cb@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Christopher Byrnes) (01/13/86)
There are still a few holdouts when it comes to moving freight by
electricity on this continent. A few "captive" coal haulers use
overheads, I believe the Black Mesa & Powell is an example. In fact, I
think they have been using new GM electrics as well as used
AmTrack/Conrail units to haul their unit trains. I also believe that
there is a recent section of a Canadian railroad (perhaps BCR) which
converted one of their branches to overhead to haul unit trains to a
power plant. I think that's about it in terms of recent electrifications.
I've also read that the soon-to-be-abandoned YVT in Washington had
to go back to steeplecab electrics when their diesel TrackMobile was
damaged in a highway collision. It's too bad that Conrail is
eliminating electric freight, but perhaps it's just as well that heavy
freight is not run on top of AmTrack's new 120 MPH Corridor. I was
wondering, do AmTrack's new (nearly) all-mail trains count as electric
freight on the Corridor?
Christopher Byrnes
cb@Mitre-Bedford.ARPA
...decvax!linus!bccvax!cb.UUCPcb@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Christopher Byrnes) (01/15/86)
With the last GG1s taken out of service on NJDOT, all the remaining units are for sale to whoever will pay to have them hauled away. Perhaps NJDOT is keeping a few on standby, but I'll bet the units you saw are awaiting shipment to their new owners. Several rail museums have purchased GG1s, I read that one had their's repainted to the original colors. That may be the unit you saw. NJDOT may have also had one unit repainted to original colors for old times sakes. Don't despair, with steam fans digging out old steam locomotives and rerunning them it may only be a matter of time before the GG1 returns. Christopher Byrnes cb@Mitre-Bedford.ARPA ...decvax!linus!bccvax!cb.UUCP