American freight locos rebuilt in Estonia

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AMERICAN manufactured diesel locos, once used in the USA, are being completely rebuilt in Estonia for use there and also in Ukraine. 

Estonian state-owned rail freight company Operail inherited the former US Class 1-operated diesel locos which were imported during 2002/03 when the business was run by private company Baltic Rail Services – trading as Eesti Raudtee. 

EVR Cargo No. 1566 at Tapa depot on June 30, 2011. As new the loco was Conrail C30-7A No. 6577 and also worked for CSX as No. 7107. It worked for NorfolkSouthern as No. 8124 prior to export. KEITH FENDER

In total, 58 GE-built C36-7 ex-Union Pacific locos, plus 19 ex-Conrail GE C30-7A locos, were overhauled in the USA and exported to Estonia, re-gauged to 1520mm, and used to replace old Soviet-built designs in 2002/2003. 

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Within a few years the company was sold back to the Estonian Government, renamed EVR Cargo, and now operates under the name Operail.

Read more in the May 2019 issue of The RM – on sale now!


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