The Last Run
After getting permission by the Locomotive Dispatcher to enter into the Chattanooga Diesel Shop lead the trio of EMD motor which was assigned to NS 348 (Linwood,NC-Chattanooga,TN) continue to make the shove back into the west thoroughfare track to the shop limit sign, from these the inbound crew with get off, and the power will sit til the diesel shop hostlers and retrieve the locomotives. We was grace in the presence of what could be consider a true Heritage Unit. NS 5420 was one out of six last remaining SD50 on the Norfolk Southern Active Locomotives roster at the time. Since the CR Split off in 1999 Norfolk Southern have receive a total of 79 SD50s and over time when the railroad was purchasing new equipment to pull trains, the number of SD50s started to drop. By 2008 Norfolk Southern started the SD40E program which would extend the limited SD50 candidate life span by a few years. By 2013 NS had rebuilt 41 SD50 into the SD40E, which only leave 6 left, and the rest of the 33 SD50 that was part of the CR Split off deal with deposed of. NS 5420 was on borrow times, and as you can see, the locomotive fit the definition of worn down. The same power would leave out of Chattanooga later on that evening on a Central Division train which would be the last time this unit was seen in Chattanooga. Unfortunately a few weeks later NS 5420 was officially retired, and by June of 2013 it was rebuilt into the new SD40E...Thus an end of a era...
