Pardon the flight of fancy, but I had a thought today and wanted to bounce it off our fine GE Forum members.
Question: Could Amtrak or a subcontractor convert a Genesis into a road-switcher with HEP, like the Santa Fe made F units into CF7s?
Rationale: Eventually, Amtrak will get new passenger road locomotives. Once that happens, they'll be left with a bunch of tired Geneses waiting to become razors. They also have a bunch of already-tired work and road-switcher power, including but not limited to P32-8BWHs, GP-38-3Hs, and new MPI products. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
Idea: Take a Genesis. Cut off the crew cab, then attach it and the electrical/mechanical guts onto a new frame (with front and rear platforms) with a new, smaller fuel tank if necessary. Put a hood over the 16-7FDL (rebuilt to the current Tier spec in the meantime), alternator, and all the other stuff. Rebuild and regear the trucks and motors to gain more acceleration at low speeds. Paint it all in blue and platinum mist. Call it a day!
I'm picturing something that looks like a four-fifths scale, less-homely version of this: http://www.trainweb.org/csxphotos/photo ... 9CSX-g.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Potential problems:
-Could all the necessary parts and new frame still fit into a NYP-sized package?
-Can the 16-7FDL be upgraded to the new Tier (0?)
-How would this perform in switching, work, and passenger service, knowing that GEs aren't always well-regarded in those fields?
-Will enough components be usable from the old locomotive?
-Would it be more cost-effective to just buy road-switchers?
So - what do you think?
Question: Could Amtrak or a subcontractor convert a Genesis into a road-switcher with HEP, like the Santa Fe made F units into CF7s?
Rationale: Eventually, Amtrak will get new passenger road locomotives. Once that happens, they'll be left with a bunch of tired Geneses waiting to become razors. They also have a bunch of already-tired work and road-switcher power, including but not limited to P32-8BWHs, GP-38-3Hs, and new MPI products. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
Idea: Take a Genesis. Cut off the crew cab, then attach it and the electrical/mechanical guts onto a new frame (with front and rear platforms) with a new, smaller fuel tank if necessary. Put a hood over the 16-7FDL (rebuilt to the current Tier spec in the meantime), alternator, and all the other stuff. Rebuild and regear the trucks and motors to gain more acceleration at low speeds. Paint it all in blue and platinum mist. Call it a day!
I'm picturing something that looks like a four-fifths scale, less-homely version of this: http://www.trainweb.org/csxphotos/photo ... 9CSX-g.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Potential problems:
-Could all the necessary parts and new frame still fit into a NYP-sized package?
-Can the 16-7FDL be upgraded to the new Tier (0?)
-How would this perform in switching, work, and passenger service, knowing that GEs aren't always well-regarded in those fields?
-Will enough components be usable from the old locomotive?
-Would it be more cost-effective to just buy road-switchers?
So - what do you think?