Most durable locomotive?

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Here's a video for train lovers- an old F10A #413 working a commuter train in Danbury CT recently: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xd-YVFk0Aw



Love the generator whine of those first-generation diesel locomotives. This isn't no tourist line or excursion train locomotive. This thing has been working the rails like any everyday diesel since the day it was put into service. Engines newer than 413 have been put in museums or restored for vintage rail excurions for many years.



#413 went into service December 1946. It has been in continual use since then. Happy 60th B-Day #413



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[jcarew]

train sounds

Does not look bad for 60yrs, I was raised about 125ft from A. T. S. F. main line in Calif. still enjoy trains. still go to many great train watching sites when convenient. My favorite site is in Calif. off of hwy 58 between Bakersfield- Barstow track goes thru a tunnel and crosses over itself some real growling goes on there. lot of good watching places.

 

[Grizzly]

Who make there diesel engines. My dad was a Boilermaker for 15 years with A. T. S. F. in the 50th and got layed off due to the new diesel engines.

 

[Moose Truck]

Who made them?

Who make there diesel engines. My dad was a Boilermaker for 15 years with A. T. S. F. in the 50th and got layed off due to the new diesel engines.

Lets see if I got this right, EltroMotive Division (EMD) of GM; ALCO (American Locomotive COmpany); GE (Eire Bessemer); Fairbanks Morris. Many Others.

 

[klenger]

Linky no worky.

 

[nickleinonen]

that one has an emd [ex GM] 16v567 [probably repowered with 16v645e]



most of the whining sound in that vid clip is from the roots blowers on the engine. the generator on them only really makes lots of noise when the brushes against the comm are brand new or really worn out [too light contact pressure]

 

[jcarew]

locomotive factory

Hi My cousin took me on a tour of the G. M loco. building plant in London, Ont. Canada. Really was interesting everything is big an heavey need a hoist or crane to do anything, like a tank assembly operation. loco. plant seemed very well run, efficient would be the word. The new Loco engines were impressivve. Talked to a few people there an they were a lot of Newfies. Must havve been a good job. everybody I spoke with seemed happy an content and proud of there work. Was a very nice visit. They were working on a number of locos. for Ireland.

 

[nickleinonen]

i am still kicking myself for not grabbing a tour of the ge loco plant in erie when i was there on a training course. .

 

[SHobbs]

Saw a video on the History channel showing the GE loco plant I believe. I was amazed to see that they place the locos on a table similar to an air hockey table to move them around. There was no air used but they had some kind of disks under the loco with a very smooth floor and the assemblers could slide them around very easily with out a crane. IMHO the most durable loco I have seen since i have been with the railroad has been the EMD SD-40. That puppy pulls hard and has a very distinctive sound to it.

 

[Greenleaf]

I have visited two factories. One is in Lima Ohio (near here) where steam locomotives, including the gear drive SHAY was built.



Another factory I recently visited was in Roanoke VA where Norfolk & Western RWY built their steam power.



www.cassrailroad.com



www.vmt.org/Collections/nw611.htm



To answer the question of the most durable..... it would obviously be Shay #5 on the Cass roster. Still in use. Same place. Same line. Since 1905. I think it trumps your diesel.



HAPPY 101st BIRTHDAY Shay #5

 

[Greenleaf]

N&W RWY

"J" Class #611



Loads of video footage of this old girl along with the giant pictured behind me Oo.

 

[GHarman]

Not a Diesel, Rode a Shay on the old Georgetown Loop Railroad 3 years ago with my son, (4 at the time ). The Steam whistle was so loud that my son said it "SCARED HIS EARS" . He Loves trains, We make a point of watching for a train on each excursion down the mountain. We see a lot of mile long coal trains heading down and east from the western slope coal mines arount Oak Creek. They usually have 4 or 5 locomotives in the front 2-3 in the middle and at least one tail end charlie. They have a steady 2% grade from the Moffat Tunnel down to the west side of Denver Metro area. It is really impressive to see those huge locomotives exiting and entering the Moffat Tunnel. My son wants to be a Locomotive Engineer when he grows up. GregH

 

[nickleinonen]

We make a point of watching for a train on each excursion down the mountain

i watched a few trains go by today at work [i was servicing units at outposts today] so i was ~25' from the main line where they were going by at ~45mph in N8 full load up a grade. . i personally don't care for the sd45 loco's, but that 20v645 engine under load does sound good, and the fdl ge's sound good too. and i was really suprised how quiet a brand new boxcar with brand new wheels is going by at 45mph. the rail was in good shape, and the cars were near silent going by [about 20 new ones back to back], just singing slightly [like a wet finger on a wine glass rim] then you hear the clunk clunk clunk of the flatspotted and shelled wheels on the old beat up cars. .

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

To answer the question of the most durable..... it would obviously be Shay #5 on the Cass roster. Still in use. Same place. Same line. Since 1905. I think it trumps your diesel.



HAPPY 101st BIRTHDAY Shay #5

That could be one of the longest continuously-operated locomotives. . . has it been in use the entire 101 years?



There's another old steamer with a birthday this month, "The General" of Civil War fame. It was built Dec. 1855. It travelled about 15,000 miles under its own power around the eastern US between 1962-1966, pulling a couple museum cars commemorating the Civil War centennial.



The 611 is one nice loco, would love to see it someday. Norfolk Southern built the most modern of steam locomotives and were the last to give in to the era of the diesel.



Back to the 413, supposedly it's the oldest and loggest-running locomotive on a class-1 railroad.



There are a few places around the US (which are not Class 1 RR) that run old steam power on a regular schedule. The Cumbres and Toltec run some very old and long-running steam engines. I know at one point in recent years the Grand Canyon railroad was running up big miles on their steam engines (over 50,000 in a year on one loco).



Vaughn

 

[Greenleaf]

Vaughn,



Sorry. I know it's not diesel. And Yes. #5 is in use. Never put up in a museum. The RR used her up untill like 1960 give or take and then shortly after, the State of VW bought up the ENTIRE company town. All locomotives too. They use #5 to pull the tourist trains on the very same line, along with many of the others. It is rebuilt as needed, so it is put up for repairs time to time as need requires. They have to be torn down and rebuilt every so many hours.

 

[WantaCummins]

Another vote for the SD 40 . Our rr is trying to retire most of them and replace them with ac 4400's :{ . They remind me of a 1st gen Cummins not too comfortable, ride rough and not the most powerful but the just have a nice feel when operating them and best of all almost no computers !!! See the similarities . Of all the new loco's i like the SD 70 Macs best but cp doesn't buy anything but ge's anymore so i only get them when we use ns 's units. As far as the best sounding and SMOKING locomotive's nothing beats a Alco a local shortline Delaware + Lackawanna keeps a fleet of these alive and working day in and day out The sound they make gives me goose bumps !!!

 

[bjonesAZ]

Lots of RR memories since my dad was a lifer. My biggest regret is not taking pictures of Milwaukee RR Little Joe's in Deer Lodge, Montana in the early 70s.



If I were to get back into model RRing it would be during the transition time from steam to diesel.



Bob

 

[Greenleaf]

My Stepfather has an entire room devoted to his 1950/s era model RR. If I recall correctly, he operates three mainlines @ the same time. All Union Pacific. My favorite train is the UP passenger powered by three very early diesels. I don't recall the engine number but they are the very early diesels with a power unit or two (no cab)

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Well I stumbled on this one, but supposedly the oldest locomotive in operation of any kind is the one used in the "Wild Wild West" movie. It was also used (quite aggressively) when it was 100 years old when filming Disney's "The Great Locomotive Chase" movie.



The engine turned 150 years old last year but doesn't get a lot of use. Looks like it gets fired up twice a year for Live Steam Weekend at the Baltimore & Ohio RR museum. #ad




Video of it from last year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5CO4UoU3DE

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

"J" Class #611



Loads of video footage of this old girl along with the giant pictured behind me Oo.

Here's a picture of the actual locomotive "General" that was stolen by Union troops in 1862. Here it showed up for the dedication of #611 in 1963. The General made the trip all the way to W. Virginia from Georgia under its own power.



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