CSX purchasing 4-axle power from UP to ease shortage.

CSX 4-Axle power update - It has come to a conclusion to purchase fifty-two (52) retired Union Pacific GE B40-8 locomotives, and to return the twenty (20) leased Union Pacific EMD GP60 locomotives when their leases are up. Plan is to ship all 52 GE B40-8 locomotives to Waycross, GA where, depending on the 4-Axle power situation, will be painted into the new "Boxcar Logo" paint at a rate of five locomotives at a time, or, if there is an immediate need for 4-Axle power, will be immediately put to service upon inspection and perparation, and will be painted at a later time. CSX plans to ship out eight (8) locomotives at a time to Waycross, GA. Look for the unit to start arriving on property early September. Numbering plan has not changed, and can be found below.

UP 1819 (To CSX 5900)
UP 1846 (To CSX 5901)
UP 1873 (To CSX 5932)
UP 1833 (To CSX 5947)
UP 1847 (To CSX 5980)
UP 1851 (To CSX 5981)
UP 1861 (To CSX 5982)
UP 1865 (To CSX 5983)
UP 1866 (To CSX 5984)
UP 1871 (To CSX 5985)
UP 1885 (To CSX 5986)
UP 1887 (To CSX 5987)
UP 1805 (To CSX 5988)
UP 1807 (To CSX 5989)
UP 1824 (To CSX 5990)
UP 1843 (To CSX 5991)
UP 1844 (To CSX 5992)
UP 1845 (To CSX 5993)
UP 1854 (To CSX 5994)
UP 1856 (To CSX 5995)
UP 1869 (To CSX 5996)
UP 1870 (To CSX 5997)
UP 1878 (To CSX 5998)
UP 1884 (To CSX 5999)
UP 1801 (To CSX 5929)
UP 1802 (To CSX 5928)
UP 1803 (To CSX 5927)
UP 1808 (To CSX 5926)
UP 1810 (To CSX 5925)
UP 1811 (To CSX 5924)
UP 1813 (To CSX 5923)
UP 1816 (To CSX 5922)
UP 1817 (To CSX 5921)
UP 1818 (To CSX 5920)
UP 1820 (To CSX 5919)
UP 1822 (To CSX 5918)
UP 1823 (To CSX 5917)
UP 1825 (To CSX 5916)
UP 1830 (To CSX 5915)
UP 1831 (To CSX 5914)
UP 1834 (To CSX 5913)
UP 1835 (To CSX 5912)
UP 1837 (To CSX 5911)
UP 1839 (To CSX 5910)
UP 1841 (To CSX 5909)
UP 1842 (To CSX 5908)
UP 1848 (To CSX 5907)
UP 1849 (To CSX 5906)
UP 1850 (To CSX 5905)
UP 1852 (To CSX 5904)
UP 1853 (To CSX 5903)
UP 1855 (To CSX 5902)

Stay tuned for more information.

I wonder if they plan to derate them to 2000 HP, like they've done to most of the current CSX B40-8 fleet.

roadster wrote:I wonder if they plan to derate them to 2000 HP, like they've done to most of the current CSX B40-8 fleet.

I would have to wonder why they would derate these locomotives? I ran them on Conrail's hottest van trains out of Selkirk and they would pull well and run like a deer, I liked them about the best of any of the GE's of the period. They were the only four motor engines I ever operated with extended range dynamic braking as well.
Noel Weaver

Noel, I heard they were great for intermodal work but have too much HP for local work at slower speeds. And how does CSX have a shortage of 4 axle power in today's world?

I would think these locomotives would be ideal power for the River Line, Mohawk, SR&B, and west to Chicago via the old New York Central and Baltimore and Ohio routes. There are a few grades but they are not major grades for IM trains which usually have an abundance of power. I would think on this route that 3 four motor locomotives would do a better job with less fuel than three six motor locomotives of the same HP.
Noel Weaver

CSX mentality is that 4 xl power is better utilized for local/yard/work train assignments. So the high HP is excessive and waste fuel, and down rating is a simple matter of programing. There are no new 4 xls being produced. Unless your are referring to the many rebuilding programs and builders. So, 4 xl power is getting older and older and harder to replace. Retired units are either scraped or fodder for rebuilders. And the numbers continue to decline. When I hired on in 2000, CSX was still using -7 series GE's. B23's, B30's, B36's and the like. They have all since been retired. I had been assigned B36-7's on locals out of Rochester back then and they were not happy lugging at slow speeds and suffered from wheel slips under low speed loads. Once in a great while a 4xl GP38 or 40 is pressed into road service as a leader. The ride isn't exactly smooth, and given a bit of provocation, it isn't difficult for an engineer to find an FRA defect on these aging steeds, cripple them, remove them from lead positions or from the train all together. You should hear the crews whine when they find out they have a conventional cab as a leader.

I hear older guys comment on the "whining" "newer" guys do about having a conventional leader. Everyone should raise hell about having a much more collision safe unit buried in the consist because mgmt doesn't want to plan ahead or take the time to spin the power (where feasible). Sorry to go off topic, just a hot button issue to me.

LocoCam wrote:I hear older guys comment on the "whining" "newer" guys do about having a conventional leader. Everyone should raise hell about having a much more collision safe unit buried in the consist because mgmt doesn't want to plan ahead or take the time to spin the power (where feasible). Sorry to go off topic, just a hot button issue to me.

Blame it on you local Ready Track Foreman - Locomotive Management cares about tonnage rating filling the train's need - lining up the engines selected for the tonnage rests with the Ready Track Foremen, unless power has been 'main tracked' from a inbound train to a outbound train.

Most industry tracks in the east see very little/no track maintaince to begin with,and have tight radius curves to boot.
A 4 axle roadswitcher can travel thru tight curves and not derail most of the time,a SD-40's truck would most likely spread the
rail and go on the ground.

There are very few tracks on the Albany division where 6 axle power is prohibited. The reasoning is more about economics than anything to do with track conditions. The PC era ended a long time ago.

roadster wrote:There are very few tracks on the Albany division where 6 axle power is prohibited. The reasoning is more about economics than anything to do with track conditions. The PC era ended a long time ago.

But there is quite a bit in CR Shared assets, who get their power from NS/CSX. I'm sure there is quite a bit of locals down south as well.

The first eight (8) of the 52 recently purchased GE B40-8 locomotives from Union Pacific are currently en-route to Waycross, GA. The units have the nose shield painted out, along with the 'Union Pacific' lettering on the hood. The units are scheduled to travel on CSX Q670 from East St Louis, IL to Cincinnati, OH, and CSX Q541 from Cincinnati, OH to Waycross, GA. Look for more units to move East within the next two months. Unit numbers on this first move are:
UP 1808
UP 1870
UP 1835
UP 1885
UP 1830
UP 1855
UP 1853
UP 1878

roadster wrote:There are very few tracks on the Albany division where 6 axle power is prohibited. The reasoning is more about economics than anything to do with track conditions. The PC era ended a long time ago.

This may be the case in your location, but I can tell you where I work (Florence Division, Charlotte Sub) that there are a LOT of industries that simply cannot be worked with 6 axle power. I'd say at least 2/3 of the industries, maybe even 3/4 of them require 4 axle locomotives. The only 6 axles we get into the yard are for road trains, ALL yard jobs/locals work with 4 axles. Mainly GP38-2s and GP40s. There's usually one or two slug-and-mate sets around.

NS just retired a batch of 8-32B units, but they're supposed to be fairly heavy for a 4-axle. I wonder if CSX will grab those too.

I don't think CSX will grab the NS B32-8 units, as from what I have heard, the 52 former UP B40-8 units are sufficient enough to eliminate the 4-Axle power shortage, and also the 5900-series number slots will all be filled, but again, you never know. Slots 5602 - 5899 are free, so IF (big IF) CSX decides to purchase the retired NS B32-8 units, or more former UP B40-8 units, they would be filling the 5800 series number slots. I hear CSX will be moving eight B40-8 units a week to Waycross from East St Louis, IL.