1601Startup_zps58c46639.jpg They backed 1601 in John Manville and pulled out a cut of covered hoppers. Out they went to the yard,...

My daughter and I are heading out of Fort Wayne early tomorrow morning in the hopes of seeing ND&W do something. After two day long trips to see the MAW without catching a moving/non-derailed train we both have high hopes. I post up any worthwhile photos when we get back. Do they leave Defiance arou...