Metra Bilevel Assignment And Maintenance Changes

8578 was on number 32 this morning.

The following 8500's that were on UP have gone to BNSF:

8578, 8579, 8582-8586

8478 replaced 8473 on SWS's 7 car train, 8478 still has its BNSF K3.

I rode a UP-W train yesterday afternoon and 8458, which was orginally on UP then went to BNSF is now back on UP. I didn't see the horn, but the plow was silver.

8581 and 8584 are scheduled to move from UP to BN on Tuesday the 10th; 8463 and 8465 are to move from BN to UP on the same job. Yep, 8463 and 8465...Hope they get real K5LA's.

8587 was on the BNSF today.

AMTK84 wrote:8463 and 8465 are to move from BN to UP on the same job. Yep, 8463 and 8465...Hope they get real K5LA's.

8463 has been on SWS for a while now. 8465 is on a 5-car BNSF set that's used weekday evenings on trains 1288/1289/1294/1295/1324/1325.

8463 is/was on SWS train #'s 4, 3, 10, 11, 18, & 17. I should be able to see train #'s 3 and 11 tomorrow and I will post if 8463 has been replaced.

MetraBNSF wrote:I rode a UP-W train yesterday afternoon and 8458, which was orginally on UP then went to BNSF is now back on UP. I didn't see the horn, but the plow was silver.

What train did you ride?

8463 was indeed off SWS today, replaced by 8477. BNSF just needs to keep giving SWS 8400's with K3's and it will be all good. Currently 8470(behind 8478), 8472, 8477, and 8478 are on SWS. I wonder why the 70's are going to SWS...or if its just working out that way.

Today 8588 and 8589 went from UP/MILW over to BNSF. Pretty much the entire 8580 fleet is now running on BNSF.

8587 was on MILW-W train numbber 2204 this morning leading 8517. I wondered if this was a misprint in the line-up as 8588 had been in that consist but it has shown up twice now.

8449 is on MILW. Its horn hasn't been touched nor has its ladder. There is at least one other 8400 on MILW with a complete KLA5. I'm not sure which unit it is. As far as I can tell those are the only 2 8400's that haven't been altered yet.

Did we ever figure out why the ladders were removed? U.P. kept the ladders on the 8700's. Next time you're on U.P. note that theres 4 steps or bars on all of them that were not taken off. Above both cab windows and also under the ditch lamps.

Perhaps there was a problem with people climbing onto the top of trains or hanging on??? Either way I liked the ladders. Didn't the 8200's have them too?

First, what train is 8449 on?

Second, the 3 8400's that we know about are 8449, 8464, and 8466; 8464's K5LA has been nootered with no sign of replacing it; so its probably 8466.

I was watching from the Lake Street bridge.

I saw it about 15 minutes after the Hiawatha came in (2:32). My best guess it was MILW-W #2238. If it helps, 8449 was midtrain (4 cars??) behind 105.