Connecticut Southern CSO-3 West Springfield MA

[moon47mars]

Are those ex-Bay Colony engines Alex? Great catch !

[ConrailSD70MAC]

@moon47mars - No, These are ex-GE leased units (from a batch of over 100) that were on the Burlington Northern in the late 1980's-1990's. Many were used on Chicago-Seattle Chicago-Portland service.

[newhavenrr]

thnks

[newhavenrr]

thnks

[newhavenrr]

Is the CSOR a good railroad and how many engines about does it have?

[ConrailSD70MAC]

CSOR is a RailAmerica property that is based in East Hartford CT. They own a few feeder lines like to Manchester and Suffield CT. Mostly old New Haven lines. About 75 miles I think. They have trackage rights along Amtrak's New Haven line from Springfield MA to a point called North Haven and CSX trackage rights in Springfield MA to access the West Springfield yard. The CSOR started with 8 B23-7's from Conrail. It now has 5 of the ex-BN B39-8E's and I think two ex-Union Pacific SD40-2's.

[NsRailfan083]

Those are CSO locos or do they just pull their trains? cause those are RLCX B40-8's. Those are everywhere.

[ConrailSD70MAC]

From the words of one Connecticut Southern employee, CSO owns these units. B39-8E's. General Electric made this units to lease to railroads as a "power by the hour" basis. Burlington Nothern leased 100 of these units in 1988, then the lease expired in 2001 and BNSF returned the units to GE. CSO acquired 5 units in September of that year and started running them then. Montreal, Maine & Atlantic and Providence & Worcester also own ex-GE B39-8's.

[zacandcal911]

What job do you have on the CSO. Can you make a vid of a cab ride in one of the locos.

[ConrailSD70MAC]

I don't work for the CSO. I know someone who does. He provided me with the info I supplied above.

[springfieldboston]

That's a good shot of the engines.

These engines pull locals all day long, they are parked on the siding you were near every night.

[ConrailSD70MAC]

Thanks very much. It was difficult to hold the camera barehanded with a cold wind blowing. I've been very lucky to catch CSO-3 arriving in West Springfield every Monday morning in January just before I make my long drive back to Canada. I have pics from several years ago when Connecticut Southern was using the old B23-7's, including one of them which was in Indiana Southern paint.