The RF&P E unit would be key to VMT's mission, I would suspect. It is from a railroad that ran entirely in Virginia. Also, I believe it was one of the E units the RF&P leased to the N&W in the N&W's rapid diseselization. It ran in N&W colors with "Norfolk & Western" on the side. Restored like this, sitting near the 611 would tell an important part of the story, of how the Last Steam Railroad in America succumbed to internal combustion.

Perhaps the powers that be have worked out a piece for piece loan for a specified time period. Until news is made official, let's just sit back and be thankful for the E unit getting attention and keep our fingers crossed for the SDP45.

Joshua

It ran in N&W colors with "Norfolk & Western" on the side. Restored like this, sitting near the 611 would tell an important part of the story, of how the Last Steam Railroad in America succumbed to internal combustion.[/quote]

The E8s that Norfolk and Western leased from Richmond, Fredricksburg & Potomac and Atlantic Coast Line were never repainted into N&W Tuscan Red. They remained in their blue & gray and purple and silver liveries and retained their respective numbers. Norfolk and Western replaced the names of the owning railroads. I can only recall seeing one of these locomotives shortly after they replaced the Class Js. This was, as best I recall, a single purple ACL E unit heading the westbound Pocahontas through Montvale, Va.

There seems to be a lot of "conspiracy theory" going on in this thread. The facts of the matter is that NS has been very supportive of the preservation organizations in this area for a number of years. The N&WHS has received a great deal of support including extra space, and the Link Museum for it's special events. (including the upcoming 10th Anniversary which will include a night photo session by the NS Company photographer) The past administrations at VMT had received much criticism for the condition of the collection, and NS has supported the turnaround that is now taking place. They essentially matched the Trains Magazine grant for 1776 by doing the restoration work in Chattanooga, and are now doing the E8, which if you didn't happen to notice, is an NS "heritage" artifact. NS has also done much to support restoration work in other ways, including equipment moves for work done at the Roanoke Chapter's facility. and the donation of a lot of smaller stuff, including signals and materials such as the yard shanty we recently restored. They have also helped increase visitorship in many ways, the most important of which may be the trackage rights given so that we could start offering train rides at selected times. (about a 40% increase since we stared 3 years ago)

The support NS gives to preservation is not just in Roanoke (or Chattanooga). There's a green E8 in Roanoke receiving mechanical work for some folks down south. Not to mention the big event in NC this spring and a couple of steam locomotives lurking regularly on the mainline

Besides, who's to say that 1009 couldn't come out of the Chattanooga paint shop in post-merger Pevler blue, with N&W "hamburger" heralds.... wouldn't that look neat down at the Spencer foamfest.... just sayin'.......

Time will tell if 1009 gets to Spencer, though visitors will see at least one real Wabash cab unit as the F7A from Monticello is now confirmed to be attending - according to the NCTM web site. Maybe 2 Wabash cabs together again? How long's it been?

Well, I'm not sure if the Wabash ever used F units on passenger trains with all of the E's and PA's on their roster. But I always thought it would be neat if the Wabash F units from both Monticello and Mad River could get together, get a string of vintage freight cars and have a vintage diesel photo freight. Now, that would be something!

Les

It has now been confirmed that the #1009 will be present at the Spencer streamliner event in late May. It is also said that the unit will be (it might already be, by now) painted in the "Bluebird" paint scheme, like the Wabash Heritage locomotive.

James Holzmeier
Wabash Railroad Historical Society

Personally, when I first saw the two 'skeleton' E units sitting by themselves in the yard, the very first thing I thought was 'what a great display if the interior components were painted distinctively and labeled, and clear 'display' sides were put on. Shows all the bracing, the interior components, how everything is laid out. "Phantom' display of the paint scheme as a'scrim' so that depending on how light is shined on the locomotive it appears to be painted, or see-through.

Then provide an interactive app for everyone following along, with all the parts and systems described for the 'tour', and enough descriptive keys, placards, etc. for all the people without display devices...

Works until time to re-do the second unit.

Hey, does the Wabash-Nickel Plate merger have anything to do with why a WAB E-unit might be needed around a certain Nickel Plate Alco?... ,ducks for cover>.

I always though this would be a neat display idea for an F or E unit. Mr. Cook can clarify, but I think EMD did this on some exhibition locomotives.

EMD did this for the 1939-1940 Worlds Fair, with Seaboard E4's and an E6. They painted the interior piping in colors per Bill Hottinger's operators manual artwork color scheme, and installed glass sides on the locomotives with lights in the engine rooms for night viewing. The locomotives were set on a track that laid in an excavated ditch, with viewing platforms on both sides. The rear of the "B" unit extended through the wall of the building so that visitors could also go inside the locomotive without having to go out into bad weather. Following the fair, the units were returned to stock configuration and delivered to the railroad.

They did this again in 1946-1949 with several F3B units that were used for public display and instruction use.

They also color coded the piping in one of the FTB units in most customer deliveries and equipped it with identification plates so it could be used for on-site instruction of shop personnel. John Long, the Erie Railroad photographer, took photos of visitors at a public open house at the Marion Ohio Diesel Shop, viewing the color coded piping inside the FTB instruction unit, with the color code identification plate in back of them.

They did a very similar display with a GP35 at the 1965 Worlds Fair. I always thought it was fascinating how EMD did this pretty regularly with locomotives, using them as a promotional tool, always making the units readily restorable to operation so they could sell them afterwards.

PC

On display circa 1965 with labels:


GE U25B

http://www.gn-npjointarchive.org/NPRHAS ... R_0637.jpg

http://www.gn-npjointarchive.org/NPRHAS ... R_0709.jpg

http://www.gn-npjointarchive.org/NPRHAS ... R_0728.jpg


GE U25C:

http://www.gn-npjointarchive.org/NPRHAS ... R_0724.jpg


-Hudson

It's out.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/NS-Locos/111336324314?ref=stream

Brian, thanks for the picture! Hard to believe what it looked like before Norfolk Southern people worked their wonders.
Magnificent!

Alan

How long before they put the Farr grilles back on her?

I would suspect that it will be sometime between now and when she leaves Chattanooga to go to Spencer.......