NYSW SD60 control stand, July 2012 of six axle road power it can call its own and in its own colors, presenting a unified corporate image to its shippers and the public. The crew members, like everyone else, have their opinions on these “new” locomotives, and you can be sure they are varied. But the fall of 2012 was the first season with the locomotives where the normal stalling on the mountain between Butler NJ and Sparta, as I recall, there were for the first time in many years, no stalled trains, and while they may have had to crawl up and over Sparta Mtn (as well as the grade southbound out of Syracuse) they have worked their hearts out, with minimal wheel slip, maximum tractive effort, and have gotten the job done for which they were selected and obtained. Unless something significant happens, expect to see these 3800 HP locomotives working as hard as possible creating revenue for the NYS&W. Expect to see them for several years in all kinds of service with the possible exception of passenger service...But who knows what the future has to offer. In the mean time, the turbocharged sounds of EMDs fill the valleys and hills along the NYS&W for the foreseeable future. The NYSW 3800 at Ridgefield Park, June 25, 2012. Ed Kaminski 6
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