Rugged Little Beast
A rare jewel make an appearance at the Norfolk Southern Chattanooga Diesel Shop. Sitting solo on the lead is the Chattahoochee Locomotive Company (CLCX) 14135, still wearing it's ragged out Armor Yellow, and Harbor Mist Gray paint scheme. CLCX 14135 started it's life some many moon ago on the Union Pacific Railroad originally as an SW9 that was rebuilt into a SW10. During the late 1970s. Frank D. Acord UP's motive power chief and his colleagues did a study on a possibility of rebuilding locomotive mainly in the yard switching department. Between 1979-1984 75 brand new SW10 appeared on the locomotive roster originally twenty-two SW7s, thirty-six SW9s and seven TR5As coming from the UP's Salt Lake Shops. Note the big electric radiator fans that stick out like a sore thumb, that major improvement was to replace the trouble prom belt-driven radiator fans, that bulky section of that switcher came from retired GP9s. Also the rebuild program was to replace the 12-cylinder 567A engine blocks with a 645 power. New cabling and wiring, and updated electrical gear. A new consolidated equipment rack for the water tank, oil filters, and other mechanical components was built using parts from retired GP9s. This new, external sand box design did away with the two original, internal sand boxes, with their four difficult-to-access sand traps. The cab interior layout and design also received attention. The new design included a modern control stand, electric cab heating, an electric refrigerator, and other features to bring it up to the FRA-mandated "clean cab" standards. Also as part of the rebuild program, the original friction bearing trucks were converted to roller bearings. At the end this switcher would come at a helfty 107.6 tons, "now that's a heavy switcher!" The SW10 like any locomotive live out it's years in class 1 service, and was replaced by more modern switcher locomotives, and have either been sold to shortlines, or private owners. The Union Pacific has 1 active SW10 UP 96, and it's apart of the prestige UP's Heritage Fleet only limit to the Cheyenne Roundhouse.
