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| PHOTOS: Odd Couple (1501409) | |||
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PHOTOS: Odd Couple |
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Posted by kp5308 on Sat Jan 26 13:12:30 2019 In 1998 Amtrak made a brief attempt to enter the freight locomotive leasing market by modifying 15 retired F40PHR passenger units. Fourteen were completed by the end of 1999 with 12 leased to the Canadian American Railroad, 2 sold outright & 1 never started. No others were converted and by 2002 all the locomotives were sold off. I got to check out one of these while in North Carolina recently and also got to examine a modification based on the CSX road slug program. #456 Built Amtrak #378 (F40PHR) EMD 7/81 assembled with parts from SDP40F #517. Rebuilt by Amtrak at Beech Grove in 1999, given the model designation F40M-2F and leased by Amtrak to the Canadian American Railroad. Changes & upgrades included a new 2900 gallon fuel tank to replace the as built 1500 gal. tank, GMD14 generator swapped out for an AR10 alternator, nose modified with platform extended and FRA compliant steps/ladders added. New nose door to cab installed. FRA rear steps applied for access to rear platform and crew safety with rear door retained. Upgraded with extended range dynamic brakes. All HEP equipment removed, rewired and QTRAC 1000 wheel slip control installed. Regeared from 95 to 65MPH. Weight increased 2000 lbs. from F40PHR listed weight of 260,000. Acquired from Amtrak by Rail World Leasing (RWWL) in 2002 and immediately leased to Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railroad (MMA). Purchased by Iowa Northern and assigned to San Luis & Rio Grande 2006. Sent by SLRG to American Motive Power of Dansville NY in 2009 to be refurbished & modified with controls for use with a slug. Released by AMP 2010 & shipped to Lubbock TX for use by West Texas & Lubbock Railroad, mated with slug #457. To Piedmont & Northern Rail Road (North Carolina) 2015. When the State chose Progress Rail as the operator of the P&N in 2017 #456 was stored serviceable on the Beal Manufacturing siding at Ranlo NC where these shots were taken:   #457 ex-AMTK #367 (F40PHR) EMD 5/81 built with parts from SDP40F #521-to CDAC #457. Released with the same F40M-2F upgrades as previously described. To MMA/RWWL 2002. Sold to Iowa Northern in 2006 & sent to SLRG. Stripped & rebuilt to slug by American Motive Power/ Rail World Leasing 3/2010 to be “mated” with #456. This slug contains traction motors & traction motor blowers, controls, dynamic brakes and added ballast but has no prime mover or fuel capacity. Slug units usually do not contribute tractive effort above 25MPH or when the “mother” goes through transition. Crews complain that the cabs are usually cold in winter compared to a locomotive. The vehicle shows front end damage from a July 2016 collision which involved a garbage truck in Gastonia NC:  Note the plated over air intake:  Most road slugs have the radiator intakes plated over on the outside of the hood. This 'un has the plate on the inside for some reason:  |
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