Interesting.
Pretty sure they went on the Erie with its high and wide clearances. There’s video of one of the big ‘double diesels’ (in primer, no less!) working her way across, later.
Now we can take up how Baldwin got the big ATSF locomotives out of Eddystone – it had to involve water transport.
That WAS interesting! And a very well-done production too!
I wish I could remember where I read it, but there was a very interesting magazine article 20 or so years ago by a former Alco employee who basically told the other side of the story, that is the logistics and procedures for delivering locomotives long distances from the Alco plant. He was a ride-along factory rep on a number of those trips, the responsibilites really weren’t that onerous and the trips were interesting adventures for him.
I would have expected the manufacturers to have their own ‘Riders’ accompany the revenue movement of locomotives across the carriers to the buyers of the locomotives - to watch out for the proper oiling and other maintenance issues that could crop up as the locomotives were being hauled without steam for hundreds of miles. Delivering a damaged product is not in the manufacturer’s best interests.
I think the riders wewre known as “locomotive messengers” - and the practice continued into the diesel age
Locomotive Messengers rode in the Cab of the Locomotive they were assigned to.
A Coal Burning Caboose Stove with Utensils centered on the deck was supplied for cooking and warmth, it’s stove pipe routed up through Roof Ventilator.
Provisions acquired at Terminals.
Water was available almost everywhere in Steam Days.
Coal for Cabooses and Buildings.
Thank You.
I find it interesting that the maker of the video seems a bit perplexed that they were shipped on railroads other NYC. The Central was a good ALCO customer, but it’s not like they owned ALCO. The buyer was UP and in wartime the routing would have been controlled entirely by government agencies.
Interlocking Boards of Directors. Suspect some ALCO Board member(s) may have had a seat on the NYC Board and vice versa - with 8 to 10 or more Board members, some of the linkages can go far afield.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all to find the NYC and Alco had a symbiotic relationship, much like the PRR and Baldwin had. Stands to reason really.
I cann understand routing on the Erie due to clearances
Did Erie have any clearance advantage west of Binghamton? I thought that applied to the mainline east of there.
Rick
Yeah, how about that? How far west was the Erie built with 6-ft gauge track?
Wonder if NY Central actually had overpasses west of Schenectady that would have hit a 4-8+8-4. I suspect the Central could have found a way.
You could always deflate the wheels
To Dunkirk NY in western NY on Lake Erie (West of Buffalo)
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Interesting video.
Comparatively, I guess it was pretty easy for LIMA to deliver the 60 Allegheny’s to the C&O, less than 50 miles to the nearest C&O trackage…
Sheldon
IIRC, the Erie had a couple of 6-ft gauge connections on the western end.
One way or another, the Erie main mostly did have its reputed higher clearance. Hornell to Hammond was all good for 17 ft 6 in, except Kent to Marion was only 16-6.
It might be interesting to find the actual clearance restrictions on the Water Level Route between Schenectady and the ‘handoff’ point to the Big Four. I tend to suspect, although without objective proof, that there was more reason to route along the West Shore than just keeping out of the way of Great Steel Fleet traffic…
Everyone knows there was no need to deflate – they would have used low-profile tires for the move!