My passenger cars bit the dust after many years of use. My question is, did L&N ever pull freight with their 4-6-2s or E 8s in the mid to late 50s? If they did this will save me a couple of hundred dollars in passenger equiptment & will satisfy the nit pickers that might visit my layout.
Do what you want. Tell any nit pickers to go pick nits somewhere else.
When you say ‘bit the dust’, do you mean some parts wore out from long use? If it is that, could replacing the trucks get them back on the road again?
While I cannot speak to L&N practice, I can tell you a little about PRSL.
First, a little background; The Pennsylvainia-Reading Seashore Lines (PRSL) was a class 1 railroad (373 miles, $9.3 million in revenue) jointly owned by the PRR & the Reading RR. It served southern NJ & existed from it’s formation in 1933 until absorbtion into Conrail in 1976. While it owned a diesel locomotive fleet that it started accumulating in 1950, the steam fleet in the 1950s was leased from the parent companies. Like every other RR, passenger business was declining, while freight business was exploding, thanks to some shrewd real estate deals and marketing by the RR.
The background is important so that you have some context regarding the power needs of the PRSL. Especially in the summer months, when passenger business was at it’s peak, one might see anything pulling a local freight. I have seen video of a PRR K4 Pacific as a yard switcher. I have also seen photos of a PRR E6 Atlantic double headed with a diesel pulling freight, and K4s with local freights.
So having a passenger locomotive in freight service is not unheard of, but like I said, I am not familiar with your prototype’s practice. In the end I would agree with the sentiment already stated; It’s your railroad, do what makes you happy!
I can’t speak to L&N practice, but parent Atlantic Coast Line had many Pacifics for freight service, and others (I believe the P-5-B class) were dual-service engines. ACL dieselized by 1953 or '54, but L&N held out longer because its Big Emmas were good engines and the railroad likely didn’t want to anger coal companies by switching to diesels. But like the man said, it’s your railroad, so do what you want.
They MIGHT of done a couple of small two or three car localls. that’s all I know, and I’m not positive it’s right!
Dunno about L&N practice. But on the B&M things were fluid. Rail Fan Arthur Mitchell, writing in the 1950’s about a railfan trip. He mentions that the return was late, on account of a derailment. The P4 Pacific pulling the railfan trip was uncoupled and sent off to pull the wreck train, the excursion trip made it back to Boston until alternate power.
Also, as passenger service was discontinued the country wide fleet of E7, E8, E9 passenger diesels was put to work pulling freight. Probably also the ALCO PA hood units although I cannot remember seeing photos of the PAs pulling freight.
As a final thought, I like passenger service. You ought to be able to put your passenger cars back in service without breaking your bank.
According to the above source (Louisville & Nashville Steam Locomotives, by Richard E. Prince), p.116, some 4-6-2s did freight on the L&N. Let me know if you can’t find it. It’s a google book.
Simon
[:)]Thanks all for the ideas and info.
I seem to remember reading that passenger engines, such as a NYC Hudson, would often be used in a local freight for breaking in after a major shopping. I also have images of a NH Pacific being used in freight service, so I know it was done.
Your mileage may vary…
Found an image of a New Haven I4 pulling freight in 1947. Last in link.
Pacifics certainly were used on freights after being bumped from passenger service by diesels by many railroads, so I suspect you could eventually find a pic of an L&N Pacific hauling freight in the 1950’s. A very few E units were used on fast freights, but it would be much rarer.
This is a tangent, but both Seaboard Air Line and Erie Lackawanna used E units on freight trains, but that was in the Sixties.
The Lehigh Valley regularly used Pacifics on freights, and when its passenger service ended in 1960-61, it used its Alco PAs on freights too.
There are surely cases of passenger locos in freight service but maybe not on a regular basis. Sometimes you gotta run what you got.
The IC rebuilt some 4-6-2’s with lower drivers and used them exclusively in freight service. Mostlly on smaller trains such as locals.
They tried the same thing with some Atlantics but the 4-4-2’s were just too light and they were not successful like the Pacific conversions.
They even tried using E units in freight service, especially piggyback, but I think they fried too many traction motors account of being geared for 117 MPH. Other roads might have had better luck with passenger engines having lower top speed gearing.
Charlie
The CNR used light Pacifics on local and way freight service in the mid-late '50s. I read in one book that they were good for way freight use on mainlines as they had good speed with trains that were usually quite short.
CN Charlie