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UP #6925 http://rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42774	Page 1 of 2

Author:	BigBoy 4023 [ Sun Dec 02, 2018 7:40 pm ]
Post subject:	UP #6925
Hi everyone, I was just wondering if anyone happens to know what is going to happen to forlorn and forgotten UP DDA40X #6925? http://www.primeportal.net/civ_railroad/don_busack/up_6925_dda40x/index.php?Page=5 Would be kinda a shame to have it get cut up after surviving all these years. What is the going rate on used SD40-2 units? Two SD40-2's could donate everything sans the AR12 alternators for a restoration of #6925. Robert

Author:

NS 3322 [ Sun Dec 02, 2018 8:26 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: UP #6925

BigBoy 4023 wrote:

Hi everyone, I was just wondering if anyone happens to know what is going to happen to forlorn and forgotten UP DDA40X #6925? http://www.primeportal.net/civ_railroad/don_busack/up_6925_dda40x/index.php?Page=5 Would be kinda a shame to have it get cut up after surviving all these years.

What is the going rate on used SD40-2 units? Two SD40-2's could donate everything sans the AR12 alternators for a restoration of #6925.

Robert

It is supposedly going to the Nebraska Railroad Museum.
#6925 is definitely not forgotten. I think #6911 in Mexico City deserves that title.

Why does it need to run again? I feel the IRM (#6930) or NMOT (#6944) units would be better candidates (just speculating, not sure if those units are missing internal components).

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Author:	LeoA [ Sun Dec 02, 2018 9:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
I wonder if she can be moved on her own trucks? I believe on Don Strack's site somewhere that he has a bit of the history of this unit and it mentions how Union Pacific had broke a couple of truck frames. Might not be a major issue if she was able to make it to South Dakota, but it didn't sound good. Even with perfectly good trucks, I imagine an operational restoration would be pretty expensive. She served as a parts source for this shortline and when Morrison Knudsen was busying themselves rebuilding SD45's and the like into SD40-2's, they bought the heavy block 645's while another rebuilder bought the alternators. If there's interest there in having her mobile, a more economical idea might be to turn her into a cab car and mu her with a SD40-2 and such. I believe at least a couple of Centennials out there have rolled in such a fashion in the 2000's, including IRM's. Or maybe just restore half of her to operable condition, like the Krauss-Maffei ML 4000 that has been restored by the Pacific Locomotive Association? All that said, would just be nice to see her have a good secure home as a static display and be restored cosmetically.

Author:	Alex Huff [ Sun Dec 02, 2018 9:08 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
Use the Search function on this site and enter UP 6925. One of the results will be titled Milwaukee line to Rapid City dating back to June 20, 2002. The last post is mine. It is a lengthy post on the situation at the time and includes the 6925. By then it was stripped hulk. To bring the post up to date; On Oct. 1, 2009, the company was sold to new owners. Prior to that sale, DSRC had purchased a spare truck frame from a scrapper who had bought the 6906 at the same time DSRC bought the 6925. DSRC's first owners never envisioned restoring the 6925 to operational status, but felt a spare truck frame might have value for someone else who might choose to. The trucks have an added metal tag admonishing shop forces to never support the locomotive on just the 1st and 4th axles. I presume this was a lesson learned the hard way. A minor footnote, EMD's DD35 trucks had a shorter wheelbase than the DDA40X trucks. Several years after the change in ownership, one of the current co-owners, Mike Williams, offered the 6925 carcass to a small RR museum group in Fremont, NE which had sold the remnant of the CNW's Cowboy Line from Fremont to Hooper, NE to Mr. Williams and his wife with the covenant he would restore the line to service so the museum could restart excursions on the line. Mr. Williams offer was to give them the 6925 in exchange for releasing him from the obligation to restore the line to service. UP agreed to handle the 6925 from Sioux City to Fremont gratis in exchange for the spare DDA40X truck frame. I don't know who was going to pay the BNSF for movement of the 6925 between DSRC's interchange at Mitchell to Sioux City. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to me, in a clean up of the property, DSRC scrapped the spare truck from the 6906. In my opinion, Mr. Williams will pay the freight from Sioux City to Fremont to move the 6925 to its new owners. Alex Huff, past co-owner of DSRC

Author:	BigBoy 4023 [ Sun Dec 02, 2018 9:25 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
Alex, With the loss of the spare truck that shoots a rolling restoration in the foot. DSRC made a stupid decision on that one. Robert

Author:	Randy Hees [ Mon Dec 03, 2018 3:41 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
What museum or heritage railway needs a 6,000 hp locomotive? On the other hand, as a static display it will likely be the biggest dinosaur in the room... I understand that the previous owner purchased her primary as a fuel tank... Fuel stored in a locomotive is largely unregulated, while storage tanks are. They were also parting out the engine, mostly the electrical cabinets. Randy Hees

Author:	PMC [ Mon Dec 03, 2018 5:47 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
IMHO I would rather have two SD40-2s saved than another DDA40X, there is definitely an imbalance among the two models relative to the number produced, their success and their view among engineers.

Author:	Alex Huff [ Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:15 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
The story that DSRC purchased the 6925 as a fuel tank has long legs but is not true. I am cited as the source having said that as a joke to our mechanic. He knew full well it was purchased for the 645 power assemblies and other engine accessories that could be used on our modified 567C blocks. Unfortunately, it was repeated to someone else who did not know it was a joke. A lesson belatedly learned, as once it hit the internet there was no stopping it. If you care to go back and read my post of 2002, you will read we never used it for fuel storage. We never looked at the regulations for having fuel storage on site in any detail. I was aware that there were requirements for having retention dams in case of a leak and if you had a fuel pad, rainwater runoff had to be run through a water/oil separation system to capture incidental fuel spills. Therefore, we were always fueled directly from a supplier's truck by the driver. Alex Huff

Author:	NS 3322 [ Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:26 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
PMC wrote: IMHO I would rather have two SD40-2s saved than another DDA40X, there is definitely an imbalance among the two models relative to the number produced, their success and their view among engineers. Amen! We need more preserved SD40-2s! Not to derail the thread, but are there more than 5 preserved? I could only think of: CNW 6847 at IRM IC 6071 at Monticello UP 3105 at Rail Giants Museum, Pomona UP 9950 at Barstow RR Museum CP 5903 at Exporail

Author:	NS6770fan [ Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:41 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
We need some sd40-2s preserved in the east. Sadly, NS retires the last PRR SD40-2 for rebuild, but maybe CSX could donate one to the B&O museum or NS donate one to RRMPA. I would rather see sd40s and dash 8s preserves before another DD40AX restored.

Author:	Lincoln Penn [ Tue Dec 04, 2018 12:22 am ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
BigBoy 4023 wrote: Alex, With the loss of the spare truck that shoots a rolling restoration in the foot. DSRC made a stupid decision on that one. Robert Help me out here, please: The locomotive has 2 trucks, correct? If so, does the lack of a third truck really matter? How many excursion operations keep a spare truck on hand, and at what cost? Who needs (or who could properly use, much less care for) a 70mph, 547,000 lb excursion locomotive today? Where are you going to run it? On some 25 mph shortline with 85 lb. rail and #6 switches? What are you going to pull with it? I realize a lot of cars have suddenly hit the market, but there is a reason for that. That reason would effect this idea, too. This entire idea seems to me to be a solution in search of a problem. IOW, a foamgasm. But that's just me.

Author:	cood101 [ Tue Dec 04, 2018 1:30 am ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
NS 3322 wrote: PMC wrote: IMHO I would rather have two SD40-2s saved than another DDA40X, there is definitely an imbalance among the two models relative to the number produced, their success and their view among engineers. Amen! We need more preserved SD40-2s! Not to derail the thread, but are there more than 5 preserved? I could only think of: CNW 6847 at IRM IC 6071 at Monticello UP 3105 at Rail Giants Museum, Pomona UP 9950 at Barstow RR Museum CP 5903 at Exporail IC 6071 is technically an SD40X, just rebuilt with Dash 2 electronics. And both "UP" Units are actually ex-MP, Just in Union Pacific paint. Perhaps a true UP SD40-2, like a snoot, would be fitting to a museum. I believe, (Don't hang me on this) that the B&O 7600 is also earnarked for donation upon retirement from CSX for the B&O museum.

Author:	Richard Glueck [ Tue Dec 04, 2018 1:26 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
Isn't the only real reason to save the DD40X is its immensity? It makes for a sensational exhibit piece, but it lacks the interesting levers and wheels of any steam locomotive. The guts are either missing or locked up in the car body. The only operational purpose is to haul huge trains, not three old coaches on a branch line. The other observation is, Diesels fair terribly in the outdoor display environment, unless they are tended to with paint, grease and oil around the calendar. I'm not for scrapping the locomotive, but before somebody pours money into restoring it, have a practical plan for the resulting product.

Author:	Brian Norden [ Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:37 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
I looked at the list of preserved UP diesel locomotives that the railroad has on its website: List of Donated Diesel-Electric Locomotives This list includes 11 examples of the EMD DDA40X: UP 6900 UP 6901 UP 6911 UP 6913 UP 6915 UP 6916 UP 6922 UP 6930 UP 6938 UP 6944 UP 6946

Author:	CommodoreWesley [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 11:51 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: UP #6925
-Whoops, sorry disregard, I got confused between a SD40-2 and a SD45-2...-

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