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These are cool, I hope they do more!

Checking further, of the ten donor units, only two of ten came from the Seaboard side of the roster, aka with low headlights, the other eight from the Chessie side indicating high headlights. (For the most part) The photos of 6563 & 6565 both had low headlights which tells me of the reported number for number renumbers, 6417 could not have been 6563 as stated. Assuming, if 6565 is correct as the former 6477, 6563 would have had to be the former 6463 which had showed as becoming 6570. (If I did not confuse everyone)

At first I thought it was an optical illusion, but on close inspection over multiple days it appears not - does anyone know why CSXT SD40-3 #4289 has paired ditch lights? See below screenshot from the Bangor Mi camera - 4289 has been on the westbound end of L301 for about a week now. I know portable ditch lights can be affixed to one end usually for locomotives that don’t have them mounted on both ends, but 4289 has them on the front and they appear to be functioning correctly.

BL2-1843 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 23, 2023 10:49 am

Checking further, of the ten donor units, only two of ten came from the Seaboard side of the roster, aka with low headlights, the other eight from the Chessie side indicating high headlights. (For the most part) The photos of 6563 & 6565 both had low headlights which tells me of the reported number for number renumbers, 6417 could not have been 6563 as stated. Assuming, if 6565 is correct as the former 6477, 6563 would have had to be the former 6463 which had showed as becoming 6570. (If I did not confuse everyone)

According to other sources, these are the units that have/are being rebuilt with this specification.
6563 ex-6417
6564 ex-6423
6565 ex-6477
6566 ex-6485
6567 ex-6912
6568 ex-6930
6569 ex-6484
6570 ex-6463
6571 ex-6488
6573 ex-6922

Although the headlight location does not match up for their former number, CSX has been moving the headlights on some of their new SD23T4 rebuilds, where some engines which used to have a high headlight have had them moved to the nose. Example of this is 1726, formerly CSX 8813, a Conrail SD40-2 which had the high headlight before but now has it on the nose.

Additionally, a new CM44AH rebuild is now being tested at Erie. The number is CSXT 7570, rebuilt from CW44AH 591. According to the person who posted the video of it, it is the first rebuild with the new MCA system (I am unsure of what this is), but that is probably the reason for the new number series. The engine is still in very early testing, and has not yet been repainted.

Here's a good shot of 1869

New plan for SD70ACs now rebuilding will include ALL flared SD70s 4701-4830 except 4705 and 4810 which are expected to be included as well as both units are currently active. this of course excludes 4716, and 4759 which were retired years ago. so the EMD rebuilds keep on a coming.

CSX 1871 (ex 3054) incoming

Best one yet. Hands down. Change my mind.

Finally, no more fade.

CSXT 1853 & CSXT 1902 incoming

NYC & Clinchfield

New CM44AC 7285 and CM44AH 7565 rebuilds have been completed and are testing at Erie as of now, the former numbers of these two are unknown as of right now.

Yeahman wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 07, 2023 9:31 pm

New CM44AC 7285 and CM44AH 7565 rebuilds have been completed and are testing at Erie as of now, the former numbers of these two are unknown as of right now.

Update on this, units 7282, 7284 and 7382 are also testing now. 7282 and 7284 being regular CM44ACs and 7382 likely being one fitted with ACSES signal systems. The former numbers on these three are also unknown right now.

Yeahman wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 12, 2023 7:10 am

Yeahman wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 07, 2023 9:31 pm

New CM44AC 7285 and CM44AH 7565 rebuilds have been completed and are testing at Erie as of now, the former numbers of these two are unknown as of right now.

Update on this, units 7282, 7284 and 7382 are also testing now. 7282 and 7284 being regular CM44ACs and 7382 likely being one fitted with ACSES signal systems. The former numbers on these three are also unknown right now.

Can you enlighten me on what ACSES is?

I believe that is the cab signaling system used in the northeast.

ACSES is the PTC system that the Northeast Corridor and the northeastern passenger railroads (MBTA, Metro-North, Amtrak NEC, NJT, SEPTA, etc.) use. It is more expensive but works at much higher speeds than the I-ETMS PTC that's used in the rest of the country (ACSES is good for 165mph, while I-ETMS tops out at 110mph and is normally limited to 90mph), which is essential for the Northeast Corridor.

An ACSES-equipped leader is needed for trains that enter the territory of those railroads. E.g. CSX train M426/M427 from Selkirk to Portland runs through MBTA-owned territory three times (from Ayer to Willow interlocking, around Lowell, and from Ballardsvale to Haverhill) and must have an ACSES-equipped leader. You occasionally see odd leaders (SD40-2's, SD40E3's, etc.) on this train as a result, though normally it's led by a upper-400-series CW44AC.

Right now, several 6200-series GP40-2's and 8800-series SD40-2's, the upper-400-series CW44ACs (starting around #464 and ending around #488), SD40E3 #1712, and F40PH #2 have ACSES. The 7300s CM44AC's would be the first ACSES-equipped locos that can control a DPU (right now M426/M427 always runs conventional as no ACSES-equipped loco also has DPU capability).

IIRC Norfolk Southern paid Amtrak to dual equip parts of the NEC with I-ETMS so they don't need special leaders, but CSX decided against it and just runs a pool of ACSES-equipped locos in the Northeast. NS also has a pool of ACSES-equipped SD60E's that are used to lead Pan Am Southern trains that go into Ayer (which is MBTA territory). NS actually marks their ACSES-equipped locos while CSX doesn't.

Yes, and 7380 was a rebuilt former ACSES AC44CW, 480, so it is likely 7382 is another one from that ACSES AC44 number range.

New rebuilds 7282 and 7565 have been released from Erie, former numbers are still unknown

Yeahman wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 13, 2023 10:58 pm

Yes, and 7380 was a rebuilt former ACSES AC44CW, 480, so it is likely 7382 is another one from that ACSES AC44 number range.

Do you know what happened to 7380? It still hasn't shown up as a leader yet on M426/M427 according to the B&A railcam log. I assume it's still under testing?

EDIT: apparently it's in service, but doesn't seem to be being used on any of the ACSES-required trains yet. It's possible it needs to do ACSES acceptance testing.

CM44AC 7279 (ex-447) has finally begun testing over a year since it was first discovered to be renumbered.

7283 has also started testing, former number unknown like most of the others.

Yeahman wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 07, 2023 9:31 pm

New CM44AC 7285 and CM44AH 7565 rebuilds have been completed and are testing at Erie as of now, the former numbers of these two are unknown as of right now.

Supposedly, latest rebuilds are:

7280 ex 357
7281 ex 370
7282 ex 379
7283 ex 401
7284 ex 425
7285 ex 411
7286 ex 347
7287 ex 412

7380 ex 480
7381 ex 414
7382 ex 429
7383 ex 481
7384 ex 494

7565 ex 558
7570 ex 591

Nine of these came from YN2 units.