NS 187 burst out of the tunnel at Vandiver, AL as its locomotives exhaust that filled the tunnel is sucked out behind itself. NS 9293 has the honors of riding up front a bit today. Placed on GE Order # 0042, it was built in April 1999 and placed into service the next month. While that may not seem like long ago, consider some of the number 1 pop songs that year such as “Livin’ la Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin, Lou Bega’s “Mambo #5”, Cher’s “Believe (In Life After Love)” or Britney Spears “Baby One More Time”......some of you of course weren’t even born yet while some of you probably remember Elvis swiveling his hips on the Ed Sullivan Show or The Beatles singing “I Want To Hold Your Hand” to hysterical teenage girls and 20’s something’s women later on the same stage.
The 9293 will however get a second chance at number 1 again itself as it is one of 400 older NS D9-40CW’s are slated for a complete rebuild and will fill the 4175-4574 slot. They will emerge in their as built appearance. For those trackside enthusiasts who’ve longed to see the GE wide cab fade away like a bad #1 1980’s power love ballad....well not just yet
