City of Asheville

NCDOT 1797 City of Asheville (Debut February 1999) is a EMD F59PHI train. The unit was built in 1998, and entered service in 1999.

The unit is one half of the F59PHI Fleet, along with sister locomotive 1755 City of Salisbury, which entered service in 2002.

Appearance
1797 is a EMD F59PHI, with N C in front of her in yellow, and under that is a large, white Star.

Her front is mostly blue and her back is white with NORTH CAROLINA written in black.

Above her wheels is a red strip and a yellow stripe above that. All of the F59PHI's are identical, except for the number and name.

Construction and Debut (1998 - 1999)
1797 was under construction in 1998, and the locomotive was funded by the deactivation of Piedmont 1768 City of Charlotte. This was because of budget issues, and the lack of use from that locomotive.

1797 had debuted in February 1999. It's sister engine, 1755, had construction delayed due to more budget issues. Although the budget was under control, the Piedmont could not afford to finish construction on the other locomotive, and had to keep money to maintain the locomotives, railroad tracks, and such.

Piedmont Service (1999 - Present)
The locomotive was joined by its sister engine, 1755 City of Salisbury, in 2002. The construction of this locomotive was resumed when former locomotive 1768 was sold to Virginia Railway Express, in 2001.

At this point, there were 3 Piedmont engines, 1797 City of Asheville, 1755 City of Salisbury, and 1792 City of Raleigh. 1792 was the lead locomotive, an EMD GP40PH-2.

The sister engine of 1792, 1768 City of Charlotte, was replaced by 1797 City of Asheville, since that locomotive was of poor quality and rarely used. 1797 and 1755 had looked the same until 2005, when 1755 had crashed into an empty boat carrier.

While the nose of 1797's sister engine was ruined, the two had looked different for many years to come. 1797, like its twin, had served as a backup locomotive, as 1792 was considered the flagship. This was the Piedmont's original trademark since 2002.

On May 13, 2010, 1792 City of Raleigh was in a career ending crossing accident, after hitting a lowboy truck stuck on the tracks. This leaves 1797 as the oldest locomotive in service. Although 1792 was the flagship, 1797 never gained that position.

Engine Remodeling (2011 - 2012)
For a great period of time, 1797 was out of service to undergo major engine repairs. This left the locomotive out of service, but it was not taken out of the official roster. During the process, the locomotive's generators were upgraded, and the brake fuse was fixed.

During the repairs, the locomotive's paint was re-done. This was because of the out of date repainting. The throttle was given soft handling, and the cab was given a new paintjob. The conductor and engineer chair's were replaced.

The return of 1797 was in 2012, surprising many railfans. The locomotive no longer appeared outdated, and was an improvement towards the locomotive.

Later Years (2012 - Present)
1797 is considered the icon of the Piedmont, being the NCbyTrain logo, and having a carboard model that was given out during National Train Day.

1797 is currently the oldest locomotive in the Piedmont fleet, that is currently in service. The oldest locomotive was 1792 City of Raleigh.