View allAll Photos Tagged D9-40C
Rebuilt D9-40C 8849 is on the point of westbound 15T as grinds upgrade in Shawsville, VA. late on an April evening.
Some fresh powder lined the Norfolk Southern Lurgan Branch as train 203 came running through. Running with a now-endangered D9-40C leader, the Harrisburg (Rutherford) to Atlanta (Inman) intermodal is on its first leg of the overnight trip south.
Along for the ride on NS 16T is the latest AC44C6M to roll out of Norfolk Southern's Roanoke Shops, NS 4043. Just like the last Roanoke rebuild I caught on the Lurgan, the former D9-40C is sporting primer where the new bits have been installed above the frame. The gloss-black trucks and new-rust wheels below the frame are for the DC-to-AC traction conversion that have pumped new life into the old GE's.
Three years ago, Norfolk Southern manifest No. 149 is seen rolling past some NKP signal hardware in Conneaut, Ohio after changing crews east of town at Woodworth. The two veteran standard cab C40-9's have the train well in hand and will run into the night across the former Nickel Plate Road to Bellevue. Fast forward to today and both locomotives have been rebuilt, the signals replaced, and the train symbol has been abolished.
A Union Pacific C44-9W, Norfolk Southern D9-40C and EMD SD-70ACV with a mixed freight has just crossed the river Neuse
Running on CSX trackage rights since Waycross, Z585-20 (NS 741-19) makes good time through beautiful Fort Blackmore, Virginia with DKPX empties from Plant Marshall. They’ll stop and swap at Carbo after reaching NS home rails at the St. Paul crossover.
June 20, 2016.
Norfolk Southern train 290 makes a twilight entrance in Shippensburg, as stiff winds blow the clouds and Old Glory to the east. The Alabama-to-New Jersey train is running into the evening with a D9-40C leader and a mix of stacks and racks for the New York Metro area.
It’s a gloomy evening on the Buchanan Branch as Weller Shifter U58 in the form of NS 8807 West reverses through CP Lester Fork to couple onto empty Coke train 809 from Williamson.
February 28, 2017.
Weller Shifter U58’s pair of venerable D9-40C’s grind up Raitt Mountain as they crest Home Creek Grade with 110 Tidewaters from Consol. Miller and Cantrell had their work cut out for them this day!
February 28, 2017
NS 65Tango made a midnight run out of Philadelphia with power couple NS 4000, the first D9-40C converted to an AC44C6M, and NS 1068, the Erie heritage unit. I only had time to grab this shot as the mile-long empty tank train pulled from the fuel pad in Harrisburg, starting a railfan extravaganza west across Pennsylvania.
The second of Norfolk Southern's "new" AC44C6Ms just rolled into Harrisburg this afternoon leading train 11Z. The train is seen here near North Ferry, as it curves between PA Route 147 and the Susquehanna River.
The D9-40C to AC44C6M program seems to be doing well, with NS investing in several dozen of the units so far and more slated to come. The first two conversions were done by AMP and painted in this blue paint scheme. I've shot NS 4000 several times now, and despite the two units spending most of their early service time together, I've never caught 4001. The locomotive even made it to California before I was able to catch it here on the Buffalo Line today.
Interstate commerce looked ready for Easter today as a yellow Kenworth runs along side Norfolk Southern train 11Z with its blue-faced leader as they both curve around Peters Mountain near Clarks Ferry, PA.
NS 4001 is one of the new AC44C6M locomotives; it was rebuilt from a D9-40C last year. It was painted by the railroad at the now closed paint shop in Chattanooga to celebrate the new rebuild program which included a change from DC to AC traction.
The conductor throws a wave as we pace each other along US Route 11 near Chambersburg, PA. NS 4003 is Norfolk Southern's newest AC44C6M to be released into service, running it's first revenue train from Roanoke, VA to Allentown, PA, seen here running
The Roanoke shops turned retired D9-40C No. 8839 into this recabbed, AC traction-powered rebuild. It reportedly will make its way to Altoona in the near future for emissions testing and a new paint job, getting the last of the "mane" AC to DC conversion paint schemes with a tuscan stripe to denote the shop it was rebuilt at.
Canadian Pacific's westbound manifest train, 289, banks the curve west of Richwood, as the freight rushes into the Reeseville Marsh, heading for the Twin Cities.
CP Train 289
NS 8774 and company
Richwood, WI.
Summer 2014
Behind NS 8864 & 8421, loaded coal train 762 for Hyco departs Bluefield, Wv under a beautiful November sunset.
November 28, 2014.
Three diesel locomotives pulling a mixed freight is crossing the 1.6km long wooden tressle over the river Neuse between New Bern and Bridgeton, North Carolina. A Union Pacific C44-9W, Norfolk Southern D9-40C and EMD SD-70ACV
A pair of "horse mane" painted AC44C6M rebuilds and a heritage until made for a good motive to be up and out early this morning on the Lurgan Branch last month. NS 4000, the first D9-40C to be rebuilt was making it's third trip leading on the branch, but the first time in decent light. Trailing was NS 4002, the first of the Roanoke rebuilds and NS 8114, the "original" Norfolk Southern heritage unit.
From October 11, 2014. NS 251 (Sandusky, OH-East Point, GA)
A train that I really miss seeing on the Norfolk Southern Railroad since it was abolished for this region, the Triple Crown "Roadrailer", seen here with a standard cab D9-40C leading the charge up the Braswell Mountain grade at Rockmart, GA. Notice the engineer is having some fun by wearing what looks like a wrestlers mask!
Sand coats the underside of the locomotives as Norfolk Southern train 212 climbs the grade out of Shippensburg, cresting here near Lees Cross Roads. The hotshot is running late and most likely won't stop until it's near the destination of Croxton, NJ.
Leading the train is one of the roughly 100 D9-40C's in the fleet; they are being upgraded from 4000 to 4400HP. Over a dozen have already been completely rebuilt to AC44C6M's. If that program continues to do well, it's not far fetched to think these standard cabs will be endangered species in a couple years.
Roosting Mourning Doves make a break for it as Norfolk Southern train 203 comes flying down the Lurgan Branch. Typically migratory birds, there are some that have taken up permanent residence along the Branch, feasting on spilled seed at the elevators year-round.
Another adapting survivor is NS 8795, on the short list for rebuild from a D9-40C to a modernized AC44C6M. The program is in full swing now, with dozens already in service and new candidates (including D9-44CW's) being pulled out of service in preparation for rebuild.
Standard cab GEs are nearly extinct on class one railroads today after being commonplace across the country just a few years ago. I never really made much of an effort to go out of my way to photograph NS's D9-40C fleet, but I was pleasantly surprised to find one leading NS train 119 past the famous gazebo in downtown Landis in the last rays of sunlight. The fleet of 125 standard cab Dash 9s are in the process of being rebuilt into widecab AC units, meaning just another ho-hum GE.
My first train action of 2020 started out at a location I've been shooting since the late Conrail days. Out of the fog, NS 23Z blasts past the former PRR station which is now home to Blue Ridge Cable in Duncannon, PA. Relativity clean AC44C6M 4083 (ex NS D9-40C 8790) is on the point.
Since the 4001 bit the dust last week, I'll post one of when it got stuck on the 744/745 trains for about a month, here it is at the West Claremont spring switch.
A pair of new NS D9-40C locomotives pull NS 183 up the 0.9% grade at CP Clymers probably back in March of 1995. Location: Clymers, IN. K64.
Norfolk Southern AC44C6M number 4002 has been released from the paint shop in Altoona, Pennsylvania, wearing the third edition of the special prototype "Mane" scheme. Originally built by GE as standard-cab D9-40C number 8789, 4002 was rebuilt by Norfolk Southern's East End Shop in Roanoke, Virginia (the same shop that built NW class J number 611) and painted by Juniata Shop. The "Roanoke prototype" scheme features a tuscan red stripe highlighting the horse's mane behind the cab.
A local out of Radford Yard shoves back as the sun's rays begin to turn gold.
The new Safetran replacements are currently staged within the yard, and I'd expect them to be put up rather soon.
Norfolk Southern 4000 and 4001 pose together outside the paint shop in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for their first portrait. The locomotives wear a new, special paint scheme to designate the units as prototypes for the DC to AC conversion program. 4000 was originally built by GE in 1995 as a standard-cab D9-40C, NS road number 8799. 4001 was formerly D9-40C number 8879. During their rebuild in 2015, they were converted to AC traction, received wide cabs, and redesignated as "AC44C6M". They will enter into normal revenue service across the NS system.
NS 6577 and 8782 both now off the roster and or completely rebuilt lead a westbound auto parts train through the vineyards of western New York and will soon enter Pennsylvania on the old NKP line. I only ever shot at this location once but was well worth it with the view of the sky and Lake Erie making a great meet on the horizon both very blue in their own ways, it is a very pure location in my opinion.
GE D9-40C number 8794 leads an empty Catawba River coal train west out of Asheville, North Carolina, passing an old grain silo-turned canvas in an art deco region of town near control point "Russell".
The first GE conversation of a Norfolk Southern D9-40C to a modern AC-motored wide cab locomotive led train 37Q down the Lurgan Branch in April. NS 4000 was one of two AC44C6M's to receive this special commemorative paint scheme. Usually seen working with it's twin, NS 4001, there was a couple of weeks when the pair was split up and left Virginia coal service where it was undergoing testing and evaluation. Luckily NS 4000's return to Roanoke passed through at just the right time early that morning.
The "standard" cabs are dying at an accelerated rate on Norfolk Southern. It started with the SD60E program, rebuilding EMD SD60's. Now it's moved on to the AC44C6M program; three shops are taking GE D9-40C's and modernizing them, with the most obvious change being a new "wide" safety cab. A similar program has just started through EMD to do the same for SD70's.
The power shortage on Norfolk Southern right now means a handful of the units have been put into service as soon as they're completed, before they can be painted. The new bits stand out on NS 4118 ( former NS 8843) as it leads train 203 through Lemoyne, PA.
Bits of Norfolk Southern's recent past litter Cresson Steel, less than a mile from the rails they ran until recently. Half of what I saw are the recently departed; D8-40C's which were retired from service and sold for scrap. The rest of the recognizable pieces are from the Altoona rebuild program. Juniata Shops are cranking out SD70ACU's and AC44C6M's which leaves bits of the old SD90MACs and D9-40C's they were made from out for scrap, the most obvious being the cabs.
NS AC44C6M 4005 is bringing up the markers on a westbound light helper set as they duck into West Vivian tunnel in Kimball, WV.
I'm beginning to see more and more of the AC44C6Ms, which means that these guys are dwindling more and more. NS 8827, a D9-40C, prepares to run the Reed Branch wye so that they can spin the engines so that they could NS 24Q out of Charleston
NS AC44C6M 4005 (ex NS D9-40C 8867) is about to duck under the former N&W era coal tower at Farm as it brings up the rear of a helper set on the Pokey.
Five prototype “DC to AC” rebuild locomotives gathered together on the circle tracks in front of the Juniata Locomotive Shop’s newly installed turntable for a family portrait in Altoona, Pa, on February 2nd, 2019. Our DC to AC conversions increase reliability and freight hauling capacity, and reduce capital spending.
From left to right: AC44C6M #4005 (rebuilt from GE D9-44C 8867 at Juniata Locomotive Shop), AC44C6CF #8520 (rebuilt from GE D9-40CW #8946 at Roanoke Locomotive Shop in conjunction with CAF), SD70ACC #1801 (rebuilt from EMD SD70 2548 at Progress Rail-Muncie, IN), AC44C6M #4000 (rebuilt from GE D9-40C 8799 by GE/American Motive Power, Inc), and AC44C6M #4003 (rebuilt from GE D9-40C 8839 at Roanoke Locomotive Shop).
The warm Summer heat and accompanying thunderstorms have the corn crop over six feet high already, closing in some of my favorite photo angles along the Lurgan Branch. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? I waded into the stalks and held the camera over my head to catch Norfolk Southern train 51K pulling empty hoppers back from Virginia after dropping feed for the large chicken operations near Harrisonburg.
The power for the return trip are a pair of standard cabs: an EMD SD70 leading a GE D9-40C. I've been stalking both types to get shots now while they're easy to catch. The Dash 9 rebuild program is in full swing, and seems to be going well. A pair of SD70's are reported to be with EMD now to develop a rebuild plan for them, probably giving them a look like their late model cousins.
After allowing the yard job to make a move back into the West Yard, NS 179 gets locked back on the main as it heads through Danville with an AC44C6M leading..
NS 4059 is formerly NS 8841, a standard cab D9-40C, that was rebuilt by the Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona and was completed in June of 2017.
Merry Christmas. NS 172 stands for a quick crew change on a frigid December night before continuing towards Atlanta on the NS EAST END District.
Roadrailer train 260 wiggles through downtown Hannibal on a beautiful fall day. A standard cab dash 9 in charge, the 8780 is now rebuilt into NS 4070. From the first day, I liked these dash 9's and always went out of my way to get them, too bad they are all gone.
NS AC44C6M 4106 (ex NS D9-40C NS 8806) is just out of the rebuild shops as it leads a westbound 800 series coal train through Shawsville, VA on the Christiansburg district.
Just went out to test a old video camera to see if it still worked but had no idea that this gem would be leading the westbound manifest. Nice too see NS 8823 (D9 40C) leading a pair of GE's at Steward, IL. 7-8-16 Oh yeah the video camera worked well.
NS AC44C6M 4083 (ex NS D9-40C 8790) splits a pair of NW era whitsleposts as it heads westbound through Elliston, VA with 29G
Painted in the blue "mane" (mullet) scheme, NS 4001 is the second of two D9-40C locomotives sent to AMP in New York for rebuild, which including moving from DC to AC traction. I was happy to catch this unit leading train 11Z south down the Buffalo Line last week after catching it's twin, NS 4000, several times in the Harrisburg area.
The appreciation for seeing this rebuild took a twist over the weekend when reports came it that it was involved in a derailment and heavily damaged. Luckily the crew survived and reportedly only had minor injuries; a miracle when you see the extent of the derailment and damage to the locomotive. Buffs enjoy this one for the pretty paint, but it's possible the rebuild, which included a more modern, crash resistant cab, helped prevent more serious injuries to the crew.
NS 213 kicks up the fresh snow as it flies southbound through China Grove, NC with one of the dwindling number of standard cab Dash-9s leading
NS 755 pops out of the westbound portal at Montgomery Tunnel w/ new ET44AC 3635 & AC44C6M 4001 (ex NS D9-40C 8879)
The last little bit of morning glint hits the side of a morning trailer train working up hill at Bort Road with a now gone Top hat leading the way.