Is that the Broadway Limited? Your photo says the National Limited. It looks like the Broadway to me, since as I understood it, the National Limited was a much smaller train.
Incidentally, I have enough equipment to model the National Limited in the 1970s, so i'm going to do that next show season if I don't finish these "project" cars I have for my Broadway Limited New York Section.
A trio of leased GP-9's heading west for another helper assignment. Many trains eastbound through here needed help for the grade through Summit cut just east of here, and they usually put them on in Alliance. February 9, 1977 East Palestine, Ohio
I'd never heard about UP GP9s on lease to Conrail at all. And the grade there is something railfan publications hardly cover. I noticed the Capitol Limited ran very slowly between Alliance and CP Wood when I rode it in 2008. How does Wood Tower or CP Wood fit in here? This has got to be one of the least-covered interesting spots in railroading.
CP Wood is MP 34.8, Summit cut is MP 37, and E. Palestine is MP 48.9 at the Market Street crossing. The grade eastbound at Highland (Summit Cut) is .95% and there is a 5 degree curve in there too. It is rare today, but trains still stall on that grade.
It is a possibility those units had been sold to PNC and never patched, but the railroads usually insist on a patch so they are released from liability.
I saw many foreign roads in the first couple years of Conrail, and some I never photographed. :|
Those GP9s are indeed UP units. I couldn't find a complete disposition list of the UP GP9s, but it seems most sold to PNC during this time went to CN&W, or were purchased much after this time period.
However, the book "Conrail Motive Power Review Volume One: 1976-1986" specifically mentions a set of UP GP9 and GP9Bs, and I'm guess that must be it!
In 1976, the book says.....
"Leased locomotives from a multitude of sources, including Missouri Pacific, Precision National Corporation, Burlington Northern, Bangor and Aroostook, Chicago & North Westerm, and Canadian National helped ease motive power shortcomings. Contributions from these sources included GP35s from the MP; assorted GP7 and GP9 units from PNC; NW2s, SW9s, and RS-3s from BN; and GP40s, GP40-2s, C-424s, and M-636s from Canadian National. The CN GP40-2s gave Conrail a look at the Canadian wide nose design".
In the 1977 section, the book says...
"Leased locomotives remained on the property throughout 1977, with Chicago & Northwestern, Missouri Pacific, Southern pacific, Southern Railway, Union Pacific, General Electric, Morrison-Knudsen, and Precision National supplying locomotives of all descriptions. Help, in the form of GP35s was obtained from MP, SP, and CNW; GP9s and GP9Bs came from the UP; and Southern F-units and GP30s eased motive power shortages. The Chicago & Northwestern also lent GP30s, SD40s, SD45s, and their only GE's, U30Cs 930-936, plus at least one GP9. The mix of motive power was muddied still further for a period of time with traded in former Frisco high-nosed U25Bs from General Electric, and Morrison-Knudsen's two home-built TE53-4E units (heavily rebuilt U25Bs of Union Pacific heritage with EMD Prime movers) that were kept on Conrail trackage. Precision National, always a source of used motive power, leased Conrail an assortment of EMD power, mostly first generation Geeps."
It seems by 1978-1979, enough new/rebuilt/repaired locomotives were heading onto the rails that Conrail could return all of this leased power.
Ultimately, this early conrail period is a great time to model, not just because of Conrail's inherent colorful heritage, but because it seemed to be operating plenty of leased foreign power as well, some of it quite exotic.
I took this picture the same location the following day just after I finished work.It was 5:30PM. A GP7 leads a GP9 westbound.
We were still in bitter cold weather and slow orders were posted in many places.
Charlie
Charlie B Wrote:Thanks Bruce, I like yours too, There has to be more old ones out there.
A pair of U28b locomotives heading north with a string of empty ore Jenny's at West Pittsburgh, Pa. February 11, 1979.
Charlie
Those U28Bs are interesting locomotives. They really are "Interim" units. Early ones (like these) look like U25Bs, late versions look more like a U30B.
Indeed, many U28Bs were already obsolete before they left the assembly line. Some of the last U28Bs, New York Central #2822 and 2823, were testing out the improvements that were implemented in the U30B. These late U28Bs also established the "U-boat" styling used all the way through the Dash-7s locomotive series.
Incidentally, both of these NYC units made it to Conrail. Somewhat frustratingly though, the available P2K models are pretty awful. The Conrail version has a nose light the prototype never had, and the Penn Central version has PRR style numbers, despite being an ex New York Central unit.
I have a P2K U28B, but I'll have to match the P2k Blue paint before I try to shave off the nose light.
I like it, but too much backlighting, not enough detail on the nose. I guess a southbound would look better
I was going to post this one but the U boats are one of my favorites.
These units never made it to Conrail property as the P&LE was not included in Conrail. The P&LE ran these until they died, and a few finished their lives in Tennessee. These pictures were taken in 1979, and the units are P&LE.
Charlie
The light was fading as this unusual set of 6 axle helpers head east to help another train over the hump at Summit Cut. An SDP 45 running long nose forward leads a SD45 still in it's PC paint. Feb 12, 1977 Most helper service through here used only 4 axle units.[attachment=16382]
Charlie, on the P&LE ore train, are those jennies B&LE cars?
Again, when I wound up riding a late eastbound Capitol between Alliance and Pittsburgh, it showed a whole world of interesting and little-covered rail activity. Lots about Conway, almost nothing about the Ohio Connecting Bridge! More photos!
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