Eddie, Yeah, I'm just going to consider mine a SD-40R. SP 7325 First Number SP 8457 Builder Date April 1966 Builder Number 31538 Frame Number 7861-48 Rebuild Date Sept 1980 Date Retired Sept 2002 Bill Mock PS Great having you back in Z. And I love your photos on RailPictures.net! Nice stuff!
As a rabid sp guy it was a difficult decision, but considering the number of requests we got and followup sales, the choice was a good one. For myself, I will take the three fans off the back, add two and have a set of SD39-2's. I think the next couple of engines will help smooth over any bad taste from these... Joe MTL
Hi Joe, I guess you ment SD38-2, not aware of any SD39-2 for SP. I was thinking along that line too, funny. 2 fans, modified louvers, modified dynamic brake housing, air filter housing, lights in low hood and we are there! One of my next (privat) projects...whenever....
Alex, you can't put Joe out of his misery very easily. He is rabid about SP alright. I'm not going to check, but I'll bet he has SP printed on his boxer shorts. I think if Joe were to run for office his slogan would be 'an SP in every garage'
Yeah that was my plans as well. :tb-wink: I was going to make two SD40 and a SD39 or SD38-2. The SP had 26 SD39 that ran in Texas for a bit, then the Valley Line/Tehachapi for years and then at the end of their lives they worked the Colton Yard as humpers. The SP had 6 SD38-2 that were used as West Colton Yard humpers. I do have photos of a SD38-2 in helper mode running over Tehachapi and on the point of a train heading to LA.
Looks like SP actually operated a few "true" SD40-2s (ie: not rebuilt units on SD40 or SD40T2 chassis, but locos that actually started their life as SD40-2s). Such as this one that appears to have started running for Missouri Pacific: Unfortunately its road number doesn't match with the (very nice) MTL sample. Dom
OK Bruno... Sorry guys it's likely you'll have to disregard my previous statement about SP SDs...:tb-wacky: Dom
http://espee.railfan.net/spsd40.html Sorry, the listing shows SD40 delivered to SP in 1966 & 1968. (89 units) Mid-1980 they were rebuilt into SD40R Frankly, I'd like to see the fans released so we can make GP18 from GP9 or other critters. Need large snowplows for SP service!