Tangible Growth in the Hobby - Case Study - CSXT 2009
It is Thanksgiving morning in 2018 (Fall vibes!)... and Nelson Acosta and I are venturing about the area railfanning our way up to the US Sugar Fields meeting a railfan, Laurence, who visited from the UK. The first catch is in my wheelhouse - CSX Y322. Miami Iron and Metal and Ferrous Processing and Trading can only put out up to about a combined 10 loads of scrap metal due to size, and push this arbitrary limit with the graveyard shift job in addition to there being a cut of empties from Sungas and Family & Son. This leads to making heavy work of CSXT 2051, a GP38-3. The acoustics become one for the books as the engineer throttles the 2000hp locomotive out of the spur proper onto the RTA mainline, sparing no minute to get the job done swiftly. CSX's GP38-3 is a railroad unique rebuild analogous to the SD40-3 and GP40-3, using new electronics and a Wabtec cab, affectionately nicknamed the "LEGO Cab". Aside from the frontal rebuild, the rear receives a new ratchet bra...