by rcbsd45
Just Arriving
The railroad’s newest additions – 75 brand new locomotives – began delivery in the second half of 2003. Forty-five of them arrived as recently as March. They’ll join the rest of the locomotive fleet, about 3,600 strong, as CSXT’s most recognizable assets.
Bought from manufacturer EMD (GM’s electromotive division), these big machines pack 4,300-HP engines – the highest horsepower CSXT has ever acquired from the company. They’re also the heaviest EMD products CSXT has bought, at about 428,000 pounds each (214 tons). They sport the latest equipment, including in some cab signals, vital for traveling across the RF&P commuter lines in the Washington, D.C., area and the high-volume Boston-to-Albany corridor.
Other features include GPS systems, an automatic start/stop system, and the newest seat design, which was adopted in 2001 after consultation with CSXT locomotive crews.
The new SD70MACs passed trials at CSXT’s test site in Rowlesburg, W.Va., where candidate locomotives are put through their paces. The roughest test, pulling up a steep grade by locomotive standards (2.5%), is the final hurdle. When the SD70s proved themselves to possess the pull power needed to surmount the grade under load, they were signed on for CSXT service.
CSXT already had 90 SD70MACs in the fleet. These locomotives will pull heavy coal trains predominantly, but they also have applications in merchandise freight and intermodal service.
Fifty-five additional units ordered for delivery in 2005 have been put on the fast track by EMD. They’ll arrive between August and October this year.
New Leased Units
CSXT is also taking delivery on a batch of 20 leased EMD SC70ACE locomotives – big units that are also environmentally friendly. They are EMD’s first engines compliant with the Federal Clean Air Act, Tier II, regulating further emissions limits on diesel fuel engines.
With the new purchased and leased units combined, CSXT will have 953 AC units of 4,300 HP or better – a significant show of power.
What Locomotive Power Means to the ONE Plan
“It will be crucial to the success of ONE Plan that we run to the plan,” said AVP Mike Munley, who heads the locomotive management team for Service Design. “We will operate with standard consists between points so that we can keep the traffic cycle synchronized and originate trains on time.”
Josh Putterman, avp-locomotive planning and utilization, represents Munley’s group as a member of the cross-functional ONE Plan team. He meets often with representatives from Service Design and Crew Management to ensure that locomotive power and crews are closely aligned with the traffic plan. They are meeting regularly with Division Managers and other field forces, who must sign off that the plan is executable. Ultimately, they’ll have the accountability for trains to run on time and according to the plan.
“We’re synching up fueling and servicing of the locomotives, too,” Putterman said, “to keep those functions in line with the redesign.”
‘Standard consists’ is a phrase the group uses frequently. It’s a different practice than our current planning around individual engines assigned to trains by number, based on that day’s tonnage and available engineer. The new design calls for three primary types of consists, supplying a wide range of tonnage and motive power, and some are appropriate only in certain traffic corridors. The three types are:
3 SD 40s
2CW40-8s
2 ACs
“Terminals will match the consists with trains, building the train to the consist,” Putterman said. If there’s no good match, the team will need to adjust the plan rather than add an additional engine. When things are running as intended, additional engines will not be needed, and all locomotives will be utilized to their fullest.
What Employees Can Do
Some specific actions employees can take to ensure compliance with the ONE Plan, as related to locomotive power, are the following, according to Munley and Putterman:
Have a sense of urgency to report engines sitting idle and underutilized
Have a sense of ownership of local and yard engines. Think “these are my location’s engines and we’ve got to use them as best we can.”
Notify the Mechanical Desk immediately when you encounter a problem on a locomotive – that’s one of the operating rules, and it helps reduce last-minute plan changes
Locomotive Fleet Fast Facts
Overall Owned Fleet
GE models – 1,514; 700 with AC traction by end of 2004
EMD models – 1,864; 233 with AC traction, plus 20 leased SD70ACEs
Total ACs with 4,300 HP or greater – 953 (20 of them leased)
Average age – 18 years
Newest – 590 locomotives age 6 years or less
Average horsepower – 3,225 HP
AC traction – 933 locomotives (plus 20 leased)
Performance record – out of service 5.5% (ave., second quarter)
Stand-outs
Heaviest CSXT locomotive – GE CW44AC at 432,000 pounds (216 tons)
Longest CSXT locomotive – GE CW60AC 76 feet 2 inches
Oldest CSXT locomotive – MT6 Mate at 45 years old, built in January 1958
Most horsepower – GE CW60AC at 6,000 HP
Fuel and amenities
Fuel tank capacity – up to 6,200 gallons of diesel fuel per locomotive
Fuel burn – up to 280 gallons per hour at full throttle
APUs – 1,268 installed, and 175 remaining to be installed in 2004
Seat upgrades – 359 installed, 146 remaining to be installed in 2004
New paint design – 306 in current fleet
Glossary
Mate/slug – a locomotive with no diesel engine and no cab. It provides additional traction and power generation to the locomotive consist.
ACEs – AC locomotives with environmental controls consistent with the Federal Clean Air Act, Tier II.
ACs – alternating current engines
ACSES train control (Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System) – an Amtrak/FRA system to control train movement on high-speed corridors, such as over Amtrak’s territory in the Northeast
Locomotive Alertor Systems – systems to ensure crew status for operating locomotives; provide alarms and locomotive shutdown if crew does not respond within certain intervals.
APUs – auxiliary power units; a CSXT-designed device for locomotives that significantly reduces idle fuel consumption and idle emissions while keeping oil and water warm in cold weather and providing auxiliary power.
The railroad’s newest additions – 75 brand new locomotives – began delivery in the second half of 2003. Forty-five of them arrived as recently as March. They’ll join the rest of the locomotive fleet, about 3,600 strong, as CSXT’s most recognizable assets.
Bought from manufacturer EMD (GM’s electromotive division), these big machines pack 4,300-HP engines – the highest horsepower CSXT has ever acquired from the company. They’re also the heaviest EMD products CSXT has bought, at about 428,000 pounds each (214 tons). They sport the latest equipment, including in some cab signals, vital for traveling across the RF&P commuter lines in the Washington, D.C., area and the high-volume Boston-to-Albany corridor.
Other features include GPS systems, an automatic start/stop system, and the newest seat design, which was adopted in 2001 after consultation with CSXT locomotive crews.
The new SD70MACs passed trials at CSXT’s test site in Rowlesburg, W.Va., where candidate locomotives are put through their paces. The roughest test, pulling up a steep grade by locomotive standards (2.5%), is the final hurdle. When the SD70s proved themselves to possess the pull power needed to surmount the grade under load, they were signed on for CSXT service.
CSXT already had 90 SD70MACs in the fleet. These locomotives will pull heavy coal trains predominantly, but they also have applications in merchandise freight and intermodal service.
Fifty-five additional units ordered for delivery in 2005 have been put on the fast track by EMD. They’ll arrive between August and October this year.
New Leased Units
CSXT is also taking delivery on a batch of 20 leased EMD SC70ACE locomotives – big units that are also environmentally friendly. They are EMD’s first engines compliant with the Federal Clean Air Act, Tier II, regulating further emissions limits on diesel fuel engines.
With the new purchased and leased units combined, CSXT will have 953 AC units of 4,300 HP or better – a significant show of power.
What Locomotive Power Means to the ONE Plan
“It will be crucial to the success of ONE Plan that we run to the plan,” said AVP Mike Munley, who heads the locomotive management team for Service Design. “We will operate with standard consists between points so that we can keep the traffic cycle synchronized and originate trains on time.”
Josh Putterman, avp-locomotive planning and utilization, represents Munley’s group as a member of the cross-functional ONE Plan team. He meets often with representatives from Service Design and Crew Management to ensure that locomotive power and crews are closely aligned with the traffic plan. They are meeting regularly with Division Managers and other field forces, who must sign off that the plan is executable. Ultimately, they’ll have the accountability for trains to run on time and according to the plan.
“We’re synching up fueling and servicing of the locomotives, too,” Putterman said, “to keep those functions in line with the redesign.”
‘Standard consists’ is a phrase the group uses frequently. It’s a different practice than our current planning around individual engines assigned to trains by number, based on that day’s tonnage and available engineer. The new design calls for three primary types of consists, supplying a wide range of tonnage and motive power, and some are appropriate only in certain traffic corridors. The three types are:
3 SD 40s
2CW40-8s
2 ACs
“Terminals will match the consists with trains, building the train to the consist,” Putterman said. If there’s no good match, the team will need to adjust the plan rather than add an additional engine. When things are running as intended, additional engines will not be needed, and all locomotives will be utilized to their fullest.
What Employees Can Do
Some specific actions employees can take to ensure compliance with the ONE Plan, as related to locomotive power, are the following, according to Munley and Putterman:
Have a sense of urgency to report engines sitting idle and underutilized
Have a sense of ownership of local and yard engines. Think “these are my location’s engines and we’ve got to use them as best we can.”
Notify the Mechanical Desk immediately when you encounter a problem on a locomotive – that’s one of the operating rules, and it helps reduce last-minute plan changes
Locomotive Fleet Fast Facts
Overall Owned Fleet
GE models – 1,514; 700 with AC traction by end of 2004
EMD models – 1,864; 233 with AC traction, plus 20 leased SD70ACEs
Total ACs with 4,300 HP or greater – 953 (20 of them leased)
Average age – 18 years
Newest – 590 locomotives age 6 years or less
Average horsepower – 3,225 HP
AC traction – 933 locomotives (plus 20 leased)
Performance record – out of service 5.5% (ave., second quarter)
Stand-outs
Heaviest CSXT locomotive – GE CW44AC at 432,000 pounds (216 tons)
Longest CSXT locomotive – GE CW60AC 76 feet 2 inches
Oldest CSXT locomotive – MT6 Mate at 45 years old, built in January 1958
Most horsepower – GE CW60AC at 6,000 HP
Fuel and amenities
Fuel tank capacity – up to 6,200 gallons of diesel fuel per locomotive
Fuel burn – up to 280 gallons per hour at full throttle
APUs – 1,268 installed, and 175 remaining to be installed in 2004
Seat upgrades – 359 installed, 146 remaining to be installed in 2004
New paint design – 306 in current fleet
Glossary
Mate/slug – a locomotive with no diesel engine and no cab. It provides additional traction and power generation to the locomotive consist.
ACEs – AC locomotives with environmental controls consistent with the Federal Clean Air Act, Tier II.
ACs – alternating current engines
ACSES train control (Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System) – an Amtrak/FRA system to control train movement on high-speed corridors, such as over Amtrak’s territory in the Northeast
Locomotive Alertor Systems – systems to ensure crew status for operating locomotives; provide alarms and locomotive shutdown if crew does not respond within certain intervals.
APUs – auxiliary power units; a CSXT-designed device for locomotives that significantly reduces idle fuel consumption and idle emissions while keeping oil and water warm in cold weather and providing auxiliary power.
