SUZY-Q SD-70M IN OHIO

TRUE, LOCOS ARE DESIGNED TO RUN AT VARIOIUS SPEEDS, SOMETIMES CONTINUOUSLY. HOWEVER, WHEN A LOCO RATED FOR A MAXIMUM TRAILING TONNAGE (MY EXAMPLE WAS 5000, MAY OR MAY NOT BE ACCURATE) IS EXCEEDED, BY ALMOST DOUBLE THE AMOUNT IT CAN HAUL, DAMAGE WILL OCCUR. SHORT TIME RATINGS ARE AN EXAMPLE OF THIS. IF THE LOCO PULLS 5000 TONS, BY ITSELF, AT 20 MPH AT 800 AMPS, THEN YOU CAN BELIEVE THAT THE SAME LOCO, PULLING 8000-10,000 TONS AT THE SAME SPEED WILL BE PULLING AT A MUCH HIGHER RATING. AN ENGINE WITH A 70 MPH MAX SPEED IS NOT DESIGNED, NOR INTENDED TO PULL TRAINS AROUND THE COUNTRY ALL DAY LONG, IN THE 8TH NOTCH, AT SPEEDS WELL UNDER 20 MPH. MY FIRST POST INDICATED "SOMETIMES REACHING SPEEDS OF 20 MPH". THESE TRAINS WERE PULLED TO STALL, DAILY, SEVERAL TIMES PER TRIP. THE MISSABE PULLS HEAVY TRAINS, AT LOW SPEED, BY RE-GEARING LOCOS TO A MAX OF 35 MPH, THEREBY ALLOWING SPEEDS OF 15-20 MPH TO BE RUN ALL DAY, WITH LOWER AMPERAGE READINGS. I PERSONALLY HELPED BURN-UP MORE THAN 1 LOCO, PULLING THOSE DRAGS ON THE I&O. THIS WAS DONE (AND IS STILL BEING DONE) UNDER DIRECT ORDER OF THE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT. THE SUZY 70'S ARE BEING MECHANICALLY AND COSMETICALLY DAMAGED BY THE CURRENT LESSORS. OPERATING WITH BURNT TRACTION MOTORS (CUT-OUT, THOUGH), DEFECTIVE FILTERS, BAD WHEELS, BURNT BRUSHES, ETC., IS NOT HOW THESE LOCOS WERE EVER INTENDED TO BE RUN, CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU MIGHT BELIEVE. IF YOU WANT PICTURES OF THOSE ENGINES, I WOULD "GET 'EM NOW", AS THE CHANCES OF THEM BEING RETURNED, IN ANY CONDITION RESEMBLING A SUZY LOCO WOULD PROBABLY BE SLIM TO NONE. REGARDS

The managenent Should be slapped... If you're in this much of a power crunch, (if what is say next is moronic, excuse me) Break up those long trains into multiple smaller ones, so you aren't burning up locomotives. Im sure Walt Rich will NOT be happy when these, if they actually do come back.

THAT IS ONE IDEA, ANDY. THE PROBLEM IS, HOWEVER (SORRY FOR ALL OF THE OFF TOPIC STUFF) IS THAT THEY ARE SHORT OF MANPOWER, AS WELL AS LOCOS, AND ARE ACTUALLY DIVERTING SOME OF THEIR TRAFFIC TO THE CSX AND NS. THE CREWS ARE ACTUALLY WORKING ON THEIR REST, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. I AM WORKING 12 HOURS DAILY, WITH ANOTHER COUPLE OF HOURS BEING SPENT WAITING ON THE LIMO, TO GO BACK TO THE TERMINAL. THE CREWS ARE NOT MAKING IT FROM POINT A TO B, AS IT IS, DUE TO TRAFFIC, AND THE IN-ABILITY OF THE CSX QUEENSGATE TRAIN DIRECTOR TO ALLOW THE I&O TRAINS TO GET INTO, THEN BACK OUT OF THE YARD. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT TAKES 6-10 HOURS TO MAKE A STRAIGHT DROP OF CARS, TO THE CSX, THEN TO PICK-UP AN OUTBOUND TRAIN. ANY OTHER PLACE, THIS WOULD BE AN HOUR, TO AN HOUR AND A HALF MOVE. SOMETIMES, WE NEVER GET TO LEAVE THE YARD, ONCE WE GET THERE. IT LITERALLY TAKES 2 CREWS TO DROP OFF 100 CARS, AND PICK UP 100 TO LEAVE !!! IF THE TRAINS WERE SMALLER, THIS WOULD MEAN MORE CREWS, ALL "OUT-LAWING" IN THAT YARD, AND NO TRAINS WOULD BE RUNNING. NEW POWER IS ON THE WAY, BUT IT IS NOT GOING TO HELP THAT POWER-STARVED PROPERTY. UNCLE WALT WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE TOO HAPPY TO SEE WHAT HAS BECOME OF HIS MOTORS.. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW THEY WILL LOOK AT THE END OF THE LEASE (SIGH) REGARDS

I assume you are one of the numerous contractors that are working for the I&O right now. It also seems you have worked their new Midland Sub or Deadland Sub as it's been known since the I&O purchase/lease. I will concur with the power situation there and add that IORY GP50 5001 polluted over a mile of trackage in Washington CH with a massive oil leak. It only took a week to repair it. I did catch 4050 and 4052 on 5/4 with IORY 4082 and WC 7496 working the WCH Extra. "50 and "52 certainly are showing the rough treatment. Since this is the NYSW forum I will not go on about the I&O's problems but they really are as bad as described if not worst.

The rumor about 4 new GEVO ES44ACs being available is false. I work for one of the many divisions of GE and everything built is spoken for plus they are looking at almost a yr for production on any orders. But there might be 4 units available thru the CEFX AC44s lease fleet. This more than likely would be the route RA would go. The I&O was supposed to demo 2 of the GEVO demos but they fell thru for several different reasons that need not be posted here.

Could you mention to some of the contracted crews on the I&O that grade crossings in Ohio require them to blow the horn? There seems a few working the Wch Extras that don't feel the need to blow for most crossings on the Midland Sub.

I AGREE (EVEN THOUGH THIS IS OFF TOPIC) THAT THEY DO NEED MORE POWER, TO SPARE THE SUZY LOCOS THE ABUSE. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE IS ACTUALLY AN ENGINE OR TWO, WITH IN-OPERATIVE HORNS, RUNNING ON THE MAINLINE !!! COULD BE THE ENGINEER, BUT I WOULD SUSPECT THE FORMER. (UNLESS IT WAS A NIGHT JOB....ZZZZZZZZZ....) THE DEMO'S WERE (ARE ?) SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE ON OR ABOUT MAY 10TH, ACCORDING TO THE CHIEF TRAIN DISPATCHER/MOVEMENT DIRECTOR. YOU WILL KNOW IT'S ME RUNNING, AS THE HORN IS "TIED DOWN", WELL BEFORE THE WHISTLE BOARD. (THOSE OHIO FOLKS DON'T BELIEVE IN STOPPING FOR FLASHING LIGHTS, RINGING BELLS OR EVEN A RAPIDLY APPROACHING, BLOWING HORN. I ALMOST TAKE OUT A FEW AUTOS, EVERY SINGLE TRIP) THOSE WC UNITS ARE ALSO "POURING" OIL OUT OF THE SUMPS, AND ONTO THE RAILS, AND ROW. SAD, BUT TRUE. REGARDS

I hope these units get back to the NYSW someday.