The first five of Iowa Interstate’s dozen new ES44ACs have left GE’s locomotive factory in Erie, PA. IAIS 502, 503, 504, 508,and 510 left Erie via Norfolk Southern on the morning of Friday, 15-Aug-2008. They’re on NS 145, and if I understand this train correctly, it’s a manifest for Hannibal, MO. For those looking for the units, the train was called out of Bellevue, OH, on Saturday morning at 0145h. It looks like they’ll go straight to KC on the NS.
IAIS 505 and another unit were spotted on the outbound NS tracks at Erie this morning (Saturday, 16-Aug-2008). They’ll most likely be westbound this afternoon. K Bauer (CSX4838 on Trainorders.com) caught these two this morning, and I’ve added his shots (with permission) to the new [IAIS 505 roster page].
The units are in primer, and will move to Kansas City, MO, to be painted and prepped for service at Mid-America Car. (MAC is the same shop that overhauled and painted the 700s and 150s as well, and has done a good deal of other work for IAIS.)
– NDH