Rail roads and their tracks.

BravoXray · Jun 6, 2022

MossRoad said:
I'm not kidding when I say that I thought Conrail had at least a dozen slugs in the yard around 1986-87. They all seemed to be concentrated at the western end of the yard.

There is another slug mixed in with the locomotives on the storage track at the west end, but didn't see if it is coupled to am SD40-2 though. It;s been setting there for at least three years now.
There is also a three locomotive lashup that has been working the yard for a few months now. It's the first three unit lashup I've seen there, only single and two units working there before. I suppose with the two mile and longer trains they are running now it requires more power to move them.

Article on slugs used by Conrail in the Elkhart yard in the late 80s and early 90s.
michiganrailroads.com - Conrail Elkhart Yard Switchers - Late 1980's, early 1990's

MossRoad · Jun 6, 2022

Nice article. Thanks!

MossRoad · Jun 6, 2022

Poked around on Google Earth and Apple Maps and found this. Two double units with 1 slug each. And the bottom one is pushing a train loaded with tractors!

Also found at least 3 more sets like that, so at least 5 slugs in the yard that day.

ArlyA · Jun 7, 2022

RR rims being made, forged steel of course. Not sure which country this is in but we do have manufactures of them in the states. This looks to be smaller than our standard RR cars use.

ArlyA · Jun 7, 2022

Wabtec to modernize locomotives for Australian mining railroad
By | June 6, 2022

Fortescue Metals Group’s Dash 9s to be upgraded as AC44C6Ms

Fortescue Metals Group AC44C6M No. 102 sits outside Wabtec’s plant in Fort Worth, Texas, where the unit was upgraded from a Dash 9. (Wabtec)

Wabtec will modernize Fortescue Metals Group’s 28 C44-9W locomotives into AC44C6Ms, the companies announced on June 5.
The first dozen upgraded units, completed at Wabtec’s plant in Fort Worth, Texas, are already en route to the western Australian iron ore railroad. The remaining locomotives will be delivered over the next two years.
“While we have completed more than 1,000 modernizations for customers globally, it’s a first for Australia and demonstrates Fortescue’s commitment to drive more sustainable rail operations,” said Wendy McMillan, Wabtec’s senior regional vice president, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. “By repurposing and rebuilding our locomotives, we give these heavy-haul trains another 20 years of life, while reducing the fuel consumption and maintenance, and repair and overhaul expenses by up to 20%. For Fortescue, the modernized trains will deliver up to a 55% increase in tractive effort and more than 40% increase in reliability.”
The modernized locomotives will benefit from improved performance and increased reliability with new features including a UX engine, new electrical cabinets, a new design high-efficiency radiator and radiator cab, an upgraded control system to remove obsolescence, and AC traction with individual axle control.
“The procurement of the modernized locomotives is an important element of Fortescue’s locomotive fleet strategy,” said Mark Komene, general manager of Hedland Operations. “This newly modernized fleet will enable substantial long-term capital and operating costs savings, provide the latest traction and control technology, and enable future upgrades to alternative energy sources such as battery electric in support of Fortescue’s industry-leading target to be carbon neutral by 2030.” Wabtec says its modernization program is a key component of its effort to advance a circular economy.

MossRoad · Jun 7, 2022

BravoXray · Jun 7, 2022

ArlyA said:
RR rims being made, forged steel of course. Not sure which country this is in but we do have manufactures of them in the states. This looks to be smaller than our standard RR cars use.

We used to haul new wheelsets out of the Pittsburgh area to Progress Rail's facility in the Gary area. We had to nail down 2X4s on the floor for them to set on, and were pretty tricky to chain down. Each wheelset weighed over 2,000#.
There is a Progress Rail truck loaded with wheelsets that parks at a Speedway station in Goshen almost every weekend. The trailer has some special modifications that make it a little safer to haul them, like a pair of vertical bars at the front of the trailer so they can't roll off the front, and groves in the trailer floor for the wheel flanges to set in.

MossRoad · Jun 7, 2022

BravoXray said:
We used to haul new wheelsets out of the Pittsburgh area to Progress Rail's facility in the Gary area. We had to nail down 2X4s on the floor for them to set on, and were pretty tricky to chain down. Each wheelset weighed over 2,000#.
There is a Progress Rail truck loaded with wheelsets that parks at a Speedway station in Goshen almost every weekend. The trailer has some special modifications that make it a little safer to haul them, like a pair of vertical bars at the front of the trailer so they can't roll off the front, and groves in the trailer floor for the wheel flanges to set in.

One of those things that makes you say Hmmmm.....

Seeing a truck hauling RR wheels on the highway. Why isn't it on a train? Hmmmmm......