Two photos of the GE Class 70 Freightliner 70012, damaged in a fall on the BELUGA ENDURANCE last month, can be found on the law offices of Countryman and McDaniel's website. Note that you have to scroll through several of my uncredited photos to find the photos.
This is the second site other than my own upon which I have found photos of the BELUGA ENDURANCE and the GE Class 70 locomotives. This has led me to write the following photo use policy:
You are allowed to use any of my photos for personal use or internet display as long as credit is attributed to Jeff Thoreson. Any publication display requires prior written permission which may be obtained via email.
I write the Erie Shipping News as a labor of love; I have never received any monetary compensation for my writings or my photograph, nor do I have any desire to do so. I do this because I love to do it and it is quite disheartening to see other sites take credit for my work.
Showing posts with label GE Transportation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GE Transportation. Show all posts
Friday, February 4, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
GE Class 70 Locomotives in service in the UK
The new Freightliner GE Class 70 locomotives shipped out of Erie on the BELUGA ENDURANCE in December have gone into service. A photo of 70011 in service, hauling a coal train, can be found online here. The fantastic photo at that Fotopic.net link is by Martin Turner.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Video: Locomotive Loading at the Mountfort Terminal
Below are two videos of the locomotive loading process at the Mountfort Terminal.
The first video shows a unit being shifted to the north track on the dock to be loaded on Sunday, December 19, and the second video shows the actual loading of one the next day.
I will post video of the BELUGA ENDURANCE arriving, and also departing, in the next few days.
The first video shows a unit being shifted to the north track on the dock to be loaded on Sunday, December 19, and the second video shows the actual loading of one the next day.
I will post video of the BELUGA ENDURANCE arriving, and also departing, in the next few days.
Friday, January 7, 2011
BELUGA ENDURANCE Arrives in Wales
BELUGA ENDURANCE arrived in Newport, Wales on the 3rd of January and successfully unloaded four of the five locomotives loaded in Erie last month.
However, while unloading #70012, the final locomotive, a cable on the ship's crane snapped, dropping the locomotive about 13 feet into the cargo hold of the BELUGA ENDURANCE. Reportedly damage to the unit includes cracked axles, crushed bogies, and a bent frame. There have been no reports as of yet of damage to BELUGA ENDURANCE. It's too early to say what will become of the 700012, but with that damage it seems likely that it will be scrapped and replaced with another unit.
This unfortunate incident has spawned a fan page on Facebook.
However, while unloading #70012, the final locomotive, a cable on the ship's crane snapped, dropping the locomotive about 13 feet into the cargo hold of the BELUGA ENDURANCE. Reportedly damage to the unit includes cracked axles, crushed bogies, and a bent frame. There have been no reports as of yet of damage to BELUGA ENDURANCE. It's too early to say what will become of the 700012, but with that damage it seems likely that it will be scrapped and replaced with another unit.
This unfortunate incident has spawned a fan page on Facebook.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
BELUGA ENDURANCE Departs
BELUGA ENDURANCE departed Erie at 0900 this morning after spending nearly an hour turning in Presque Isle Bay. The vessel is expecting to be at Long Point at 1015 and CIP 16 (Port Colborne) at 1330. The ENDURANCE will be changing pilots at CIP 16 today and will be taking pilots all the way to Montreal with a load of canola seed and flax seed from Thunder Bay and locomotives from Erie. The BELUGA ENDURANCE will be stopping in Montreal for bunkers (fuel).
Calling in at Long Point right after the BELUGA ENDURANCE, and also downbound, was the HERMANN SCHOENING, with a cargo of corn from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and also bound for Montreal to bunker. The vessel, drafting 8.00 meters on both ends, was altering course toward the Canadian shore so that it could get cell phone coverage to call the Seaway Authority for service. The pilot reported that every member of the ship's crew was sick with food poisoning symptoms and the ship will need to be fumigated before continuing its downbound transit.
Video will follow this evening.
BELUGA ENDURANCE heads into Presque Isle Bay to turn around.
Turning.
Outbound.
Another view.
Ice in the bay is reported at 5 to 6 inches thick.
In the channel the ice was not nearly as thick, having been broken open last night.
Close up of the BELUGA ENDURANCE.
Crew member on the BELUGA watches the vessel head outbound.
Ice on the vessel built up during its downbound transit.
Passing the Coast Guard station.
Stern view.
Next stop: Montreal.
HERMANN SCHOENING upbound in the Welland Canal bound for Milwaukee on December 12.
Stern view. Note the man on the ladder. The ladder was lowered here to check the vessel's draft markings, much to the pilot's dismay.
Entering Lock 2. On the 2010-built vessel's upbound transit, the bow thruster was not working.
Calling in at Long Point right after the BELUGA ENDURANCE, and also downbound, was the HERMANN SCHOENING, with a cargo of corn from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and also bound for Montreal to bunker. The vessel, drafting 8.00 meters on both ends, was altering course toward the Canadian shore so that it could get cell phone coverage to call the Seaway Authority for service. The pilot reported that every member of the ship's crew was sick with food poisoning symptoms and the ship will need to be fumigated before continuing its downbound transit.
Video will follow this evening.
BELUGA ENDURANCE heads into Presque Isle Bay to turn around.
Turning.
Outbound.
Another view.
Ice in the bay is reported at 5 to 6 inches thick.
In the channel the ice was not nearly as thick, having been broken open last night.
Close up of the BELUGA ENDURANCE.
Crew member on the BELUGA watches the vessel head outbound.
Ice on the vessel built up during its downbound transit.
Passing the Coast Guard station.
Stern view.
Next stop: Montreal.
HERMANN SCHOENING upbound in the Welland Canal bound for Milwaukee on December 12.
Stern view. Note the man on the ladder. The ladder was lowered here to check the vessel's draft markings, much to the pilot's dismay.
Entering Lock 2. On the 2010-built vessel's upbound transit, the bow thruster was not working.
Monday, December 20, 2010
BELUGA ENDURANCE Loads
The last of the GE Class 70 locomotives was loaded onto the BELUGA ENDURANCE this morning at about 1000. The crew of the ship has spent the rest of the day preparing the ship for its voyage. The BELUGA ENDURANCE has a departure prospect of sometime tomorrow.
The crane prepares to lift 70008.
Beginning to lift.
Turning the locomotive.
Lifting.
At deck level and beginning to swing the locomotive over the ship.
Close up of 70008.
Almost over the ship's hold.
The crane prepares to lift 70008.
Beginning to lift.
Turning the locomotive.
Lifting.
At deck level and beginning to swing the locomotive over the ship.
Close up of 70008.
Almost over the ship's hold.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
BELUGA ENDURANCE in Port
BELUGA ENDURANCE, after enduring a slow transit across Lake Erie, arrived at the piers at 0720 this morning and slowly proceeded inbound to the Mountfort Terminal. At 0736 the vessel became stuck in the ice about 150 feet off of the dock.
Due to the miles of red tape that surround the U.S. Coast Guard's Operation Coal Shovel, the icebreaking operation for Lake Erie, the ENDURANCE had no assistance from Coast Guard Cutter HOLLYHOCK while arriving this morning. The pilot on the vessel had requested assistance from the HOLLYHOCK in breaking open the harbor so that the BELUGA ENDURANCE will have an easier time turning and departing tomorrow, to which the HOLLYHOCK told the pilot that they could not simply break open the harbor; the pilot needed to contact the Ice Operations Officer at Coast Guard Sector Detroit.
At 0900 the crew at the Mountfort Terminal began moving the five locomotives from the south track to the north track so that they may be loaded aboard BELUGA ENDURANCE and taken to Wales, which is the ultimate destination of the units.
The dock crew also used a backhoe to break ice around the dock for the BELUGA ENDURANCE, which took more than two hours to secure to the dock due to ice.
BELUGA ENDURANCE is expected to depart sometime tomorrow or Tuesday. HOLLYHOCK departed at around 1300 today.
I will post all of this video (there is nearly an hour worth of video of today's events) sometime tomorrow along with an update on the loading.
BELUGA ENDURANCE inbound.
Another view.
Cracking the thinnest ice in the harbor.
Stern view.
Stuck fast.
Working in the ice.
By moving back and forth, the vessel's pilot was attempting to break the ice between him and the dock, with some success.
Getting closer to the dock.
All of the locomotives due to be shipped are shown in this picture.
HOLLYHOCK working at Buoy 5.
Inbound to drop off buoys.
70009 being moved to the north track.
This front-end loader moves toward the railcar to start pushing.
Pushing it onto the north track.
HOLLYHOCK at dock.
Lifting a buoy.
Ice fishermen off of Dobbin's Landing. Ice is reportedly 5 to 6 inches thick.
At 1600 this afternoon loading had yet to begin.
Due to the miles of red tape that surround the U.S. Coast Guard's Operation Coal Shovel, the icebreaking operation for Lake Erie, the ENDURANCE had no assistance from Coast Guard Cutter HOLLYHOCK while arriving this morning. The pilot on the vessel had requested assistance from the HOLLYHOCK in breaking open the harbor so that the BELUGA ENDURANCE will have an easier time turning and departing tomorrow, to which the HOLLYHOCK told the pilot that they could not simply break open the harbor; the pilot needed to contact the Ice Operations Officer at Coast Guard Sector Detroit.
At 0900 the crew at the Mountfort Terminal began moving the five locomotives from the south track to the north track so that they may be loaded aboard BELUGA ENDURANCE and taken to Wales, which is the ultimate destination of the units.
The dock crew also used a backhoe to break ice around the dock for the BELUGA ENDURANCE, which took more than two hours to secure to the dock due to ice.
BELUGA ENDURANCE is expected to depart sometime tomorrow or Tuesday. HOLLYHOCK departed at around 1300 today.
I will post all of this video (there is nearly an hour worth of video of today's events) sometime tomorrow along with an update on the loading.
BELUGA ENDURANCE inbound.
Another view.
Cracking the thinnest ice in the harbor.
Stern view.
Stuck fast.
Working in the ice.
By moving back and forth, the vessel's pilot was attempting to break the ice between him and the dock, with some success.
Getting closer to the dock.
All of the locomotives due to be shipped are shown in this picture.
HOLLYHOCK working at Buoy 5.
Inbound to drop off buoys.
70009 being moved to the north track.
This front-end loader moves toward the railcar to start pushing.
Pushing it onto the north track.
HOLLYHOCK at dock.
Lifting a buoy.
Ice fishermen off of Dobbin's Landing. Ice is reportedly 5 to 6 inches thick.
At 1600 this afternoon loading had yet to begin.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Locomotives to be shipped from Port of Erie?
According to reports among local raifans, GE is scheduled to ship locomotives out of the port of Erie before the season ends.
Four PH37ACmi diesel-electric locomotives built for Freightliner, a railroad company in the United Kingdom, are reportedly scheduled to be shipped out of the port. These locomotives, number 70008-70011, are numbers seven through 10 of a 30 locomotive order. The first locomotives were shipped out of an east coast port last year.
When this occurs this will be the first order of locomotives shipped from Erie since 2006.
CSX has now moved all of the biodiesel cars off of the Mountfort Terminal after the failed loading of the CLIPPER LOYALTY earlier this week.
In other railroad-related harbor news, the new siding into Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair appears to be nearly complete, but there is no word as of yet when the company might receive its first rail shipment.
The tug KEN BOOTHE SR. is tentatively scheduled to be moved out of the drydock at Donjon on December 17. I will follow this story as it develops.
CSX Local Y120-02 waits to pick up the locomotives from GE this afternoon.
Another view.
Freightliner locomotive 70008 waits for the local to pick it up at 1500 this afternoon.
70009 and 70010. These locomotives are on rail cars because they are of a different gauge than North American rails and thus cannot be shipped directly on the rails.
The entire locomotive shipment. These units look roughly the same on both ends, unlike their North American counterparts.
Freightliner locomotive 70011.
Four PH37ACmi diesel-electric locomotives built for Freightliner, a railroad company in the United Kingdom, are reportedly scheduled to be shipped out of the port. These locomotives, number 70008-70011, are numbers seven through 10 of a 30 locomotive order. The first locomotives were shipped out of an east coast port last year.
When this occurs this will be the first order of locomotives shipped from Erie since 2006.
CSX has now moved all of the biodiesel cars off of the Mountfort Terminal after the failed loading of the CLIPPER LOYALTY earlier this week.
In other railroad-related harbor news, the new siding into Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair appears to be nearly complete, but there is no word as of yet when the company might receive its first rail shipment.
The tug KEN BOOTHE SR. is tentatively scheduled to be moved out of the drydock at Donjon on December 17. I will follow this story as it develops.
CSX Local Y120-02 waits to pick up the locomotives from GE this afternoon.
Another view.
Freightliner locomotive 70008 waits for the local to pick it up at 1500 this afternoon.
70009 and 70010. These locomotives are on rail cars because they are of a different gauge than North American rails and thus cannot be shipped directly on the rails.
The entire locomotive shipment. These units look roughly the same on both ends, unlike their North American counterparts.
Freightliner locomotive 70011.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Port Shipping Picks Up
The 2008 season stands to be a good one for the port of Erie's international business. Already, one saltwater vessel, the STELLANOVA, has been in port to unload machinery.
Sources within the plant at Lake Erie Biofuels report that the PANAM FLOTA should be arriving during the week of May 11 to load biodiesel for Europe. This will be the second load of biodiesel to be shipped through the port; the first one went out onboard the CLIPPER TOBAGO last December.
Several loads of biodiesel should be headed for Europe this season. Also, in October GE reportedly plans on shipping 25 locomotives through the port.
I will follow all of these stories and update them when I have more information.
Sources within the plant at Lake Erie Biofuels report that the PANAM FLOTA should be arriving during the week of May 11 to load biodiesel for Europe. This will be the second load of biodiesel to be shipped through the port; the first one went out onboard the CLIPPER TOBAGO last December.
Several loads of biodiesel should be headed for Europe this season. Also, in October GE reportedly plans on shipping 25 locomotives through the port.
I will follow all of these stories and update them when I have more information.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
GE Planning on Shipping Locomotives
At Friday's meeting of the Erie Western-Pennsylvania Port Authority, chairman Ray Shreckengost announced that General Electric is planning on exporting 25 locomotives through the port of Erie in October.
I'm not sure at the moment who the customer is for these units, but I'll continue to follow this story and will have more details as they unfold.
I'm not sure at the moment who the customer is for these units, but I'll continue to follow this story and will have more details as they unfold.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Cargos Shipped Through the Port of Erie: Locomotives
One of the less frequent cargos shipped through the port of Erie are locomotives built by GE Transportation.
GE Transportation, long Erie County's largest employer, manufactures diesel locomotives for the domestic and foreign markets. Although most of the locomotives it manufactures are for the domestic market, a number of them are for international customers. This poses a problem as far as shipping the units is concerned, as there is obviously no rail link between the United States and Europe, Asia, Australia or South America.
Therefore, locomotives built for international buyers have to be shipped via water. Although most of them are shipped via coastal ports, the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 gave GE another option -- the port of Erie.
Over the years GE has infrequently used the port to ship locomotives via foreign-flagged heavy-lift ships. One of the first shipments was in November 1963, when the BELKARIN loaded locomotives for Thailand.
On June 1, 1967, the BELEVELYN arrived in Erie and loaded 14 locomotives. Twelve of these were bound for Honduras and two for Panama. Fifteen years later, on November 29, 1982, the American-registered ASHLEY LYKES loaded locomotives for Tunisia.
The past decade has seen four shipments of new locomotives from GE depart through the port of Erie. In October, 1997, the PROJECT ARABIA arrived in port to load locomotives GE was shipping to Brazil. A year later, the first of three shipments to the Quebec, North Shore & Labrador Railroad, an iron-ore railroad linking Port Cartier, Quebec, with iron ore mines north of there, departed aboard the FAIRLOAD. These Dash 9-44CW locomotives were at the time GE's most modern.
Five years later, the STELLAPRIMA loaded 12 GE AC4400CW locomotives for the same raiload. The Quebec, North Shore & Labrador railroad has no connection to another railroad, which is why the units are shipped by ship to Port Cartier, which is on the St. Lawrence River.
The most recent shipment that GE used the port of Erie for occured on June 16, 2006, when the STELLANOVA arrived in Erie to load 6 AC4400CWs for Port Cartier. Hopefully, GE will continue to use the port of Erie for shipments.
STELLANOVA loads locomotives (to the left of the photo, under tarps) at the Mountfort Terminal on June 16, 2006.
GE Transportation, long Erie County's largest employer, manufactures diesel locomotives for the domestic and foreign markets. Although most of the locomotives it manufactures are for the domestic market, a number of them are for international customers. This poses a problem as far as shipping the units is concerned, as there is obviously no rail link between the United States and Europe, Asia, Australia or South America.
Therefore, locomotives built for international buyers have to be shipped via water. Although most of them are shipped via coastal ports, the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 gave GE another option -- the port of Erie.
Over the years GE has infrequently used the port to ship locomotives via foreign-flagged heavy-lift ships. One of the first shipments was in November 1963, when the BELKARIN loaded locomotives for Thailand.
On June 1, 1967, the BELEVELYN arrived in Erie and loaded 14 locomotives. Twelve of these were bound for Honduras and two for Panama. Fifteen years later, on November 29, 1982, the American-registered ASHLEY LYKES loaded locomotives for Tunisia.
The past decade has seen four shipments of new locomotives from GE depart through the port of Erie. In October, 1997, the PROJECT ARABIA arrived in port to load locomotives GE was shipping to Brazil. A year later, the first of three shipments to the Quebec, North Shore & Labrador Railroad, an iron-ore railroad linking Port Cartier, Quebec, with iron ore mines north of there, departed aboard the FAIRLOAD. These Dash 9-44CW locomotives were at the time GE's most modern.
Five years later, the STELLAPRIMA loaded 12 GE AC4400CW locomotives for the same raiload. The Quebec, North Shore & Labrador railroad has no connection to another railroad, which is why the units are shipped by ship to Port Cartier, which is on the St. Lawrence River.
The most recent shipment that GE used the port of Erie for occured on June 16, 2006, when the STELLANOVA arrived in Erie to load 6 AC4400CWs for Port Cartier. Hopefully, GE will continue to use the port of Erie for shipments.
STELLANOVA loads locomotives (to the left of the photo, under tarps) at the Mountfort Terminal on June 16, 2006.
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