All aboard!
PPL Montana is proud new owner of a locomotive

The coal-fired Corette power plant on July 15 took delivery of a refurbished 1968 General Motors EMD SW1001 locomotive.

This new locomotive will be used to unload railcars of coal delivered to the Corette power plant.

It will be used on the plant site to unload railcars of coal delivered to the plant from Wyoming by Burlington Northern and Montana Rail Link.

“Making sure we have a steady supply of coal is an important part of generating reliable energy,” said Tom Olson, Corette plant manager. “We worked through a broker and found this classic in Mount Vernon, Ill.”

Dave Ratliff, fuel crew leadman, said the 1,000 horsepower locomotive runs great and replaces the plant’s 1951 Alco locomotive, which was at the end of its life.

“Securing this engine involved the work of many and took more than three years to find,” said Bob Hindley, production supervisor “With the recent increases in steel costs, locomotive costs rose as well, putting a new one out of range.”

The only blemishes on the 1968 locomotive were some rust and dents from use.

“The people at the Illinois train yard and the National Railway Equipment Co. did a heck of job refurbishing it,” Olson said. “Bob Hindley asked his wife to design the paint job, which makes the engine sparkle and gives it real character.”