Planning A Short Line PT2. Motive Power

[Brakie]

Ok time has come to chose locomotives.

Our needs.
Our average train will be 7-8 cars on a urban industrial branch line with a .03% grade.Now Landstar Gains ships Monday,Wednesday and Friday.This will add 10 extra cars on those days.Track is 80 pound.

A quick call to the home offices reveals we have 4 SD24s,3 SD7s,2 GP20s,2 GP7s,2 RS1,3 RS3s,1 RSD4 and 1 RS11 in storage at the Cumberland shops awaiting dispersion..We are allotted 2 units for our operation.1 unit will be a standby locomotive.

Which locomotives would you chose?

[TinGoat]

I'd take the SD7's if they have D-Brakes...

Actually, after looking again, 0.03% grade is almost nothing. Forget the D-Brakes... You don't need them...

Same HP as the GP7's, but with the C-C trucks for lighter axle loading on the branch lines' 80 lb rail.

1500 HP should be sufficient for daily use and you can MU the pair for heavier loads.

[eightyeightfan1]

RSD4...2k worth of horses, six wheel trucks for the light rail. Traction motors geared for slow operation....
Perfect!

[doctorwayne]

Personally, I'd go with the GP7s: lighter than the grain cars that they'd be moving, but plenty agile enough, with four-wheel trucks, to negotiate any tight curves typically found in industrial areas, and more than enough power to move the projected tonnage. Oh, yeah, and plentiful spare parts available, too.

The SD24, GP20, and RS-1,-3,-11, and RSD-4 I eliminated because of the turbocharged engines, but other reasons came into play for some of the locos, too. The six wheel trucks of the SD7, SD24, and RSD-4 aren't well-suited to industrial trackage, and, of course, both the RS-3 and RSD-4 used the 244 engine, a weak point in a couple of otherwise-good locos. Based solely on aesthetics, though, my choice would've been the RS-1s - too bad about the turbochargers.

Wayne (who's never had to worry about how fast one loco "loads" compared to another)

[Tom]

2 GP7's. You can run one on the 7-8 car days and use the other as a backup, and then you have both for the extra grain. .3% grades is nada, and 2 GP7's can handle the 17-18 cars no sweat but will be easy on track.

[Brakie]

OK..After a long talk with the home offices here is their decision...These guys must have the final say in such matters regardless.

They decided we need the GP20s since these are 2000hp units and will fill the needs in the event of increase traffic-gotta hand it to these bozos they think ahead even tho' there's limited traffic growth potential.

Why not the GP7s? Both geeps are 60 years oldis due another complete overall.The RS1s is reserved for Detroit Connecting since their aging SW1 needs a overhaul...The RS3,4 and 11 is due overhauls.The SD24 was thought to be to much locomotive for our needs.The SD7s is reserved as backup pusher units.

Also noted the GP20s may be replaced with MP15DCs in the near future.

So,we will be using GP20s.

[doctorwayne]

Why not the GP7s? Both geeps are 60 years oldis due another complete overall.The RS1s is reserved for Detroit Connecting since their aging SW1 needs a overhaul...The RS3,4 and 11 is due overhauls.The SD24 was thought to be to much locomotive for our needs.The SD7s is reserved as backup pusher units.

Also noted the GP20s may be replaced with MP15DCs in the near future.

So,we will be using GP20s.

There's a lot of info here to which we weren't privy when asked to make our choices. :o Basically, the choices were the SD24 or the GP20s, all 50 year-old locos. And, with the prospect of MP15s in the offing, I still would've gone with the GP7s.

Wayne

[TinGoat]

I agree with Doc Wayne: The game was rigged!

I disqualified the GP20's because of notorious electrical problems. Plus wasted Horse Power on such a light turn.

The SD/GP 7's are solid work horses. Can't go wrong with either.

Also, all of this equipment is at least 40 years old... Any, or all of them could be / would be due for overhaul if you are modelling the present.

Don't know what year you are modeling and whether new equipment was coming available sooner or later.

You spoil your own arguement for the GP20's if you plan to acquire MP15DC's in the forseeable future.

[Brakie]

Huh,Guys,CDB Industries makes their decisions based on their whims,likes and dislikes.They dislike me because I am a thorn in their side.I been bugging them for 6 axle units for the C&HV..

I agree the Alcos and GP7s would have been my first choice since I already own 'em.

However,you can use any type of locomotive you want on your short line.

This is just a discussion on planing a short line.There is no fix rules-unless of course you work for CDBI. hock:

[doctorwayne]

Huh,Guys,CDB Industries makes their decisions based on their whims,likes and dislikes.

By the sound of it, about the same policy as the Finger Lakes Railway. While they do have some EMDs on the property, evidently the owners are fans of GEs:






However, when Mister Nutbar and I visited this past summer, the crew that we spoke with didn't seem to be so enamoured with them.

Gotta like those paint schemes, though. Here's one of their geeps:


Wayne

[Brakie]

Wayne,Not to mention somebody in the upper management must be a NYC fan..

[Russ Bellinis]

My favorite shortline is the Arkansas & Missouri. They are a 100% Alco road using C420s for road power, and T-6's for local switching. When asked by either Trains or Railroad and Railfan magazine back in the early 1990's or late 1980's why they chose Alcos, their answer was that the used Alcos were about 1/3 the price of used EMD units. For the same price, they could buy 3 times as many Alcos and then cannibalize 2/3's for spare parts to keep 1/3 running.