.

It's my understanding that the locomotive at IRM was equipped with a South Shore pantograph mainly so the locomotive's air compressor could be used for shop work, before barn 4 had a compressor of its own. Several of the locomotive's traction motors were already blown out, so while the locomotive did have operational capabilities, that was never the main goal of equipping it with a pantograph.

Eventually all of the traction motors failed and an air compressor was acquired for shop work, so the S motor has been sitting since then. But like others have mentioned, it's at least under a roof now and saved from most deterioration. Eventually, I'm sure it will get a cosmetic restoration and perhaps even an operational one if there is the interest. There's no way an operational restoration would be historically accurate, since an inaccurate pantograph would have to be used. On the other hand, it may be worth this loss, as the S motor at IRM is the only one that could potentially run (meaning the other two S motors and the T motor don't have an electrified mainline to run on.)

Since Robert mentioned the model as an example to his point, there's actually no C40-8W rebuild program at Norfolk Southern. A handful of standard cab C40-8's were rebuilt but the program was a failure and cancelled even before NS decided to stop investing in DC rebuild programs for road power (Which led to the premature demise of the SD60E program). The C40-8W's were planned to follow the standard cabs, but that won't be happening now.

Expect them to be following the NS SD60/60M/60I fleet here in the months ahead by being retired and auctioned off. They're well worn and are prioritized for storage. We're approaching the 50% stored mark here after just the first few weeks of implementing PSR. Situation is the same at CSX (Which had GE rebuild 10 before Hunter Harrison and PSR entered the picture), UP, and BNSF.

Only the 2nd hand examples at Canadian National appear likely to have a few years left in them for Class 1 fleets. CN is even still keeping their cowl derivatives busy right now, the last cowled freight power active on a North American Class 1.

We have done a really lousy job in this country preserving much of our railroad heritage. Perhaps I don't have much standing to say this, since I can't take out my checkbook and do anything about it. In recent weeks I've been watching a lot of YouTube video of preservation in the UK and Europe as research for a possible program. It is just astounding the variety and and shear numbers of examples of various kinds of locomotives and rolling stock preserved "across the pond". For example, trying to stay on-topic with this post, there are at least three operable examples of Swiss National Railway jackshaft electric "Crocodiles", kept next to the mainline and operable at the base of the Gotthard Pass line at Erstfeld, along with several other historic mainline electric locomotives. This would be like having three operable GG-1s, an operable E60, E44, and a couple of AEM-7s. And they do run them in excursion service occasionally. This is in addition to museum-preserved examples of all of these motors as well. And I mean preserved indoors, not rusting "out back".

Now the boat has sailed on doing anything like that here. Perhaps it's because most of the Swiss railways are state-owned and funded. Maybe our Danish contributor can shed more light on the politics of this. Whatever, I'm mostly saying this as a lament.

Well as I've said previously Paul it's entirely possible to form a group dedicated to preserving and operating electric traction on main line excursions. The AC Locomotive Group based in the UK exists for this sole purpose and they have found great success negotiating with private operators for trackage rights. I have made a separate thread on a similar proposal below. I highly recommend checking out the AC Group's site for more insight.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42800

https://www.aclocogroup.co.uk/

In answer to an earlier question, the NYC motors ran on 660vDC from an underrunning third rail, between Harmon NY (now Croton-Harmon) or North White Plains NY and Grand Central Station (after 1913 Grand Central Terminal).

If you wanted to run them today, this is still the only main line RR with underrunning third rail, but Metro-North now uses 750vDC.

As to the "first electric locomotive" B&O's Baltimore Belt Line electrification (including the Howard St. Tunnel) went into service in 1895 and the GE motors there would be earlier, but none survive. There are older industrial locomotives extant including an 1888 Van De Poele locomotive at Shore Line Trolley Museum (Branford)

Phil Mulligan

This particular locomotive was an iconic prototype which found its way under thousands of Christmas trees in the first half of the twentieth century. NYC scrapped all its greatest steam power and we all b**ch about it. Here's an American icon, sitting in the open and neglected. You can't blame Al Perlman for this one.

The NYC electric service was also found on parts of the West Side Line (on the West Side of the island of Manhattan).

Loco's also found on the West Side Line were the unique Tri-Powered Locomotives.

These had the third rail pickup, batteries (for short duration switching inside warehouses) and a diesel loco for longer operations outside of electrified trackage.

My understanding is that the two loco's up in Glenmont where cosmetically restored with original paint schemes and displayed inside Grand Central Terminal in the 1980's (maybe for a motion picture ?).

Cheers, Kevin.

Right you are on the West Side Freight Line but wasn't that mostly the tri-power diesel-battery-electrics (you think hybrids and gensets are new?) as switchers and the R-motors (C-C; some went to South Shore as their 700-class). The S-motors and T-motors were mostly passenger.

Coming from AC country where the motors buzzed and hummed and ground as they accelerated it was astonishing to watch an S-motor go about its business silently (no gears; DC power). One of them should operate somewhere just to show that aspect. Don't they have little pans to work from an overhead third rail? Same voltage as a trolley; can run from something overhead....

Phil Mulligan

Yes the "S" and "T" motors were used to haul the limited's into/out of GCT.

And the Tri-Power and "R" motors were used on the West Side Line.

The tiny little panto-graphs on top of the "S" and "T" motors were there to pickup power from short sections of overhead wire inside the complex trackage underground in GCT.

There were numerous double slip switches inside GCT, nobody could figure out how to setup third rail alongside those so the motors could make it smoothly through the "gap".

So they just hung short stretches of overhead wire (a few hundred feet here and there) to get the motors over the gaps in the third rail. Very ingenious folks back then.

Look up Sprague, he is one of the smart guys that figured all that out. And the "modern" multi-unit throttle control using the electrical control connections between modern Diesel units was his invention.

It was the basis for the Electric "suburban" trains with a couple of powered "cab" cars and a few un-powered trailers. The operator in the cab would select a throttle position and the Sprague Multi-unit wiring would set the same throttle position in all the other powered cars in that train.

Yes indeed the Tri-Power units were both a Hybrid and a Genset and they worked fine 100 years ago.... And they worked without a computer, smart phone or internet connection.....

Cheers, Kevin.

Along with the two electric locomotives, isn't there some other equipment stored here as well? I think there's a U25B as well as an RS-3. And maybe some others? This would be yet more equipment to add to the cost of trucking out.

I'm troubled by a conspicuous lack of input from the putative owners of this equipment on this thread. Who are we to propose ideas for disposing of their property without their input much less permission?

I talked to the owners. The land is a wet swamp with limmited acess. And the big one us a property owner whos land they would have to use wants nothing to do with them.

The Glenmont "Collection"

Locomotives:
New York Central S-1 Electric #100
New York Central T-3a Electric #278
Amtrak Alco RS3 Diesel #126
Conrail GE U25B Diesel #2510

Rolling Stock:
Delaware & Hudson #473 Baggage Car
PRR Heavyweight Pullman Lounge "John Hancock"
Two former D&H/Rio Grande dining cars

=======================================================
Let us not forget there are also some abandoned locomotives and cars (albeit not as historic) 10 miles to the north near Watervliet, NY.
42.72039, -73.71536

Locomotives:
RRP (ex-Long Island) Alco S1 #417
Albany Port Railroad Alco RS3 #2

Rolling Stock:
Baggage Car
3 Passenger Cars

Thanks for the information. Who owns the siding that these pieces are stored on? Does the present owner of the siding wish to ever use it or is it not needed any longer? Does the siding go to a road or open area that would be publicly accessible? If so, how far is the publicly accessible section of the siding from where the artifacts are currently stored? Is the ground directly under and next to the track part of the swamp or is it relatively solid/stable?