NS progresses on its SD70ACU program

NS progresses on its SD70ACU program NEWSWIRE

By Chris Guss | February 10, 2016

| Last updated on August 6, 2025

Norfolk Southern SD70ACU No. 7319 is ready, but not released for service, at the railroad’s shops in Altoona, Pa. The railroad has already completed two refits from SD90MACs.

L.R. Myers of AltoonaWorks.info

ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern has released the first two of its rebuilt SD70ACU locomotives from its Altoona, Pa., shop in January. The program which began in 2015 is the latest for the railroad to upgrade older, less reliable locomotives in its fleet. The program draws from the 100 former Union Pacific SD90MACs acquired second hand from EMD.

The rebuild program features a complete electrical upgrade, replacing the existing Siemens electrical equipment, including the inverters, with Mitsubishi electronics. The existing cab is replaced with a new isolated SD70ACe cab along with a number of other smaller changes to the locomotive during rebuild.

The changes bring the locomotive up to essentially the same mechanical specification as EMDs SD70ACes. The first two SD70ACUs released from Altoona were NS Nos. 7248 and 7283 in January. Both units were sent to Progress Rail’s Muncie, Ind., plant for testing. A third unit, No. 7319, emerged from the Altoona paint shop this week.

To accelerate the program, Norfolk Southern will have EMD rebuild a number of SD90MACs concurrent with the ongoing program at Altoona. The first four, NS Nos. 7262, 7267, 7280, and 7295 have already been shipped to Progress Rail’s Muncie plant to begin the rebuild program there.