GLC Acquiring SD35's?

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joeyuboats
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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by joeyuboats »

Please allow a little venting. We are all on this site because of our interest of railroads and trains. But this little adventure with these 3 locos is, to me, pointing out something that is wrong with the rail industry. Simply put----why does it take SO long to move something from point A to point B. These locos had to be legal for transit----otherwise the connecting RR would have refused them. Now, the middle of Montana is not close by by any means, and this is not a high priority shipment---there may have been complications en-route. If there were, I am sure they would have been addressed, and corrected. One of the last post states that they were on BRC in Chicago, almost a week ago. Chicago to Durand by rail is not that far. Again-----I am aware that a few interchanges had to occur. Is it just me, that sees something weird here?? Is there something I have missed?? A truck, given what ever the mileage involved here would have done it in a LOT less time----and would have gone back for at least 3 other trips. And with all the technology, and computers that the RR's use today, something on its own wheels still is not here. They are the equivilent of 3 railcars being shipped. What's the deal?????

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by Typhoon »

I am just guessing, but since these are old locomotives, the CN will want them to be inspected before accepting them at interchange. Do they have coupler limit blocks installed? What kind of journals do they have? So on and so forth. Depending on the train they are going on out of the BRC, there might be more than the CN that needs to inspect them. If they are going on L503 for example, CSX will have to inspect them for the travel over the Elsdon portion of the run. These are not quite the "equivalent of 3 railcars being shipped".


While it might be easy to say "other railroads accepted them" from behind your keyboard, would you bet your job on other railroads accepting them for interchange? I wouldn't.

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by joeyuboats »

I would have assumed that MRL and GLC would know the route they are to travel, and make sure that these locos are compliant for the entire trip. If something were to be red flagged somewhere---either at interchange, or remote location, either GLC or the host RR would correct it. My simple point----if it takes almost a month to get from Montana to Durand-----then something is really wrong-----with all systems involved---- to take this long.

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by chapmaja »

joeyuboats wrote:
Tue Aug 11, 2020 1:09 pm
I would have assumed that MRL and GLC would know the route they are to travel, and make sure that these locos are compliant for the entire trip. If something were to be red flagged somewhere---either at interchange, or remote location, either GLC or the host RR would correct it. My simple point----if it takes almost a month to get from Montana to Durand-----then something is really wrong-----with all systems involved---- to take this long.
I have to agree with Typhoon. There are a lot of "behind the scenes" things that have to be done for locomotives to be moved from one railroad to another as cargo. Each railroad does require an inspection by their inspectors before they will accept a locomotive for shipment on their railroad. Also, when it comes to moving a locomotive, I'm pretty sure the requirements are stricker than simply moving a car load of freight traffic, with regards to the location of the locomotive in the train.

There are additional things that have to be considered as well. As Typhoon put it, if it goes on a certain train, that may run over a certain route which includes rights over another railroad, which means they may want to inspect the locomotive with their inspectors as well.

Another factor to consider is the scheduling of the trains and the capacity of said trains to carry the three locomotives. Trains can be limited to the weight they carry per trip. These can be due to restrictions on the route, or by the horsepower available to the railroad doing the haul. Each SD35 weights 360,000 pounds. Depending on the other traffic being hauled, the hauling railroad may not have the capability on a given train due to horsepower constraints to carry a trio of 360,000 pound locomotives as cargo.

I do agree with you in some regards, if this was regular cargo, not something different like a locomotive, the time sitting in Clearing would be frustrating, and would be an example of the issues a lot of people see with railroads. There is a reason you don't see a lot of short haul railroad traffic. Trucks can make the moves faster and more economically than railroads do in most cases. When you add multiple railroads into the mix, it makes a big difference. Some cargo's however are not suited for transit via trucks, and SD35's are one of those.

Also, while you are likely correct, the GLC and MRL did have the everything ready to go before the units were shipped, including inspections by mechanical officers of both companies. My understanding is the the railroads generally will do a pre-purchase inspection to make sure they are getting a good deal for the product they are purchasing. This means the GLC mechanical crew would have gone to Montana, did an inspection of the units, then and only then signed the purchase agreement. The agreement would also include things like travel route, expected delivery, and additional information. The railroads would also work out an agreement with the transit railroads for the routing, and the delivery expectations for the units to the purchasing railroad. It could be that the GLC stated we want these delivered by August 15th, so the other companies involved know they have time to "waste" before they have to have them to the GLC.

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by TC Man »

Just a thought, in a video that was posted earlier, it sure sounded like one of the 3 had a wheel with a flat spot (constant pounding on the rail). I assume this is not great for rail (I realize rail cars do this often, but I'd think these are much heavier and cause more wear on rail, so maybe the railroad who has it now required the wheel be "fixed" before moving). I could be WAY off here, just a thought.
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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by LansingRailFan »

Lotta great insights here Typhoon and Chapmaja thx

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by SD80MAC »

Shipping locomotives dead in tow (and interchanging them) is not as simple as shipping a railcar. Each railroad has to inspect them, measure them for clearances, etc. They are definitely not moved with any kind of priority. What one railroad signs off on, another might take exception to. When I took trains to the BRC, the same DIT locomotives awaiting shipment would sometimes be there for weeks or months waiting for clearance to move. It's a long, slow and expensive process.
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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by joeyuboats »

Please allow a question, as I have no way of knowing an answer. In the case of run-through locos----say a BNSF unit shows up on CSX as part of a train----do these locos get inspected as well? I know that they are not as old, or as odd as an SD35, but they are a foreign loco. How does this work?

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by SD80MAC »

joeyuboats wrote:
Tue Aug 11, 2020 3:17 pm
Please allow a question, as I have no way of knowing an answer. In the case of run-through locos----say a BNSF unit shows up on CSX as part of a train----do these locos get inspected as well? I know that they are not as old, or as odd as an SD35, but they are a foreign loco. How does this work?
No. Revenue Class I and or leaser units are all treated more or less the same. Any non-revenue locomotive being moved dead-in-tow is handled as a dimensional piece of freight, basically.
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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by MQT1223 »

I'd wager they probably got bad ordered for something at this point if they are still sitting there.
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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by joeyuboats »

My son told me last night that he saw on Facebook that these locos were moving from where they were to Kirk[IIRC] ? Yard, on the next leg of their trip. Just might make it in time for christmas!

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by MQT1223 »

L503 took the locomotives from Clearing Yard through Griffith to Kirk Yard yesterday. Hopefully someone spots them in Griffith today.
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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by MIGN-Todd »

Saw them on a video last night. Good looking old girls they are. GLC won't have to do much to them to sort of make them look like their own. Never thought I would've seen the day when six axle power was getting to be the norm on the old Annie line.
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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by joeyuboats »

Just hope that when they get these units, that GLC will still keep as many of the ex- Annie GP35's that they can on the roster. These old girls have spent their working lives in Michigan---to sell them to another RR in another state would not be right. And when/if they are retired, they are retired here.I know that is asking alot---but it just seems proper.

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by LansingRailFan »

SD-35s arrived in BC around 1:30 on A492. Not sure if they got cut or not. If cut they could go to Durand on L500 or A450 if they don’t continue on A492.

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by Jackson&LansingRRFan »

SD35s are in Durand as of 4:40 this morning.
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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by trainjunkie47 »

I think the fate of the GP 35's rests largely upon the success of integrating the SD 35's into the system, the individual mechanical condition of the GP's, and projections for future traffic levels. We know that GLC is power hungry, and nothing sits around idle.

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by LansingRailFan »

Heard SD 35s need shop time which may be the exact reason why they took so long to go thru BRC

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by Steve B »

So did GLC acquire the SD35s because it needs additional power, or are they to replace the GP35s? And if replacement, is it because the SDs are in better shape or were extensively rebuilt, or GLC ultimately has settled on six axles for all future power? They're only a year younger than the GPs.

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Re: GLC Acquiring SD35's?

Unread post by jrgerber »

From a Train Orders thread:

MRL SD35s
MRL's five SD35s were also purchased very early in the railroads life before the more powerful SD45s that later dominated the fleet. They were all purchased between '88 & '89 from NREX. Four out of five were delivered to the MRL with HHs. MRL 703 being the only low nose since was built with that way for Atlantic Coast Line. The four HH SD35s were all chop nosed by the mid 1990s. Today four units are still active on the MRL system basically replacing the now defunct SD9s as remote switching kickers at MRL's classification yards in Missoula and Laurel, Montana.

*Confirmed numbers for MRL high hood SD35s include:
MRL 701 - ex N&W/NS 1566
MRL 704 - ex N&W/NS 1543, sold (returned) to NREX in 1993.
MRL 705 - ex N&W/NS 1553

MRL 1546 - Became MRL 702 after nose chop.

the only rebuilding may have been the chop noses

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