Now that GE and EMD have indicated that their new Tier 2 compliant offerings will be the "GEVO" and SD-70ace (plus the DC version), just curious if in a world were money, time and availability weren't an issue, should samples of these models be preserved?

In essence, they seem like commercial failures that are modern repeats of the age old horsepower exception. Obviously, there's no possibility of one of these things being pulled fronm service for donation, nobody in the community could afford to buy one, just curious as to see what the reasoning would be pro/con?

That previous post should read "age old horsepower OBSESSION"

I a word - Yes.

All of us have time and space concerns however.

Of course they're worthy. Who said something had to be commercially successful to rate preservation? Unfortunately for locos that were more or less disasters on the market, the race to preserve is often a race with the junkman. And with the elevated value of steel scrap, this will be a difficult choice for potential donors.

Then there's the issue that some donors might not want to see certain designs preserved and associated with their name. Was it any surprise that PRR failed to include the S1, S2, Q2, or T1 in their otherwise broad historical collection? Altho this will bring forth a chorus of wails, I'll contend that none of those designs should have been built in the first place and thus preserving one of them would be an embarrassment to the PRR, should any outside entity have tried it. (And while the J1 was very successful, it was not a PRR design, and as such might not have been held in as high regard as all those old PRR designs that were saved.)

But it might be a decision we might not get a chance to make, as there's talk of repowering at least some of those 6000 HP monsters with lesser engines of greater satisfaction rating if not HP.

How are today's high horsepower locomotives going to be viewed in the future? We're glad that some DD40X and SuperTurbine units are saved aren't we?

Maybe this is why a Baldwin Centipede was never saved, as awsome as they were in their day, they were trouble prone, and un realiable, PRR. de rated them to 5000hp (in pairs) they wound up shoving trains around Horseshoe curve. Non the less it would have been neat to preserve one.

Ed K.

I do not understand how they can be called commercial failures when they are selling? In any case, today's engine is tomorrow's museum piece.

Wonder when we'll rush trackside to see SD70Ms going by like they did for the recent historic moves out in CA, or a fight in the future to paint an SD70MAC cream and green or any BNSF variety at a museum.

Joshua

Only after another 20 or 30 years have passed and the last one is rusted and laboring on a once per week train on a short line in the southeast?

Of course that shortline would have to have 130 lb rail and meet FRA Tier 3 standards!

Remember all the 4400's sold and rushed into service with the 'smaller' prime mover - with the promise of a swap in the future?

Bob Kutella