[reaperexpress]

I don't view buying back the F59s as value engineering. That's just good sense in my book. Why pay full price for a new loco when you can buy a much cheaper one and refurbish it and still attain your planned end goal?

I agree that the purchase itself isn't value engineering, but it could be a symptom of value engineering on the electrification plans. It's definitely related to delays in actually getting a service electrified, and might possibly be related to a reduction in the planned extent of electrification within the forseeable future.

What's a locomotive lifespan? 30+ years?

Surely there's enough diesels already around for operations 15 years from now, given the amount of electrification they are talking about. I can see a lot of reasons to buy used engines. What's the downside, other than being Tier 2.

It depends whether they've cut back the scope of electrification over the next 15 years. The original plan was to eventually electrify 260 km of Metrolinx-owned track (almost all of it), and we know that the Kitchener-Georgetown segment has been put on indefinite hold due to NIMBYs in Guelph. It's possible more has also been put on hold or delayed such that those diesel locos would still be needed for another 15+ years. Of course the more optimistic view would be that they're figuring they can sell them to another railway when electrification comes on line. (Maybe trade Exo for their ALP-45 dual mode electric locos?)

 

[crs1026]

One key consideration - the used locos they are buying are exact carbon copies of the model ML already owns and loves ….. they were built to the exact GO spec. Absorbing these into GO’s fleet will be very easy. If the strategy is a stopgap that is intended to last only until electrification makes some of the newer diesels redundant, it is perfectly reasonable.
ML has the same cycles of spending and cost cutting as any other business. And we have certainly seen ML having its share of money pits and cost overruns on specific projects. There is a risk that some projects will be cut to the bones to keep the cost to the approved envelope.

- Paul

 

[Bordercollie]

One key consideration - the used locos they are buying are exact carbon copies of the model ML already owns and loves ….. they were built to the exact GO spec. Absorbing these into GO’s fleet will be very easy. If the strategy is a stopgap that is intended to last only until electrification makes some of the newer diesels redundant, it is perfectly reasonable.
ML has the same cycles of spending and cost cutting as any other business. And we have certainly seen ML having its share of money pits and cost overruns on specific projects. There is a risk that some projects will be cut to the bones to keep the cost to the approved envelope.

- Paul

Are they the same units that we sold and derailed at Pickering?