New Norfolk Southern rebuilding program

[reinhardtjh]

Bummed that the SD40E program is done and the SD60E is winding down?  Well, now there it the Dash 8.5 program!

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/norfolk_southern/article/Norfolk-Southern-Railway-to-roll-out-modified-GE-locomotive-model-as-part-of-multiyear-rebuild-program--40373

Upgrading 84 GE Dash 8's to closer to Dash 9 specs and talking about a Dash 9 DC to AC conversion possibility.  With a 1000+ Dash 9's, that's a lot to convert!  And more NS designed cabs to either marvel or cringe at. 

Apparently most of the work is scheduled to be done at the Roanoke shops rather than Juniata.

[ljudice]

By the time a proper NS Dash 9 is available as a model there won't be any real ones left, because I suspect the Dash 9/AC will look more like an AC4400 with huge inverter cabinets and bigger radiators... 

[Rich_S]

What they need to do is convert the SD70M-2's to SD70Ace's. Those non-radial HTSC trucks were never really designed for DC motors and believe me, it's next to impossible to change the top front brushes on the number 2 and number 5 motors.  In my opinion, the GE Dash 9 is the best locomotive in the fleet, they need to leave that one alone. If they want to upgrade a GE product, they should upgrade the ES40DC to the ES44AC model. But like we say at work, it's not my trainset