Grand Canyon Railway is running meticulously restored ALCO PAs and PBs daily hauling equally well restored heavy weights up 3% grades in both directions bertween Williams AZ and the south rim of the canyon.
Diesel is used exclusively from Labor Day through Memorial Day. Well restored steam, sometimes double headed with diesel, is run daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The Road has additional VIA Rail PAs on the property scheduled for restoration for daily service. The ALCO PA drawn varnish string uses HEP to support the varnish.
The extremely well maintained roadbed supports relatively high speed operation. It has many curves on the 3% grades providing outstanding “head-out-the-window” sound and photo/video oportunities. If the sight sound and smell of PAs under load appeals to you, ride the Grand Canyon.
Not to be mean gfink, but the GCRRs ALCo’s are actually MLW FPA-4s.
Model : FPA-4
Hp. : 1800
Cyl.: 12
Engine : 251B
Period Produced: 10/58-5/59
a total of 50 A/B units were built for Canada
Hope this helps! [:)]
The rest of what you said is true, I have ridden the GCRR and the scenery there is truly beautiful, the train is wonderful with vintage cars from the 1920, and for slightly more $$$ you can ride in either the dome car, or the observation lounge. You step off the train only 500ft from the rim of the Grand Canyon, and for the GC itself; absolutely no words to describe it, both the train ride and GC are well worth the trip.
I have been a strong fan of the Tennesse Central which was all Alco since the 50’s. And like you, as a result of the TC’s dependence on Alco power, I have always preferred the Alco RS-3, RS-32 and FA and FB designs versus GM.
My question to you is that the TC always ran every Alco lashup elephant style. I have never able to understand what the preference for this running set-up was as the Lehigh and New England, also all Alco, ran normal and elephant style lash-ups.
Was there any advantage to running Alco’s elephant style?
To the best of my knowledge there is no advantage to running ALCo’s elephant style, or for that matter, any locomotive. I think its just a strange preference of that RR, some other RRs with strange preferences were the N&W which specified high hoods on all of its locomotives until the mid 80s (although this was more of a saftey issue with the N&W), and the Southern Pacific which starting with the GP/SD7s ordered the full lighting package (both red and white ocilating lights) on ALL of its locomotives into the mid-to-late 80s. Although I may be wrong about this just being a preference, if anybody else could help us out here that would be great![:)][:D][8D]
It was a preferance, but if you ever worked around those locomotives at night, they were easy to locate even if you couldn’t hear or see them. The “MARS” lights were to get the dumb auto drivers attention, and in the canyons, you could visually sweep the cut walls for “moving mountians” or trees that were overly eager to pay the train a visit… The red light was used as a marker for light engines and a Rule 99 flag when the train had a UDE. Espicially useful on multiple track. No approaching train could pass the locomotive with an operating red unless the crew of the train with the red gave permission.
The first engines to have “MARS” lights were the GS-4 Daylight Northerns. The rate of car-train meets was much lower with these engines that those without, so the SP adopted them as standard. They quit using them when cash flow problems made repairs too expensive. The lawyers said - “one loco has no “MARS” lights, no locomotive can have one for lawsuit reasons”. So they were all cut off. This happened twice. Once they were cut off, then replaced, then cut off again.
The UP used them in the late 40’s on all road units and had them on the E’s through the E-8. The 800 series Northerns and some of the Challangers had them also.
Howdy!
How about the LA&L in Western New York. Didn’t they recently get two Alco engines from the Morrisrown and Erie inNew Jersy. I would like to know if this is true and if they are gone somewhere else.I live in Avon and haven’t seen them recently!
Yes the LA&L did recently accquire 2 ALCo C-430s, however, they came from the NYS&W, the M&E still has its 2 C-430s and they will be returned to service soon.
Hope that helped. [:D]
Here is another question for you. Many times you see a loco with additional letters and/or numbers behind the model type. Instead of Alco RS 2 you might see RS 2u and instead of RS 3 you might see RS 3mk. Other examples of this are C425M, C425M/AC, and RS 2r. Is there a “standard” that defines what each letter stands for. I do know what some of these mean. But I figure if I don’t know them all then other people might not either. So I ask not only for myself but for all who might wonder but don’t know. [8D]
I’m curious about a specific Alco. On http://nt1.foothill.net/rumorweb (a very excellent site that gives information on every abandoned/derelict piece of railroad equipment in the US, well worth a visit) there is a listing for a NH RS-3 that’s abandoned in Walpole, Mass. There’s no picture and the only informantion given is “Directly across the diamond from the station, in a gully in the woods, behind the Framington to Franklin wye.” Does anyone know what engine this is specifically, it’s history or why it’s abandoned out in the woods? I’m intrigued by this loco.
Wait a minute railpac!
I have seen pictures of the NTS&W 430’s on the a web site but have not seen them in person. I have either seen in person or on the same web site a picture of a unit in red paint not NYS&W yellow and black. Were they also suqie-q units?
I believe GM&O also had a few S-1 and/or S-2 switchers, although they preferred RS-1s for switching. IIRC, except for the DL-109, all passenger power was EMD. Also, when the GM&O finally acquired EMD road switchers, they rode on AAR trucks from traded ALCo units.
Hello everybody,
sorry I haven’t been keeping up, I haven’t had access to a computer for several days, and after this, several more. [:(] Unfortunately I do not have the time to answer any questions right now, so if anyone could kinda fill in for a while, that would be great! [:D] Hope to answer some more questions soon [;)].
ALCO PAs
Two of the 4 (originally Santa FE , then D&H) from Mexico were purchased, one by the Smithsonian and the other by Doyle McCormack ( of 4449 fame). Apparently Doyle even has a pair of trucks similar to the originals for his. They came from an Erie built.