Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Railway

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Monday, July 31, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

NEW SD70ACe-T4 UNITS: Several new SD70ACe-T4 locomotives have arrived on the property. The following units have been delivered: 5660-5662, 5664, 5666-69.

NS AUCTION: The KCC&E has placed high bids for several locomotives being put up for auction by Norfolk Southern. Most of these bids were for high hood GP38-2’s being retired by the railway. The following NS units have bids placed by the KCC&E:

NS GP38-2’s 5085-86, 5090, 5093, 5106, 5111, 5118, 5127, 5136, 5139, 5143, 5152, 5169, 5185, and 5256

NS RP20CD 3830

The KCC&E is short on yard and local power, and acquiring these units will relieve them somewhat of this issue. The RP20CD, if it goes to the KCC&E, will be the first Genset diesel to ever wear the green and yellow paint of the railway. The KCC&E has also proposed the number series for these units: 1601-1615 for the GP38-2’s and 1600 for the RP20CD.

SIGNAL WORK: Some new signals are being installed along the Chicago Subdivision, replacing the old signals dating back to the Kansas City & Chicago era. These signals have bright LED lights, and can also stay on for 24 hours during a power outage. This is thanks to backup generators serving each and every one of these new signals.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Update - Tuesday, August 1, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

DERAILMENT: A minor derailment occurred Monday along milepost 3.4 of the Royal Oak Branch in the Detroit Area. Train L-DE06 was just taking off from the Detroit Yard, when all of a sudden, something derailed on its way to Pontiac. Luckily, the derailment only involved a two cars and only very minor damage was dealt to any equipment or the environment around it.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Update - Thursday, August 3, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

SD70ACe-T4s: The rest of the ordered SD70ACe-T4 units will be delivered this month. Several more have been delivered to the KCC&E today: 5663, 5665, 5670-5672, 5675, and 5678.

CSX DETOURS: Due to a severe derailment in Pennsylvania, several CSX trains were rerouted on the Johnstown Subdivision. A nearby town, Hyndman, was severely affected by the derailment. The town was evacuated due to a bad fire and the presence of hazardous material in some of the cars derailed/burned.

SOME WEIRD POWER ON THE KCC&E: According to a trace, a few oddballs have shown up on the KCC&E system. The MEC engines are run-through power from a Pan Am train.

MEC 000603 BUFFALO NY 08 02 0829 U Arrive In-Transit KCCE
MEC 007528 BUFFALO NY 08 02 0829 U Arrive In-Transit KCCE
TFM 001633 KANSAS CITY MO 08 02 1341 U Junction Delivery KCCE KCS

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Update - Monday, August 7, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

It has been confirmed that the KCC&E will be performing extensive overhauls to their entire C40-8 fleet, which consists of 100 units numbered #6500 through #6599. Half of the overhauls will take place at Atlanta, while the other half will take place in Chicago. The overhauls are expected to begin in mid-August after the first group of units get cycled through the shops.

[ThomasACu]

Observations made on the Kansas City Subdivision:

Location: Moberly, Missouri

Z-KCCH (Intermodal: Kansas City, MO - Chicago, IL)
6:39 AM CDT
KCCE 4039 (SD70M)
KCCE 5444 (SD70ACe)
NS 7520 (ES44DC)

I-CHKC (Intermodal: Chicago, IL - Kansas City, MO)
7:01 AM CDT
KCCE 807 (ES44AC)
KCCE 3549 (SD60)
KCCE 4301 (SD70M)
KCCE 4410 (SD70M)

U-BE3KS (Ethanol Loads: Bensenville, IL CP - Kansas City, MO)
7:19 AM CDT
KCCE 1048 (ET44AC)
CP 8526 (AC4400CW)
CP 8933 (ES44AC)
- KCCE 1048 was put on the front of the train once the train entered KCC&E property.

M-KSHB (Manifest: Kansas City, MO - Hannibal, MO)
8:35 AM CDT
KCCE 6405 (C36-7u)
KCCE 1030 (ET44AC)
KCCE 1107 (ET44AC)

L-LB01 (Local Turn: Kansas City, MO - Moberly, MO and Back)
9:00 AM CDT
KCCE 1303 (GP40-2)
KCCE 2009 (SD40-3)

Q-KS3CI (Manifest: Kansas City, MO CP - Chicago, IL)
10:34 AM CDT
CP 5031 (SD30C-ECO)
KCCE 4649 (ES44DC)
KCCE 4783 (ES44DC)

Z-NYKC (Intermodal: Croxton, NJ - Kansas City, MO)
11:17 AM CDT
KCCE 4920 (ES44DC)
KCCE 4104 (SD70M)
KCCE 4891 (ES44DC)
KCCE 988 (ES44AC)

Q-CIKS (Manifest: Chicago, IL - Kansas City, MO)
11:50 AM CDT
KCCE 4222 (SD70M)
KCCE 6739 (C40-8W)
KCCE 7000 (C44-9W)
KCCE 4893 (ES44DC)

M-HBKS (Manifest: Hannibal, MO - Kansas City, MO)
12:20 AM CDT
LTEX 8735 (C40-8)
KCCE 7102 (C44-9W)
KCCE 6931 (C44-9W)

M-KSCI (Manifest: Kansas City, MO - Chicago, IL)
1:02 PM CDT
BNSF 3729 (ET44C4)
BNSF 7731 (ES44DC)
KCCE 5104 (SD70M-2)
KCCE 1522 (GP38-2) - Moving to a new assignment

V-GMCI (Vehicle: Kansas City, MO - Chicago, IL)
1:15 PM CDT
UP 9107 (C40-8)
KCCE 2230 (SD40-2)
KCCE 7112 (C44-9W)
- Loaded autoracks from the General Motor Fairfax Assembly Plant, filled with Chevrolet Malibu sedans.

L-LB01 (Local Turn: Kansas City, MO - Moberly, MO and Back)
1:16 PM CDT
KCCE 2009 (SD40-3)
KCCE 1303 (GP40-2)
- Took them long enough!

That is it for now, thanks for reading.
- Thomas B.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Wednesday, August 9, 2017

NEW LOCOMOTIVE DELIVERY: A few SD70ACe-T4 locomotives have arrived on property. These units are 5673, 5674, and 5676.

GENSETS COMING: The KCC&E has placed an order for two RailPower Technologies “genset” switcher locomotives. They will both be RP28CD locomotives, and will be tested in mainline service. It is odd to see ultra-low emissions locomotives in mainline service, but RailPower Technologies and the KCC&E will be working together to create a reliable and proven mainline road switcher that produces very low emissions.

MP15 ON THE LOCAL: The local turn train out of Indianapolis, L-IN03, had MP15DC #1557 leading the way on Monday. There was enough GP locomotives to suit the needs of the train, but the yardmaster decided to put a switcher on the point of the local turn just for kicks. He/she was in a very good mood that day, apparently.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Update - Friday, August 11, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

RAILPOWER “GENSET” DELIVERED: The KCC&E has received RailPower RP28CD Demonstrator #2015, which will be testing on the Chicago Subdivision local trains starting this weekend. The other RailPower RP28CD engine, which will be numbered as KCCE #9000, is expected to be delivered by September. #9000 will be built on the platform of a former Burlington Northern SD40-2.

PURE LEASER LASHUP ON M-NOME: A trio of lease engines make an appearance on the daily New Orleans-to-Memphis manifest train. These were LTEX C40-8 #8760, CEFX SD60 #6004, and LTEX C40-8 #8743.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Tuesday, August 15, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

FINAL SD90MAC RELEASED: KCC&E SD90MAC #5701 was released from the Chicago shops on Monday in a fresh coat of KCC&E paint. This is the last SD90MAC to be put into service by the railway, as all of the rest have already been placed into service. All units, except for #5701, are in patched Canadian Pacific paint.

FIRST C40-8’s CYCLED THROUGH: The first few C40-8 engines have been cycled through the Atlanta shops. These units are 6500, 6528, 6577, and 6590.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Tuesday, August 22, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

SD70ACe-T4 DELIVERY: The final SD70ACe-T4’s, 5685-5699, will be delivered by the end of this month. This will complete the 100-unit order placed in 2016 by the KCC&E.

MORE DASH 8’s CYCLED THROUGH: The following C40-8 units have been cycled through at Chicago: 6503, 6555, and 6583.

RP28CD DEMO UNIT: RPRX #2015 was seen on the Chicago-Elkhart local turn for the past week. The unit was fitted with a K5LA horn and brand new KCC&E-designed trucks for testing purposes. The crews are enjoying using this unit, as they think it is easy to run.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Sunday, September 3, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

It has been a while. With school in the way, there has been a bit less time to do these updates for my fictional railway.

SD70ACe-T4 DELIVERY: The final SD70ACe-T4’s, 5685-5699, are now in service on the KCC&E

MORE DASH 8’s CYCLED THROUGH: The following C40-8 units have been cycled through at Chicago: 6519, 6522-24, 6530, 6553, 6569, 6571, and 6599. From there, they will be upgraded to “C40-8u” units, as just found out this past Friday.

LEASERS KEEP ON COMING: More lease engines have arrived on KCC&E property. All of these engines came from NRE. These are former CSX SD40-2’s that were sold to NRE in 2016. Most are of Conrail origin, while others are of Chessie or Seaboard origin. A list will come soon, as not all of the units sold to NRE last year are being leased.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Friday, September 8, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

HURRICANE IRMA: All KCC&E service to Jacksonville has been halted until further notice due to Major Hurricane Irma heading for the state of Florida. The storm is expected to make landfall as a Category 4 or 5 storm and is expected to cause widespread damage to much of the state. Many say that parts of Florida will be without power for weeks or even months, and even rendered uninhabitable for weeks. This will be the strongest hurricane to make landfall on Florida since Wilma in 2005. The last major hurricane to cause any destruction to Florida was just 11 months ago when Hurricane Matthew sideswiped the east coast of the state.

HORSEPOWER-HOURS...REPAYED: All Union Pacific engines that were on the KCC&E for horsepower-hour repayment have been returned to UP for storage.

STORAGE UPDATE: Several GE Dash 9-44CW’s and ES44DC’s are being pulled from service for 90-day inspections. The units going in will be very minimal. This was apparently a good time to do so since Hurricane Irma has threatened service on the Southeastern part of the KCC&E system.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Saturday, September 16, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

HURRICANE IRMA RECOVERY: The KCC&E has restarted service into Jacksonville, albeit limited. Much of the damage has been repaired and the floodwaters have receded along the important Jacksonville Subdivision.

KCC&E ACQUIRES NS LOCAL POWER: The following Norfolk Southern GP38-2 locomotives have been sold to the KCC&E during the 2017 auction: 5085-86, 5090, 5093, 5106, 5111, 5118, 5127, 5136, 5139, 5143, 5152, 5169, 5185, and 5256. These will be renumbered to KCCE 1601-1615. They will retain their original high short hoods, according to sources.

FIRST C40-8u UPGRADE COMPLETE: KCCE C40-8 6500 has officially been upgraded to C40-8u standards. This unit has a refurbished cab, new electronics, and modifications to the radiators for split cooling.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Saturday, September 16, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

EVEN MORE ENGINES: It has been reported that the KCC&E has several more lease engines on property now. All units are former Union Pacific Dash 8 engines that were sold this month to GE. These units are lettered “GECX”. The numbers for these units will come later this week, but for now, I can only give you a grand total of 25 units. KCC&E has been very short on power for the past few months after purging its large fleets of ancient GE and EMD locomotives.

IRMA CLEANUP PROGRESS: Much of service along the Jacksonville Subdivision has returned to normal after Category 4 Hurricane Irma nearly destroyed the area. All debris has been cleaned up and the line is in a very good state.

C40-8u PROGRESS: Two more C40-8u conversions have been completed: 6577 and 6590. They have received refurbished cabs, new electronics, and modifications to the radiators for split cooling.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Sunday, October 22, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

Apologies for the month-long delay. Again, school and other important things have been in the way.

LEASE ENGINE UPDATE: Apologies for the month-long delay. Again, school and other important things have been in the way. Here are the former Union Pacific Dash 8 engines that will be leased by the KCC&E from GECX: 9497, 9501, 9531, 9533-9535, 9537-9539, 9541-9545, 9547-9551, 9553-9555, 9557-9559. As well, the same LTEX C40-8s (ex-Norfolk Southern) are still on lease to the KCC&E. However, LTEX 8747 is currently in storage at Atlanta due to mechanical issues. That unit will be repaired when the workers at the Atlanta Shops are ready for it. The CEFX and NREX SD60s are also still on lease to the KCC&E.

C40-8u UPDATE: Several C40-8u conversions have been completed since I last posted on this thread: 6504, 6529, 6537, 6555, 6560, 6563, 6574, and 6593.

LOCOMOTIVE STORAGE: Along with LTEX 8747, KCC&E SD70M 4391 and ET44AC 1103 have been placed in storage due to wreck damage. These units were involved in a severe head-on collision with a dump truck in Hamilton, Ohio. They are currently at Chicago awaiting repairs.

[ThomasACu]

I have decided to make this a monthly thing now.

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - November 22, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

C40-8u UPDATE: Here is a list of the C40-8u upgrades that have been completed so far. Those with asterisks next to them were completed since I last posted on this thread: 6500, 6504, 6517*, 6519*, 6529, 6537, 6540*, 6555, 6560, 6562*, 6563, 6574, 6577, 6582*, 6590, 6593, 6599*

LEASER UPDATE: Here is a list of the lease engines that are on KCC&E property right now:
CEFX SD60s: 6003, 6004, and 6010.
GECX C41-8Ws: 9497, 9501, 9531, 9533-9535, 9537-9539, 9541-9545, 9547-9551, 9553-9555, 9557-9559.
LTEX C40-8s: 8734-35, 8738, 8742-44, 8747-51, 8753, 8755-57, 8759-60, and 8762. (8740 was returned to LTEX after an engine failure on November 19th)
NREX SD60s: 5951-52, 5959, 5962, 5974, 5980, 5988.
RPRX RP28CD: 2015

KCC&E 9000: The new RP28CD engine was finally delivered to KCC&E after some conflicts (the reason why it surpassed the September deadline). It will be in main line service and will be assigned to similar trains as the SD40-2 fleet.

[ThomasACu]

Made a little typo in my last post. It should have said November 22 at the top. It is fixed now.

Here is a very good lashup on the KCC&E this afternoon:
Spotted in Elkhart, Indiana, at 1:04 PM EDT on December 5, 2017
KCCE Q-CIPH (Chicago - Philadelphia)
KCCE 2139 (SD40-2)
GECX 9534 (C41-8W)
NS 6781 (SD60M)
KCCE 5110 (SD70M-2)

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Saturday, December 23, 2017

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

C40-8u UPDATE: Here is a list of the C40-8u upgrades that have been completed so far. Those with asterisks next to them were completed since I last posted on this thread: 6500, 6503*, 6504, 6517, 6519, 6529, 6531*, 6537, 6540, 6555, 6558*, 6560, 6562, 6563, 6574, 6576*, 6577, 6582, 6590, 6593, 6595*, 6599.

NEW ENGINES: The KCC&E has announced that they will be ordering 50 more new SD70ACe locomotives from Progress Rail's Electro-Motive Diesel division. They will all be Tier 4 Credit Units (Tier 3 emissions) and will be numbered 5800-5849. However, this means that, in turn, 50 lease engines will be returned one by one as the new SD70ACe locomotives come online.

STORAGE UPDATE: As of December 23, 2017, there are 18 KCC&E locomotives currently in storage (excluding lease engines). These are as follows:
C36-7u: 6400, 6433 (inspections)
C40-8: 6523, 6541, 6561, 6580, 6591 (all in for C40-8u upgrades)
C44-9W: 6999, 7031, 7038, 7121 (inspections)
ES44DC: 4638, 4839, 4813 (inspections)
ET44AC: 1103 (wreck damage)
SD70M: 4391 (wreck damage)
SD70M-2: 5008, 5029 (inspections)

[ThomasACu]

Just a quick update for January 15th, 2018.

KCC&E has renumbered all of the locomotives they acquired from the NS auction in 2017. The RP20CD was renumbered to its assigned number of 1600 and the GP38-2s were renumbered to their assigned numbers of 1601-1615.

As well, the first two of the new SD70ACes have come on the line. 5801 and 5804 are now on the KCC&E and are in service. As a result, all three of the CEFX SD60s have been returned to their lessor.

[ThomasACu]

Very quick update for January 21th, 2018.

Ownership of the LTEX C40-8s has been transferred to General Electric. The units will be re-lettered for GECX by the end of January.

[ThomasACu]

Kansas City, Chicago, and Eastern Updates - Saturday, January 27, 2018

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

C40-8 FLEET UPDATE: Here is the current status of the C40-8 fleet:

C40-8u Upgrades Completed (Newest Upgrades Noted with an Asterisk) - 6500, 6503, 6504, 6517, 6519, 6523*, 6529, 6531, 6537, 6540, 6541*, 6555, 6558, 6560, 6561*, 6562, 6563, 6574, 6576, 6577, 6580*, 6582, 6590, 6591*, 6593, 6595, 6599

Stored - Undergoing Upgrade: 6509, 6511, 6549, 6584

Stored - Pending Upgrade: 6510, 6524, 6536, 6568

Still In Service as C40-8s: 6501-6502, 6505-6508, 6512-6516, 6518, 6520-6522, 6525-6528, 6530, 6532-6535, 6538-6539, 6542-6548, 6550-6554, 6556-6557, 6559, 6564-6567, 6569-6573, 6575, 6578-6579, 6581, 6583, 6585-6589, 6592, 6594, 6596-6598.

SD70ACe DELIVERIES: Four more new SD70ACes arrived on the property. These units are 5800, 5802, 5803, and 5805. All units were placed into service on January 25th.

LEASE RETURNS: The lease units returned this month along with the CEFX SD60s were NREX SD60s 5951, 5952, and 5959.

TRACK REPLACEMENT: Track replacement is taking place along the Richmond Branch in Virginia. The track is made up almost entirely of jointed rail that is nearly 30 years old. It will be replaced with newer welded rail. As a result, the speed limit will be increased along the line, allowing for more efficient service.