(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on May 15.)
Class Is will purchase or lease 690 locomotives in 2008
The seven Class Is will be active power shoppers in 2008, either purchasing or leasing a total of 690 locomotives.
BNSF Railway Co. leads the pack with plans to purchase 275 units. The Class I will acquire 165 SD70ACe units from Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. (EMD) and 110 ES44DC units from GE – Transportation.
The 4,300-horsepower SD70ACe is equipped with EMD’s 16-710G3C-T2 engine and is certified to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Tier 2 emission standards.
The next-highest total comes from Union Pacific Railroad, which plans to acquire 175 high-horsepower locomotives. The Class I declined to provide makes and models.
CSX Corp. will crack triple digits, too.