The 7th of  January saw the first major storm of 2005.  While crews were running plow extras and local freights were tied up in the yard, maintenance crews were busy in the Engine Maintenance Facility.  Intermodal cars were receiving grease in their bearings after all the heavy work they have been doing lately.  ST #28 our GP38-2 and ST # 6114 our SD45 received some regular maintenance work to correct signs of wear and minor damage from the past few months.

Here ST #21, the first road diesel of Suleski Transportation, sits inside our Engine Maintenance Facility.  The original front motor burned out on Halloween of '96 and was replaced in December.  The rear motor was still original equipment from 1994.

ST #21 was taken out of service on August 13^th, 2002.  The new motors arrived in December, but the upgrade was put on hold as a lot of new diesels were purchased during 2002 -2003.  They received priority work to get them into service while ST #21 sat idle. 

Suleski Transportation #21 was purchased in December of 1993 from Conrail. Originally an Aristo U25B unit it was used for a little less that a year before it was repainted in Suleski Transportation livery. It received LocoLinc control during this repaint. Ram track ditch and Mars lights were added also.  In 1995 it received an OTT sound system at the National Garden Railway convention in Cincinnati. (OTT no longer makes systems for large scale, which is a shame. The volume is the best.) This unit was then upgraded by the Engine Maintenance shops in 1998 to a U36-B and received a repaint. It has run at three of the five ECLSTS. It has done interchange work at numerous railroads all over New England.

Even with our companies meticulous maintenance program the motors and trucks have worn out from numerous hours of use. ST #21 has been taken out of service and awaits new ball bearing motor bricks that have been placed on order. The pride of our fleet is in the shops for a long awaited motor & truck upgrade.

Over two years later crews tackle the major project.  Here the unit sits next to its two new trucks with ball bearing motors, wheels and sprung side frames.

First we thought we could just exchange motors and wheels, but once the side frames were removed it was apparent that the whole assembly needed a change out.

Here is the unit sitting on its brand new trucks waiting for a test ride.

Crews are waiting for the storm to pass before taking it out on a shake down.

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