What Pulls the Troop Train??

rfranzosa · Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 12:43 pm Post subject: What Pulls the Troop Train??

For those of you that have been watching my 'troop sleeper' project unfold. I asked the question over at Elvas Tower. I was going to use a set of FT's, but, there were traditionally freight power. Most troop train photos and videos that I have seen show steam, and I don't have time to build a steamer from scratch for Veteran's Day.

So, what could I use as a diesel that would have been built before the start of WW II? I immediately thought of the Alco DL109, but they have limited appeal (me, and all the other New Haven fans), plus that would also be a scratch build. So, I settled on one of these:

EMD E6

There were a lot of them around in the mid 40s:

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad 22A + 5B
Louisville and Nashville Railroad 16A
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 8A + 7B
Southern Railway 7A + 4B
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 4A + 3B
Union Pacific Railroad 6A
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad 5A
Illinois Central Railroad 5A
Chicago and North Western Railway 4A
Seaboard Air Line Railroad 3A
Florida East Coast Railway 3A + 1B
UP-C&NW joint City of Los Angeles 1A + 2B
UP-SP-C&NW joint City of San Francisco 1A + 2B
Kansas City Southern Railway 2A
Milwaukee Road 2A
Missouri Pacific Railroad 2A

So, train simmers, if you had the choice, which roadname should I use??

Rick

CRQ5508 · Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 89

Hot damn! I've always favored EMD's slant-nose E6 over ALCO's PA (I feel PAs are over rated.) As far as road names, I'd have to say CNW, B&O, AT&SF and/or the MILW. But that's just me.

rfranzosa · Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 5:43 pm Post subject:

CRQ5508 · Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 89

LOL, sorry Rick. I'm a LaGrange boy. I'm too young to have ever seen an ALCO PA, and the last cowl body locomotive I saw was a second-hand F9 of Canadian National heritage. The ALCO PA was one snazzy looking locomotive, yes. I just love the slant nose styling of the 40s. Cool

mantonio131 · Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 6:02 pm Post subject:

ftldave · Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 11:21 pm Post subject: More Slant Noses!

I'm running the B&O E6 troop train from Indianapolis to Chicago, up the Monon line. What a beaut!

This past summer I saw one of the L&N E6's at the Kentucky Railway Museum. Not restored yet, but seeing that big slant nose (and their fully restored BL2) was a real thrill.

I hope there will be many more E6 releases from ValleyPass, please, along with those fine old FT's.

Though I must admit I have had hopes for a DL109, surely the ultimate art deco locomotive.

rfranzosa · Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 6:45 am Post subject:

Dave,

I have not given up on the DL109, but it is currently way beyond my TSM skills. Just like a New Haven route is beyond my RE skills! Rolling Eyes

Also, we have the sounds, but I have never even SEEN a cabview of a DL109.

Any photos that ANYONE may have of DL109s (inside and out), would help. Engineering drawings would be even better.

Rick

CRQ5508 · Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 89

Were any DL109s saved in a museum somewhere? It seems few pre-war diesel locomotives (especially non EMD products) were saved.

rfranzosa · Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:59 pm Post subject:

Not a one.

The New Haven had one survivor of the sixty they owned. It was painted solid orange (which had faded to a hideous pink) numbered PP716.

PP716 was used to test 3rd rail power collection (prior to the FL9, the New Haven had investigated replacing one of the prime movers in a DL-109 with electrical equipment and third rail shoes to be used on trains to GCT. The idea was scrapped when it was determined that the DL109 was too heavy for the Park Avenue viaduct.)

PP716 sat at Dover Street engine terminal in Boston until the Penn Central merger, at which time Penn Central scrapped it.

That was the last one.

There is a photo here:

http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=55696&p=627583

RGF