What locomotives were used after dieselization, before survivors of their E8/E9 fleet were assigned to the service due to being bumped from intercity runs after the merger and the creation of Amtrak?
They didn’t own any Alco RS3’s and F units were nearly extinct on the roster by the time Burlington Northern was created, for two likely candidates that lept to mind as possibilities.
Did Geeps with steam generators handle the service?
CB&Q rotated their E-Units (all but E5s) into and out of the commuter pool. CB&Q’s bilevel cars were originally steam-heated, and power cars rebuilt from older commuter coaches or mainline cars took care of lighting on longer consists, with small tap generators working for two car trains. So the predecessors of the E-Units were CB&Q ten-wheelers and pacifics. And yes, the steam locomotives pulled bilevels from 1950 to 1952.
Contrary to some posts on another thread, the C&NW did not originate bilevel gallery cars in 1955 with cars 1-16 from St. Louis Car. The CB&Q’s first 30 such cars were delivered from Budd in 1950-51.
What C&NW did originate was the use of HEP and Push-Pull operation with cab cars. C&NW’s original bilevels also operated behind steam locomotives (and GP7s and H-16-66s). HEP came with the 1958 P-S order. C&NW converted some E8s to HEP, and swiped a bunch of F7s out of freight service, also installing HEP generators. MILW and RI got cab cars with their first bilevel orders.
CB&Q didn’t get cab cars until 1965, and continued to use power cars until the E8/E9 fleet was rebuilt in the 1970s.
Thanks guys
Why did their GP7’s and GP9’s have steam generators for on the Burlington then? All of them seemed to be so equipped on a roster I found after posting this topic. They also had 75 SD7’s and SD9’s with steam generators.
Was it for branch line power and passenger extras, since the E unit fleet was busy on intercity and commuter runs (And I believe their small group of steam generator equipped F3’s were assigned to the California Zephyr)?
The NorthWestern did some great things back then. There is even a pic of a scoot coming into Wheaton with an SD9 pulling four of the old 60’ cars in 1956.
The interesting comments piqued my interest so I did a little digging…
Q Commuter Run With Steam…
Q Commuter Run With One E, Single Level And Bi-Levels…
E On Not Exactly A Commuter Run…
Not A Commuter Run, But Just A Great Picture Of Aeolus…
Meanwhile, On The Northwestern Side Of Town…This One’s For You, Mr. Schlimm…
Northwestern At Rush Hour…
Northwestern Steam Commuter Power…
Thx for all. I like Q, CNW, IC, CGW, CA&E and MILW.
Not a commute engine but my all-time favorite Pacific - CNW Subsidiary Omaha Road E-3 Pacific 602 - 75" drivers, a whopping 51,567 tractive effort and factor of adhesion of 4.07…
Milwaukee Road Baltic 4-6-4 on what sure looks like a commuter consist…
CGW Ten Wheeler - may have been used in commuter service…
In addition to E-7’s used in the commuter and long-distance pool, and the Pacifics, GP-7s did occasaionlly pull commuter trains in the summer of 1952. I rode one with a two-car consist of gallery cars. I was on my way from New York to EMD at La Grange, arriving on the Trailblazer, and using the first outbound Aurora local from the same side of Union Station.
In one of the postings above, the single level car behind the E-Unit is a power car. Note the hump on the roof.
Published 1912
SHOW MORE
Actually, the Long Island Railroad experimented with Bi-Level Gallery cars in the 1930’s. The prototype is at the Railroad Museum of Long Island in Riverhead, NY.
The first LIRR bi-level cars weren’t gallery cars. The arrangement was more like a coach version of a duplex roomette sleeping car. Note that there is just one aisle level and that you step up or down to your seat.
Thanks!! Always a pleasure to see one of those E-3s. I always wished they operated on the Galena Division.
thanks for the pics. the northwestern with bilevels in the consist is really cool.
does anyone know if there were any instances of steam pulling an all bilevel consist? anyone have pics?
Here are a few more that I was able to dig up, but steam on bilevels is very elusive.
CNW Atlantic on commuter run…
Pacific…
CNW PM Rush Hour…
Blurry color image with two bilevels…
Another CNW rush hour departure…
Another Pacific-powered commuter train at speed…
Not a commuter run, but a nice shot of an E-4 84-inch-drivered Hudson…
Another shot of steam with bilevels - this one not blurry…
CNW commuter from Kenosha…
Back when CB&Q got the bilevels and the E’s, they did not have cab cars and they did not operate in a push-pull mode. They trains had to back out of Union Station after arrival, the e had to be y’d or turned and back back in to Union Station. At the old Aurora station, there was a turntable where the locomotives were turned. Downers Grove had a turntable for turning the steamers when it was the end of the line for most commuter trains. Push pull was a great efficiency for the operation.
They were rebuilt from baggage cars and had a generator capable of handling the airconditioner load of the bilevels after they arrived. Later, the bilevels were converted to electric heat and the generators handled that as long as the E’s still had steam generators. After Amtrak, the Q replaced the steam generators with HEP generators and retired the power cars.
Occasionally, they would not back the train out to the yard, especially mid-day weekday trains. The incoming locomotive would be uncoupled, and the outgoing locomotive attached to the far end. This meant that in the power-car days, one could see the power car behind the locomotive on some trains and at the rear of the train on others.