Conrail Spartan cab SD70s

[Catt]

I have a friend who insists that Conrail had spartan cab SD70s.To my knowledge the only roads to own then were IC and NS.

So My question for all the Conrail Fan(atic)s did these beasts actually exist?

[Hyperion]

Yeah, they existed.

As I recall they were ordered during the whole negotiations on the split, and ordered to NS specifications, but painted in Conrail colors at least initially.  No idea how long they operated in that scheme or if any still are blue.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

YES! Conrail has an order of SD80MAC units on order when news of the breakup/merger with CSX and NS came down. The new owners were not thrilled with a 20 cylender AC engine so the order was split. Units that were to go with CSX were built as SD70MACs, units going to NS were made as spartan SD70s.

[bobcat]

I just looked on Railpictures and at least some remained in CR paint until 2006 with the earliest showing 1998.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=160223&nseq=6

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=33777&nseq=18

[trainbuff1]

Yes they did. They were 2557 to 2580 that would be 24 of them they were all assembled at the Juniata Shop. They are now are all painted in NS Balck. All the 24 SD70 Spartans were made to NS spec's with the only thing added were Cab signals and LSL's. Now some of the NS SD70s have Cab and LSLs too. I have run these and they are rough but they pull well and the Dynamics are awesome.. They also have a radial truck. They are not AC ..

Todd Treaster, Engineer Altoona PA

[shamoo737]

Johnathan, I told you so.  ;D

[Ed Kapuscinski]

http://thecrhs.org/content/emd/sd70

[Catt]

Johnathan, I told you so.

John ,I did not doubt you for a minute,but these are the guys I ask about Conrail.Besides I have never seen one before,they never made it to Grand Rapids. ;D