Is that an Amtrak MOW rock train running in third rail territory?

These tracks can handle everything, overhead electrical, third rail, you name it. This is where everything heads into NYC's Penn station.

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It seems like such a waste to have Diesel electric locomotives running on their prime movers with third rails and/or catenary available. When the first class I railroad to get its head out of its corporate ass and electrifies, it would ease the transition to retrofit all their new AC engines with pantographs to run in electrified territory, then crank up the Diesel when the wires end. All the old, dying Geeps and SD's still hanging around still have plenty of life left in their traction motors, and would make dandy straight-electric locomotives if their prime movers were replaced with transformers...

This was actually seriously considered in the GDR when diesel got too expensive, for the russian-built class 130 diesel units, which were brand-new at the time. In the end, new electrics were built instead, though.

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Güter auf die Bahn!

I suppose the decision had to do with the number of engines available versus the number of engines needed at the time. If the GDR's Reichsbahn was buying new engines, they must have had them in short supply, and couldn't afford to take new and functional engines out of service just to make them more energy efficient. Doing a rebuild would only make sense if a railroad has lots of old engines lying around that still have life left in their traction motors. KCS could do it very easily, as the Shreveport roundhouse has scores of dead Geeps and SD's sitting out behind the shop with perfectly good electric systems still in place.

The lack of electrification in the US always confuses me. At least for helper services it should be a huge advantage, I'd assume. A boring looking german 152 has nearly as much power as two GE ES44, after all.

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Güter auf die Bahn!

Ain't that the truth! Part of the delay involves fuel surcharges...which is just another name for passing rising costs off to the customer to protect the railroad's profits. Even the progressive BNSF has yet to electrify, and the main reason cited is the cost coupled with a belief that it wouldn't be economical with multi-thousand-mile-long mainlines. I think it has more to do with a lack of "can-do" attitude and an unwillingness to take such a big risk. The Soviets electrified the entire Trans-Siberian railway and the Russians are reaping the benefits as we speak. Besides, Diesel is still relatively cheap, and with shippers paying fuel surcharges, the railroads are somewhat insulated from the increased operating costs of expensive fuel...thus they see no reason to mess with a good thing. I venture to say that BNSF will be the first class 1 to electrify...perhaps once they finish double-tracking the transcon.

It'll be interesting to see. My instincts, accustomed to europe of course, have told me it's only a matter of days before we hear an announcement like this for years.

Even if multi-thousand-mile-long mainlines are a problem, they're not the only way to start electrification. Mountain routes have been electrified in the past, there's no reason they couldn't be again, if only for helpers (that's what we have here in Aachen, by the way). And with modern technology, it should easily be possible to have a diesel + electric hybrid locomotive if you're just willing to sacrifice some power on the diesel side.

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Güter auf die Bahn!

Indeed. I think KCS would be the perfect railroad to electrify because it's still a much more manageable railroad size-wise. I'd recommend they start by electrifying between De Queen and Heavener, then extend north to Pittsburg and south to Shreveport. Double-tracking that route at the same time would do wonders to the company's average velocity and greatly reduce the costs of hauling 120-car coal drags through the Ouachita moutain range.