Fresh From the Paint Shop?
Mar. 21st, 2022 03:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeFor the past few weeks, the "little BN" job that operates out of Fernley's small yard across the street from our house has been using a Union Pacific locomotive. Today, however, BNSF has returned one of their own to serve their customers here in Fernley.
BNSF 502 is probably ex-Santa Fe 502, part of a fleet of ATSF locomotives that I originally remember being rostered for high-priority intermodal tains, but now demoted to yard and local service. However, it does appear to have made a recent trip to the paint shop, or at least has had a good pass through the wash.
There is one downside to having this locomotive here overnight: unlike the relatively well-behaved UP locomotive, this one keeps starting and stopping, and sounds asthmatic while it restarts. As the weather warms, this will be less of an issue, as these locomotives have fuel-saving features that let them shut themselves off unless it gets cold enough that they need to restart automatically to keep the engine coolant from freezing.
BNSF 502 is probably ex-Santa Fe 502, part of a fleet of ATSF locomotives that I originally remember being rostered for high-priority intermodal tains, but now demoted to yard and local service. However, it does appear to have made a recent trip to the paint shop, or at least has had a good pass through the wash.
There is one downside to having this locomotive here overnight: unlike the relatively well-behaved UP locomotive, this one keeps starting and stopping, and sounds asthmatic while it restarts. As the weather warms, this will be less of an issue, as these locomotives have fuel-saving features that let them shut themselves off unless it gets cold enough that they need to restart automatically to keep the engine coolant from freezing.
