Hello,
I am looking for designs and photos of the diesel locomotive GM EMD transportation corps. 1818.
Is there anyone who can help me with that?
My mail address : pbmessingmodelbouw@skynet.be
regards.
Suggestion: Try the web sites you will find by “Googling”
US Army Diesel Locomotives
Also there used to be a site for the Army Transportation Corps, that had pictures of many military base locomotives that could on the www.railfan.net web site.
Also: Welcome and hope you enjoy this forum.
The 1818 was a MRS-1, a ALCO designed but built by EMD.
it was based on ALCO RS-1. here is whole page of info on the 1800 series.
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/1794/emd_main.html
1818 was an EMD designed and built MRS-1. ALCO-GE did there own design for the military. MRS-1 was the military specification number. [;)]
I don’t know about the 1818. But I had the 1813 on my property book when I was a Transportation 2nd lieutenant at Ft. Eustis. It was an EMD.
I was 22 years old, in charge of the base railroad, and living in an apartment in Williamsburg, VA. What a great way to do your required Army time.
The Alco’s, IIRC, were numbered in the 1200 series. We had, again IIRC, two of them along with the 1813 and two SW-7s. We kept the SW’s running to bring freight onto the base from the C&O interchange at Lee Hall. The MRS units were stored until the reserve railway units came to the fort to train for their two weeks. Then everything ran. The engineer units even repaired our bridges.
I recall quite well the day a flatcar loaded with an Army rough terrain crane was being shipped out. The “Old Head” NCO engineer told me we didn’t need to set the hand brake. Now, as a 2nd LT, you’re told to listen to your NCO’s. Usually, it’s a good idea. But that car started to roll and pick up speed toward the C&O mainline into Newport News. I had to get on the accelerating “run away” freight car and tie down the hand brake.
All that "Old Head NCO’ said was, “That’ll do 'er”. I didn’t say anything, but I sure thought, “Thank’s Sarge”.
We were “friends” with the C&O. We’d “interchanged” parts. If their car knockers needed an air hose or something similar they knew they could just come get it, and we knew they’d replace it. Same thing the other way. One day I walked out of my office and saw two C&O carmen looking through a parts bin. They were going to take US Government property that I was responsible for. I just thought “I can’t see this”, and went quckly back into my office.
We kept the trains running and we were never short an air hose. People of honor and integrity can do such things.