Classic SD40-2s on Norfolk Southern

Sometimes life is funny. It gives you a glimpse of how things used to be. It's nice to reminisce about the past, but man, is it sweet to be sent back in time for a moment. Over the last few weeks, I was sent back in time to when classic power roamed Norfolk Southern's system on virtually every train. Things like PTC, Safe Trans Signals, and all the modern amenities we see today weren't on anyone's mind. Although these advancements in technology have helped the industry, it's at the expense of the past. What was once an every day occurrence, now feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This video pays homage to the SD40-2. As some have said "If God made a better locomotive than the SD40-2, He kept it for Himself". We see two examples of this particular model leading, both of which have been virtually unaltered with he exception of some paint and a few other small details. The first one we see is NS 3496, originally built for the Burlington Northern in 1978. Assigned to the V71 job out of Crewe, VA, it shoves cars to Clarkton Yard and switches them out for a few less cars destined to points west. The star of the show, however, is NS 1627. Originally built as N&W 1627, this locomotive has been the remote control switcher out of Crewe, VA for several years. The only few times it's left the yard was for servicing in Roanoke. With the recent change in switching operations in Crewe, 1627 is no longer the designated remote switcher, and has been leading a few locals. Here it is Leading the V08 job, bringing cars to Crewe from Richmond with another SD40-2. Although the SD40s were at one time, king of the rails, their time in class 1 service holds an uncertain future. Moments like these make me wonder, what else am I neglecting to appreciate right now that I might miss one day? Only time will tell. Thanks for watching! If you like this video, hit the subscribe button! I have some sweet things coming soon, so make sure to hit the notification bell so you know when the new stuff is out! God Bless!