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 Post subject: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:09 pm 

Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm
Posts: 2279
https://www.facebook.com/IRMDieselShop/ ... 9464227209

It was used as a power car by Long Island RR in later years, and is remarkably intact. Looks like the main impediments to operation, should they decide to go that far, are electrical parts stripped off by LIRR, the 244 is still in place. L&N had a line across Southern Illinois, plus 1/2 of the C&EI line along Eastern Illinois and the Monon into Chicago, so this unit is appropriate to IRM's mission.

IRM is on a roll right now, this is possibly more exciting to me than their restoration of the Santa Fe FP45 and the Rock Island Geep, both of which I have fond memories of from my childhood.


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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 7:27 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2010 12:24 am
Posts: 298
Location: H2O-town, CT
Yup, I'm following it on FB too. They have obtained traction motors for it. The biggest thing they have right now is redoing all the high and low voltage electrical. There has been no mention I see of the condition of the 244 although it is complete.


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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 8:20 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:26 am
Posts: 4642
Location: Maine
Great news, but this isn't the only ex-LIRR power car nearing the end of restoration. I'll let the owners speak for themselves, but there are two being completed, and the plan is to do them up as PRR A-A units, to be followed by L&NE A-A units. DL has one being worked on, too.
So glad to have ALCO cabs getting a break.

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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 9:32 pm 

Joined: Mon Jan 27, 2014 3:52 am
Posts: 24
I am not a big L&N fan but this is one of my favorite low key pieces in IRM's collection. Partly because it felt like something that would never get restored in the old days when IRM had a much more visible "dead line".


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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:44 am 

Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:07 pm
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Location: B'more Maryland
Those photos reminded me, can someone explain the perforated material used in cabs? Was it to let the insulation "breathe"?

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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:13 am 

Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 6:29 pm
Posts: 50
Sound deadening


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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 1:39 pm 

Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 2:50 pm
Posts: 2815
Location: Northern Illinois
fixologist61 wrote:
Sound deadening


Indeed. Having had hearing loss since I was a kid, I've spent more than my share of time in soundproof rooms getting audiograms. Back when I was a kid, some of those rooms were likely contemporaries of the Alco FA's. The interior finish was universally perforated metal.

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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:30 pm 

Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:07 pm
Posts: 1114
Location: B'more Maryland
fixologist61 wrote:
Sound deadening


Thanks! I had always wondered.

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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:17 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:41 am
Posts: 3911
Location: Inwood, W.Va.
Came across this item, which has a disposition list of the FA power cars (scroll down):

http://sbiii.com/alco2.html


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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 1:01 am 

Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:40 pm
Posts: 386
Location: San Francisco, CA
I am glad to see that the L&N Diesel is getting some work done on it. I recall a detailed article about it in Rail & Wire a couple of years ago; it may be on the R&W posts by this time, for those of you who want the details.

I has been in the IRM collection for a long time. I was just hoping for a cosmetic restoration; but this is much better.

Ted Miles, IRM Member


Last edited by ted66 on Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 1:40 am 

Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 12:58 pm
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Location: Chicago USA
How did this work as a power car? What sort of power? Did they use the 244 + original traction generator to make 600V DC?


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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 5:31 am 

Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2007 12:45 am
Posts: 518
Location: Illinois
filmteknik wrote:
How did this work as a power car? What sort of power? Did they use the 244 + original traction generator to make 600V DC?

Yup.

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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 10:40 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:26 am
Posts: 4642
Location: Maine
The FA's went to GE, in New Joisey and were rewired so the power generated by the 244's went to provide electricity for heat and lights in re-purposed and "relatively modern" MU cars. The MU were freed up by the arrivals of M1 series MU's. Power on the other end was usually an ALCO C420. Long Island was an all ALCO road at the time, so rarely, an RS3 provided the power.
The platinum paint scheme was not a really great choice for ALCOs. Can you guess why? Eventually, the C420's and RS units were either retired or scrapped (the dark times) and replaced with GP38's. A select few of the FA's retained their 244's. FA1's, mostly ex-SP&S units, were rebuilt with Detroit Diesel power and termed "sleds". The 244's were scrapped. Some extremely important ALCO cab representatives operated in the fleet, but sadly one was destroyed in a fire and another in a very terrible wreck.
When the MTA retired the push-pull concept, the coaches were sold and the FA's put up for sale. A buyer came forward and purchased the lot, then sold them at a fair price to museums and private collectors. Many have languished, but some have seen return to service after extensive rebuilds. Some are cosmetically restored as representatives of the design.
If it wasn't for the LIRR, we'd likely have none. If it wasn't for the individual who rescued them a second time, there'd likely be none.
The LIRR FA's had no axle motors and provided no motive power to the trains. Rebuilding is an extensive exercise in replacing cables, rewiring or replacing electrical cabinets, and in the case of the "sleds" finding a whole new set of innards.

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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:11 pm 

Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm
Posts: 2279
I found a photo of #314 in service, it managed to get the later grey and yellow scheme at some point. Ron Flanary photo:


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 Post subject: Re: Illinois Railroad Museum restoring Alco FA L&N #314
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 9:56 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
PMC -

The light gray/yellow nose L&N scheme wasn't too bad, but can't hold a candle to the original dark blue (black?) body with crème colored stripes trimmed in red. Can't find a photo of #314 in that scheme, but here is number 359 wearing it:

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/397065/

The L&N red herald on the nose is the clincher!


Les


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