Word from the Diesel Shop in Alliance is the 40 that went to the Mexican Railway on short term lease: is they have been stripped, Gutted or just can not be found. There is literaly a MAC up on blocks with all her running gear stripped out. I'm not sure if that was just traction motors or the whole of the trucks and wheel sets. BNSF and lease company officals are in Mexico trying to find them. Some have been found all but, gutted, back windows kicked out and federal defects that the feds will not let back into USA until fixed. The Vomit Bonnet has been found at a border crossing, El Paso I Think, major BAD broken. The great thing about this is, BNSF told them not to do it! BN did this back in the 70's with some GE's and some of those did not come back. They either could not be found or too cost prohibitive to fix. It is going cost the Lease Company (not BNSF) dearly to get them home and fixed back up to operating condition. BNSF did not own these particular 40 they were leased, and when they went into storage, the lease company leased them out to the Mexican Railway. BNSF was smart and took pictures of anything had a serial number on it or that could be traced and sold for parts and the condition of the locomotives when they left. So far they are discouraged at what they have found.
So what makes these locos different than others that go into Mexico and come back out on KCS or UP trains for example?
If the units are owned by the lease company, what does BNSF care if all of them end up sitting up on blocks in a yard in Mexico? Were they only to be short-termed and picked back up for the Fall rush?
While I can't speak much about KCS, they're heavily involved with Mexico and probably have a tight leash on their stuff and it's their railroad. UP units that go over the border don't always come back either. I remember one SD70M that was found in some small town welded to the rails in a stub track and was being used as a power station. Any other units that come back from there almost always need a serious mechanical going over and wheels changed out...actuate?, how do you do that?:tb-err: But seen'yor if thee wheels on thee engine are not turning, it is helping stop the train better...:tb-rolleyes:
Or not bother to maintain them at all... or store/sell all the former ATSF C40-8Ws... or let half the Oakway SD60s go of lease and stored the other half... etc, etc.
Well, I thought the Dash 8s were let go due to the agreement with CARB. But coal power is different. Very little of it makes it to California.
BNSF Protested the Decision by the Lease company and lost out. The lease company wanted their motors to be making money.
According to Loconotes, all of the MACs that were sent to Mexico are back on property. No word on condition though some were sent on coal trains, so they aren't up on blocks.
Isn't CSX sending SD70MAC's and SD80MAC's to Mexico too? I heard the SD80MAC's were about to come off lease, so I guess some of the SD70MAC's could be due too...
They got'em all back, finally. After replacing; Number Boards, MANY MANY Windows and anything could be easliy removed. They are all back in service. I had heard one had fire or engine damage nothing real bad, but I can not confirm it.
WELL ALMOST, CONFIRMED it TONIGHT!!! Went and talked with some of the guys in the Alliance Diesel Shop tonight. There are 5 or 6 of them that were referred to as (Ghetto Trash) MOST, if not ALL useable parts have been removed, use your imagination here. The mexican railway that leased them used them for parts. BNSF, the lease company, and the mexican railway are trying to come up with a cost effective plan to either get them home, Truck or Flatcar, is it more cost effective to truck a parts warehouse down there and fix them on site (with people trying to KILL you), or ship them home, or charge the mexican railway and lease company for 5 or 6 six new locomotives.
