Thought I will be back at it again for HSC, but this time, something a little different. Many wanted something a little more on the NS side than just a GEVO and a Geep for this route (mostly the GP38, but who's complaining), so I'm bringing out loco ideas to fit this route, but with rebuilds. For some that don't know, Norfolk Southern has been rebuilding most of its fleets to be better efficient and modernized as possible. And to start, will be for the mainline hauls/helpers that they were assigned right on this very route (or close to one that is), and will be doing just 5 for now, but all of them are rebuilds. Let's see what they are shall we: SD40E (rebuilt from SD50/SD50s) Date: 2008-2014 Units: 58 SD60E (rebuilt from SD60) Date: 2010-2017 Units: 136 AC44C6M (rebuilt from C40-9/C44-9W) Date: 2015-2021 Units: 500 SD70ACU (rebuilt from SD90MAC) Date: 2016-2019 Units: 111 SD70ACC (rebuilt from SD70) Date: 2018-2019 Units: 52 Will they be made for TSW in the future, possibly (who knows for sure)? Is it gonna be more than just reskins, hopefully? Why did I make this, because why not? While this route is made by Skyhook, doesn't mean that there's an opportunity to expand the roster to have different kinds of locos on it, but well see if it's worth it in the end though. But hopefully, you did have yourself a good read (I know this is short, but this one is a lot more self-explanatory than the other suggestions I've done). And don't hesitate to comment on this as well. Plus, added a poll to see which one you like to see be made. (only 3 votes maxed) (All images from - NSDash9.com)
Alright, so I may have regret on doing 3 choices for the poll out of the 5 so far. So I'm expanding the poll a bit, this time with road-switchers that can do the local/yard work on this line (and a little extra if lucky). And they are Eco friendly too (well 2 of them at least, I think. Don't ask me why), so let's see what to work with: GP33ECO (rebuit from GP50) Built: 2015-2016, 2021 Units: 30 (2 rebuilt from GP38-2) GP59E (rebuilt from GP59) Built: 2013-2014 Units: 12 SD33ECO (rebuilt from SD40-2) Built: 2016-2018, 2021 Units: 15 I know, not a whole lot from them. But whatever idea Skyhook is gonna do for the GP38s, these road switchers with fit perfectly for the job. And while there are many more rebuilds that NS have done in the past, but many of them have been retired pretty much, and have been either sold off to other companies or scrapped (well, more scrapped than salvaged, unfortunately). But for now, these are the units that are active in the NS fleet, with more old ones being rebuilt into something new. Again, don't hesitate if you do have an idea for which other rebuilt locos you want to be listed on here for this route.
Curiosity question. Why do some of the rebuilds have different names the what they were originally? Example SD40E built from SD50.
Excellent question. As I don't have everything for an answer on this also, but the closest would have to be (after researching this) is the engines themself where many have been replaced or refurbished to fit the horsepower it needs and the right close enough tiers for the emission standards (I'm no expert on this, so correct me if I'm wrong). But other than that, the rebuild units were pretty much upgraded with modern technology (In-cab signaling, auto Start/Stop system, etc.) to be, again, efficient, environment friendly, and be safe for the crew (I'm not touching that last part though).
They were redesignated from SD50s to SD40E because they put rebuilt SD40 engines in them so they just called them SD40's. As far as the E goes, I think it just denotes that newer electrical equipment, the EM2000 microprocessor, being used in these locos, as both sister rebuilds the SD60E and GP59E also include this microprossesor.
Definitely SD70ACU - they're pretty much at home on HSC as they now do most of the helper services and until DDA40x ever comes in the game, these would be the largest diesel engines in the game (Almost 2 meters longer than the upcoming SD70Ace). And they could serve as a base for creating SD90MACs - 6000hp beasts (until the engine pops).
If they ever do the SD90 I can guarantee you they're only doing the 4300hp version. There has never been any good sound recordings of the H-engine from what I've read, and considering that none exist anymore that ain't changing.
That is true. The same goes for the AC6000CW which the 7HDL-16 definitely had problems but then again that engine is or was the prototype for the GEVO engine. The 7HDL-16 is basically a GEVO-16 and it just has 4 more cylinders than the common GEVO 12
