Why do Bergen County locals get older power?

Everyone else seems to get C40-(ws on their lines, yet the Bergen County Locals always get old stuff. We always have a GP38-2 or GP40-2 still painted for Conrail, and it gets boring, I'd like to see some new stuff! We do get an SD40-2 every once in a while, but that's it! Until May, I didn't see anything painted for NS, an it was just that once! Why doesn't NS give us a Catfish or 2? What about an SD70M or another widecab? It's boring to jsut see Geeps and Geeps, especially since the NJT equipment is also GP40-2s. BRING US SOME WIDECABS!!!!!

Well guess they assign what's left in the roundhouse. On this one train called BRCGAL on the BNSF Belt Railway of Chicago to Galesburg. We get some wacky Concest like once I SAW 5 Geeps on the train. It was
1 GP35
1 GP9
1 GP28M
2 GP38-2's
Another
3 SD40-2's
1 GP28M
Those were very nice. I can understand with you being board with all Conrail (personally I think their boaring). On BNSF I get board of the Dash 9's they are so old we call them Crash 9's. I live on a 3 Track mainline. Does it have to do with the weight on your line?

Only 3 or 4 trains per day run on my line, all but 1 being locals. NJT commuter trains run frequently on the line, so it has nothing to do with weight. It's a double-track line, BTW.

R44 5212 A Train wrote:Everyone else seems to get C40-(ws on their lines, yet the Bergen County Locals always get old stuff. We always have a GP38-2 or GP40-2 still painted for Conrail, and it gets boring, I'd like to see some new stuff! We do get an SD40-2 every once in a while, but that's it! Until May, I didn't see anything painted for NS, an it was just that once! Why doesn't NS give us a Catfish or 2? What about an SD70M or another widecab? It's boring to jsut see Geeps and Geeps, especially since the NJT equipment is also GP40-2s. BRING US SOME WIDECABS!!!!!

This line is no longer a main line so far as freight is concerned. It is very
simple to use GP-38-2's, GP-40-2's, etc on locals and then hitch two or
three of them together for a road freight train over the same territory.
You don't tie up a big six pack for a handful of cars on a road drill or a
wayfreight. In addition, some of the sidings might not be rated for six
axle power.
It is know as common sense.
Noel Weaver

The industry near where I work during the summer was best suited to end cab switchers, so we got geeps and switchers and the track managed to hold together. Big six axle stuff would have probably gone on the ground. Be thankful for the CR while you can still see it because someday soon it will be gone.

Noel pretty much puts it in perspective. If you're looking for widecabs and 'exotic' motive power why not take a trip to the River Line? There is always a great mix of power on that line. Definitely worth a day or two with your camera.

Joe P

It may also have to do with Priority, as i believe Noel hinted on. If there's a hot INtermodal, they won't put a Dash 9 on a local. The only time they MIGHT do this is if there's no other power in the area. Plus, the big six-packs have more trwactive effort per locomotive, making them better suited to either high speed intermodal, or on a heavy Coal haul.

From what I have seen for motive power being used on Locals its mostley 4 axle units. I would maybe check out an older Conrail Timetable and see what the restrctions are for the industrail sideings in your area. The Line that runs threw my home town (Conrail's former Geneva Cluster) or Auburn Line was rated for every locomotive that Conrail owned with the exspetion of GP38's and GP38-2's were listed as forbidden. It dose not state a reason as to why thow. I would guess it might have something to do with weaght of the loco and maybe the type of switches being used.
This info was obtained from a Conrail Time Table from 1980. Even the Finger Lakes Railway time table still lists GP38's as forbidden on the line.

I have done railfanning on the River Line once or twice, my dad works near there. I'm sorry for this rant, but it's just boring seeing the same thing over and over again. but thank God for NJT, that adds up the excitement, plus you can ride it!

Last time I checked, NS didn't answer to the rail fans... So on THEIR lines they put what power THEY need or want.

R44 5212 A Train wrote:Everyone else seems to get C40-(ws on their lines, yet the Bergen County Locals always get old stuff. We always have a GP38-2 or GP40-2 still painted for Conrail, and it gets boring, I'd like to see some new stuff! We do get an SD40-2 every once in a while, but that's it! Until May, I didn't see anything painted for NS, an it was just that once! Why doesn't NS give us a Catfish or 2? What about an SD70M or another widecab? It's boring to jsut see Geeps and Geeps, especially since the NJT equipment is also GP40-2s. BRING US SOME WIDECABS!!!!!

There is a place for widecabs- it's called the mainline!!! Lighten up, Francis! Upstate NY has alot of older power on branchlines and shortlines, and I love it! CSX, CN and NS have so many widecabs that I can't wait to see something different- whether it's a Geep, elderly SW, Alco or even a U-boat. Enjoy what you've got 'cause you'll miss it when it's gone. I never thought I'd miss SD40-2s or SD-45s but that's what happens when 30 years pass...

Matt Langworthy wrote:

R44 5212 A Train wrote:Everyone else seems to get C40-(ws on their lines, yet the Bergen County Locals always get old stuff. We always have a GP38-2 or GP40-2 still painted for Conrail, and it gets boring, I'd like to see some new stuff! We do get an SD40-2 every once in a while, but that's it! Until May, I didn't see anything painted for NS, an it was just that once! Why doesn't NS give us a Catfish or 2? What about an SD70M or another widecab? It's boring to jsut see Geeps and Geeps, especially since the NJT equipment is also GP40-2s. BRING US SOME WIDECABS!!!!!

There is a place for widecabs- it's called the mainline!!! Lighten up, Francis! Upstate NY has alot of older power on branchlines and shortlines, and I love it! CSX, CN and NS have so many widecabs that I can't wait to see something different- whether it's a Geep, elderly SW, Alco or even a U-boat. Enjoy what you've got 'cause you'll miss it when it's gone. I never thought I'd miss SD40-2s or SD-45s but that's what happens when 30 years pass...

Matt is right. Spend a day along the Lehigh Line and you'll get tired of the wide cabs real fast. After awhile you don't want to take pictures of the trains because they all start looking alike.

Come to South Jersey to see six-axle widecabs on locals - NOT!!

Burlington County; CA-20:
http://www.transitspot.com/gallery2/v/o ... _06_21.jpg

Camden County; CA-51:
http://www.transitspot.com/gallery2/v/o ... _06_15.jpg
http://www.transitspot.com/gallery2/v/o ... _28_08.jpg
http://www.transitspot.com/gallery2/v/o ... 2_07_1.jpg

Gloucester County; Paulsboro local:
http://www.transitspot.com/gallery2/v/o ... _02_01.jpg
http://www.transitspot.com/gallery2/v/o ... _02_02.jpg

South Jersey does get six-axle power on train CA-11, which is often a big train (Camden to Deepwater and back). Although today's train had a pair of six-axle locomotives, they were old: CSX SD40-2 #8886 (built for Erie-Lackawanna in 1972 as SD45-2 #3676) and NS C39-8 #8209 (Conrail #6051).

http://www.transitspot.com/gallery2/v/o ... 4_14_1.jpg

http://www.transitspot.com/gallery2/v/o ... 4_14_3.jpg

Bob

Nice pix, Bob! That's what I'm talking about- getting some variety in a veritable sea of widecabs. Don't get me wrong; I know widecabs have a useful place in today's RR industry. It's just nice to see older units (esepcially ex-EL) still hauling trains.