Elected officials, rail representatives, and North Carolina First Lady Kristin Cooper gathered at the agency’s locomotive and railcar maintenance facility in Raleigh this week to annoint two refurbished locomotives that will soon enter revenue service.
NCDOT No. 1871 and No. 1984, both EMD F59PHs, were originally built in 1990 for GO Transit. As part of the state’s federally funded Piedmont improvement program, the locomotives were completely rebuilt mechanically and electrically. In addition, the 3,000-horsepower engines were also upgraded to environmental Tier 0+ emission standards.
Norfolk Southern’s Juniata shops in Altoona, Pa., handled all rebuild work for the locomotives. The agency purchased the units for $2.15 million, an investment the agency says is far less than the $6 million to $7 million for a comparable new passenger locomotive.
The locomotives will provide motive power to passenger trains running between Raleigh and Charlotte on tracks also used by Norfolk Southern.
See the news release online.
