Monday Afternoon I happened to get to the crossing just in time to see a former CP Rail RS-18 Low-Nose Locomotive placed behind the two CN DASH 9s and one GTW GP38-2 pulling a westbound train towards South Bend on the GTW/CN South Bend Subdivision.
Instead of CP Rail it looked like OC Rail. Is that Ontario Central?
Has anybody seen these former CP Rail RS-18 Low-Nose units anywhere else in U.S.A.
Andrew Falconer
Did it look like this:
http://www.mountainrailway.com/Roster%20Archive/CP%201800B/OCRR%201846-1.jpg
The OC stands for Ottawa Central.
That OC Rail or Ottawa Central RS-18 looked just like the one in the photo.
The move to Chicago over the CN/GTW might mean that it was being repaired.
Was it sold?
Andrew
There are five MLW RS18’s in New York State…four rebuilt (by CP) into RS18u units, with their noses chopped…and one unrebuilt, still retaining its high hood.
Two RS18u in Owego, NY: http://gold.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/Owego/
One RS18u on the Buffalo Southern:
http://www.railfan.net/railpix/submit/subphoto.cgi?scotlawrence/BS-RS18-1847.jpg
One RS18u on display in Port Henry, NY: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=844734
These RS18 “low nose” units are all originally MLW RS18, rebuilt by CP, noses chopped (they were originally high-hoods) and now classified RS18u.
one unrebuilt MLW RS18 operating on the Depew, Lancaster & Western in Batavia, NY: http://danstrainyard.us/webphotos/gvt/dlwr1801/dlwr1801.html
Scot
The RS18u on the Buffalo Southern looked just like the Montreal Locomotive Works unit that was behind the three other locomotives. It might have been dead in tow.
Andrew
CN has repurchased more of their former spin-offs, this time from Quebec Railway
Corp, the Ottawa Central, Matapedia and Gulf and New Brunswick East Coast.
These RS-18u units are headed to Homewood for sale or scrap, there should be
nine in all.
New sighting today.
Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at about Noon on the CN -GTW at the front of a fast Chicagoland bound train, mixed in with the CN DASH 9s, were four more of the former CP Rail RS18u units.
The road numbers had been patched over at least once.
They were numbered 2402, 1946, 2400 series, and I think 1908.
So far I have seen five.
Those could be the last RS18u units from the Ottawa Central.
If you are in the Chicagoland area look for those old ALCos.
Andrew Falconer