I got to listen to an RS-1 switching the docks in Panama City, Panama was a nice sound, decidedly “chuggy” though
take a look at a modern Cadillac next to an Amtrak Genesis locomotive same designer and you can see it in the lines
Personally I think they look pretty cool.
I really doubt GM hired Cesar Vergara to style their Cadillacs. But maybe they did, they’ve sure been getting ugly in recent years.
And older gent I worked with years ago who was a car guy used to say as far as cars go “There’s nothing uglier than an old Cadillac!”
“I don’t know why that is, they always look good new!” he said.
He owned a '37 Cord at one time, but that’s another story.
Ill also add that I love FA units just as much. I mean they mostly look the same above the trucks. Both neat looking units
PAs and FAs are very attractive engines. But to me, nothing beats EMD Es and Fs.
As for first generation Geeps, I also admire the Alco RS-11; I love the nose treatment on those.
Aesthetically my favourite early diesel locomotives were the high-nose GE U25Bs.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2310621
I like pretty much all high-hood road-switchers compared to their low-hood counterparts.
… left out of the conversation so far were the Alaska RR conversions.
A high-hood C628 or C630 is definitely an acquired taste, the proportions of a high-hood nose are just not there on those models.
Well, art’s in the eye of the beholder. I definitely prefer the high-hood versions of those models, and all other road-switchers where both versions were built.
I just like high hoods. YMMV.
By the way, anyone know anything about Doyle McCormack’s Alco PA restoration? He’s come an amazingly long way, but things seem to have gone quiet.
To be honest I lost interest when they put the visibly FM trucks on there (and not made the attempt to salvage some sort of Erie-built out of the old rail-grinding train). To me that’s as glaring as putting Little Joe underframes on a GG1.
It’ll run, and be kept safe. It was fun to watch them work on it. Why ask for more?
Oh, the FM trucks don’t bother me in the least, Amazon doesn’t sell old Alco trucks, and ol’ Doyle had to use something.
I was curious because I haven’t seen any video of the PA running anywhere, or even photos in “Trains” or other publications, unless I missed them somehow.
Hence the question.
Mr. McCormack retired as president of the museum in March of this year, I think in part to address much of the ‘finishing’ of this labor of love.
See this clip from Rapido, November 19th, that discusses some of their new PA project. Asked in the comments whether some of the revenue from PA projects would go toward the restoration, they replied
Someone who gets the Rapido newsletter might tell us if there’s been an announcement.
The engine was visually complete years ago, and was said to be runnable at the time of the Streamliners in Spencer event. My guess is that the remaining work is all relatively small but significant detailing, similar to what needed doing (and to an extent still does) with CSRM’s ‘rebuilt camera car’ Krauss-Maffei.
How many operable PAs are there? And how many that operate regularly?
The most recent newsletter (Dec 25) does not contain anything regarding the PA.
I suspect this is the video you are referring to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erdozXTWrXw
I do not subscribe to Rapido’s newsletter, but I do check their website on a regular basis:
https://rapidotrains.com/content/rapido-newsletters
Has anyone ever made a Turboliner model before?
I believe this is currently the only fully operational one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1--v014k50
The EMD FT ahead of it is also operational. I believe it was rebuilt some years ago with a newer version of the 567 engine.
I had no idea that operable PAs were that scarce. For some reason, I was thinking there were one or two in use on dinner trains in the US.