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The CN refused to ship the 7030. Word is they will send the 3829 instead.

PatAzo wrote:The CN refused to ship the 7030. Word is they will send the 3829 instead.

Why did CN refuse to ship 7030?


And someone reported WAMX 4130 in Hugart as of 0930. Research and prior knowledge indicates it's an SD40-2, ex-MP, last assigned to a shortline in Oklahoma. Can anyone confirm it's presence in GR?

NSSD70ACe wrote:Why did CN refuse to ship 7030?

It doesn't have self aligning draw bars.

Does anybody have a photo yet of this newly acquired 4130 unit?

ThreeRiversChris wrote:Does anybody have a photo yet of this newly acquired 4130 unit?

Google does:



Somehow I knew it'd be black and yellow...

The person who reported that 4130 was in GR corrected themselves to say it was an ex-WSOR unit, probably 4190. As far as I can tell, 4130 is still in Oklahoma. I can't find any recent images of it after August 30th of this year and since no images of it have surfaced from GR (as it would've peaked someone's attention), I think it's safe to say that she's still in Oklahoma and won't be headed this way in the near future.

If they refused to ship the 7030, how the heck did it come up here in the first place?

MQT1223 wrote:If they refused to ship the 7030, how the heck did it come up here in the first place?

NS handed the 7030 off at Elkhart.

NS has lower standards than CN

PatAzo wrote:

MQT1223 wrote:If they refused to ship the 7030, how the heck did it come up here in the first place?

NS handed the 7030 off at Elkhart.

With 4209 being OOS right now from its problem last Thursday evening, I think the Elk is feeling the pinch.

Also, what is the story with 4190? Are they using it strictly as a yard engine now at Gearhart because of the added tonnage?

Last Thursday when 4209 was broke down at Park with a crank full a diesel fuel.....

4206, 4209, 4125, 4189 & 4124 all at CP Park last Thursday evening while the crew played musical engines

Last Thursday evening as the northbound train came out of the siding at Park. 4206, DIT 4209 & 4125. When 4124 & 4125 sit for a long period of time idling, they REALLY load up. Thus the smoke show that they put on for a few miles before it clears up.

Ok 2 questions for you tonight,

It was noted that 4125 is sitting outside the engine house at Hughart. Does anyone know if it's broke down or just getting regular maintenance?

Pertaining to 4124, as I saw this unit doing this last night, when it is throttle up and pulling good to get a train moving, it spews exhaust, then clears up, then spews again, then clears up, etc. It does this quite frequently. What is causing this, compared to just a steady stream of exhaust like a normal unit?

sd-40 #4125 was not at Hugart this afternoon.
It must have went south.?

If it spews exhaust, it is getting too much fuel. Probably faulty injectors.

hoborich wrote:If it spews exhaust, it is getting too much fuel. Probably faulty injectors.

Something tells me that the Elk needs to get each one of their SD40s into Hugart for an inspection, and do so regularly. Now, I understand that this is by no means a railroad where they have hundreds of locomotives to draw from, but it sounds like this is the second major issue with 4124 in the last year or so, and I would bet that the other SDs are really putting on the overtime. In contrast to bigger roads, these units are running every day with drag freights and very little "down time" where the engine is cold and dark. The Geeps have that sort of time, as seen in Gearhart Yard, but because the road trains usually end up at CP Park, they have to stay running to supply air. We haven't really seen any Geeps with these sorts of issues in recent memory. The evidence is that the Elk is overworking their road power is pretty compelling. Having inspections for preventative maintenance would probably save the Elk a lot in the long run in regards to both time and money. A few more six axles wouldn't hurt either.


Now, maybe they already have something like this in place. I have no idea, I don't have inside contacts like that. But that's my $0.02.

EMDs will smoke a lot more than Railfans usually give them credit for. Especially after running at lower revs for awhile, they'll look like a big blow when opened up again, say after MQT comes down for interchange, so is in he lower throttle for several hours, then opens up to go north of town. That stuff is a lovely blue and smells even better.

Nick, railroads put a lot of maintenance into their power, but it's also gotta be in service, too. Small running defects can be overlooked for a time of the freight demand is there and they need the power!

3829 is coming back from Chicago to help out. Elk is trying to run with what they currently have with engines. Plan was to move 14000 ton trains out of Elkhart with 2 units. Now with an average 120 car train with 6000hp it's taxing the hell out of 2 units. So 3 units has been the norm and that leaves no spares. No additional 6-axle units are on the horizon.

"New" power for the Elk has showed up in Kazoo, and was reported switching out by Kilgore Rd. this afternoon.

Anyone know where it came from? Did it happen to come down from the Marquette?