HOME | DD
factorone33 — Weathered
Published: 2009-04-27 00:28:44 +0000 UTC; Views: 525; Favourites: 26; Downloads: 16
Redirect to original
Description
The last trip I took to Kansas City allowed me to explore some new places to shoot along the BNSF transcon. I found a new spot near MP 17.3.This eastbound doublestack is inbound to Argentine Yard after having apparently been through the large snowstorm that hit south central Kansas earlier that day and the day before.
On the point are ES44C4 #6606 and ES44C4 #6603, a new type of Gevo that apparently brings back the old A1A truck concept. And this pair is brand spankin' new. Note the blue test car behind them (although you really can't see it here).
Canon EOS 30D
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM
ISO 400 @ 1/640, f/6.3
Related content
Comments: 16
Be happy that it ain't a UP. It would be covered it black filth if that were the case.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You mean like all the units I see every day?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
So Poland is not the onlu country when trains are dirty?
However it's not true - private companies usually have clean locomotives (only on the first 50 km 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
These guys won't be clean for long: that's snow on the nose of this unit, and within a year, it's likely that both will have a slight dark layer of filth on them.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
Dirty trains are like dirty fire engines. If it's clean, it obviously isn't doing its job. Grease, grim, and dirt are the signs of a hard working engine..lol
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Shoot, these things weren't even broken in yet. That's all snow on the front of 'em.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Normal. They don't need to be clean to do their job
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Lot's of things to like about this pix. Congrats on getting the 66xx!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks! I'm anxious to see how well this A1A thing works with the Gevos now...
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Interesting catch, what with that test car and all. 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
That's the same thing I was thinking. Makes you wonder why they'd go back to those when they never seemed to be very good in the first place.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
Cost is the reason. One of these units only costs as much as an ES44DC, so you get a 4400hp AC unit on the cheap. The trucks are truly unique, too. When more traction is needed, the center (unpowered) axle is lifted up off the rail so that only the powered axles are making contact.
The original intention was to put them on lightweight fast freights along the Transcon, but they've been testing them lately on manifests and unit grain trains in Minnesota. Gives me hope I might see one in Montana.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I could understand that on the double-stacks, since they're lighter than most freights, but a unit grain train isn't anywhere close to being light (in fact I'd say grain is one of the heavier bulk commodities out there).
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Agreed, but for whatever reason they're testing them on unit grain trains.
I remember some guy asking why GE didn't just build a 4400hp AC four-axle truck unit, and apparently the GEVO engine won't fit on the shorter frame that four-axle trucks normally would rest under.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Maybe next they'll crank out one of those big monsters with a single motor per truck and siderods. THAT'd get us wondering!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
And poling pockets, footplates...yeah.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0