June 3rd- The fleet is in.......

Post date: Jun 06, 2010 7:13:7 PM

Thursday was the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning. We can not be sure, but one thing is known, thanks to Paul Harwell, the temporary engine fleet is here.

Although Paul works for the BNSF, he has always been a KCS fan. It was not wonder then that when he arrived with locomotives to use temporarily on the Sue Line, that they were KCS. Here we see the diesel facility at Shreveport Yard overflowing with the new motive power.

An even dozen GP-7 (above,left,back 2 tracks) and ten NW-1500 Switchers (above, left,front track) and a couple of H-44 units (above, right) , all in a KCS paint scheme have arrive on loan temporarily from Paul Harwell.

Paul also brought a 44 Tonner (above, left), four F-3's (above center) and a T&P NW1500 (above, right), but he, misspelled SUE LINE on the F units.

BUT, what else was happening?

As can be seen, the crews kept busy, testing the new units and removing a few last minute "undocumented features". Rob Robins (above, left, blue shirt) along with David Colvin (above, left, red shirt) work below Alexandria Yard while Paul Harwell (above, right, grey shirt) and Charlie DeVilbiss (above, left, tan shirt) review radio response of the new units while John Arnold (above, left, brown shirt) put in the last of the signal head cables. Danny Garland (above, right, red shirt) and John Arnold (above right, brown shirt) discuss "what will be do next".

Mose crews (above left) checks out the new fleet while David Colvin (above center) checks for gaps.

Rodney Dixon (above) is again on clean-up patrol....

Ken Ellison (above left) was busy installing what we have dubbed the Bronson Track Control Circuits. A card with five circuits on it is shown above on right.  They were designed by Dick Bronson of R-R CirKits and the schematics are available on his website. They allow us to power only one track at a time in the ten track staging yard (Underworld) and automatically cut off power when an inbound train is fully in the staging track.

As we close out this phase of the upgrade, it is plain to see that Rob Robbins (above left), Charlie DeVilbiss (above center) and even Paul Harwell (above right) seen to agree that when the fleet come it, it is time to play.......