GP49s in Chile
Submitted by Alan Miller on 4/10/21: Attached are photos of the four Alaskas. The two meter gauge Ferronor units kept their ARR numbers. The two Transap wide gauge did not. 2801 was ARR 2804; 2802 was ARR 2801. Go figure. All were rebuilt at the two railroads shops in Chile. The trucks are new castings from Atchison Castings in Kansas. The TRSP units are in timber/cellulose train service down south but I've never gotten one on a train. As I said, FN is hauling iron ore concentrate 24/7 up north. Both operations are close enough to Santiago to drive to them. FN has 7 EMD-Indiana GT46ACs which have relegated the Alaskas to helper service and the odd short train. Originally they were in mainline service, paired with home built slugs. The latter are now retired and possibly scrapped. From Trainorders.com: Well while it was a corporate decision I had a fair amount to do with it as a Mechanical Project Manager and then General Foreman - Anchorage Shops. They really didn't fit in as well as the GP40-2 / GP38 fleet which shared many parts of which the 49's were more orphaned in that regard. The D87 motors were more problematic, the radar wheel slip caused issues, some electronic modules were hard to get and generally the cost was higher and reliability lower than the other Geeps. When it came to culling down the roster it was evident that we could get rid of the 49's, keep the older Geeps and maintain a good parts / component compatibility and meet the transportation demands of the railroad. Doug Ellison
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