Dan left out the best part: the two engines with the same numbers were sold to industrial operations in the same town!

ex-PRR 1187 (H3 2-8-0) worked at a quarry near Birdsboro PA until PRR swapped a newer engine for it around 1940. PRR wanted it for the NY Worlds Fair.

ex-RDG 1187 (A-4-b 0-4-0) worked at a steel mill at Birdsboro (across the river from downtown) as CF&I 4. She saluted the Iron Horse Rambles as they went by. The steel mill closed and Strasburg RR bought 4, and ran it to Strasburg. The little camelback was the biggest engine at CF&I but not big enough for SRC's trains so she is in the RR Museum as RDG 1187 except for the SRC number plate.

Electric City Trolley Museum Association

Originally SP 1518 was to be displayed in the Museum of Transport in Sacramento. At the California State Railroad Museum, but since UP's takeover and the long and deliberately slow toxic abatement of the Sacramento Shops complex by the EPA...equipment like SP 1518 has had to find other homes.

I won't be surprised if SP 1518, forgoes IRM and turns up in the UP's Cheyenne collection instead.

calgrizzly@gay.com

> Originally SP 1518 was to be displayed in
> the Museum of Transport in Sacramento. At
> the California State Railroad Museum, but
> since UP's takeover and the long and
> deliberately slow toxic abatement of the
> Sacramento Shops complex by the
> EPA...equipment like SP 1518 has had to find
> other homes.

> I won't be surprised if SP 1518, forgoes IRM
> and turns up in the UP's Cheyenne collection
> instead.

What proof is there that it was to go to CSRM? I know it was on a long list of locomotives, cars, m/w equipment, track machines, track material, archives and artifacts that CSRM literally demanded from UP at the time of the merger, but there was never any committment, formal or informal, from either SP or UP to give it to that museum or any other museum. Especially after some UP Omaha brass got a look at what CSRM had allowed to happen to the AT&SF collection.

As for Cheyenne, that's where 1518 has been for the last 5 or 6 years.

I hope it goes to IRM and that they return it to EMD 990. You can bet they will have it running pretty soon if they get it.

> What proof is there that it was to go to
> CSRM? I know it was on a long list of
> locomotives, cars, m/w equipment, track
> machines, track material, archives and
> artifacts that CSRM literally demanded from
> UP at the time of the merger, but there was
> never any committment, formal or informal,
> from either SP or UP to give it to that
> museum or any other museum. Especially after
> some UP Omaha brass got a look at what CSRM
> had allowed to happen to the AT&SF
> collection.

> As for Cheyenne, that's where 1518 has been
> for the last 5 or 6 years.

> I hope it goes to IRM and that they return
> it to EMD 990. You can bet they will have it
> running pretty soon if they get it.

Well, the SP 1518 arrived at IRM on Sunday. They had it running by the end of the day on Monday. It was nice to see it rumble to life once again, hopefully the folks at IRM will be able to put it in service sometime soon.

> Well, the SP 1518 arrived at IRM on Sunday.
> They had it running by the end of the day on
> Monday. It was nice to see it rumble to life
> once again, hopefully the folks at IRM will
> be able to put it in service sometime soon.

Good luck too the IRM folks on the 1518. I hope they repaint it in the Black Widow scheme, that would be a site to behold.

> Good luck too the IRM folks on the 1518. I
> hope they repaint it in the Black Widow
> scheme, that would be a site to behold.
A Black Widow paint scheme would be impressive, and it would also help with two #1518s problem, as the appropriate number for the unit in that scheme would be it's original SP number - #5308.

Boyd


bowens@rypn.org

> A Black Widow paint scheme would be
> impressive, and it would also help with two
> #1518s problem, as the appropriate number
> for the unit in that scheme would be it's
> original SP number - #5308.

> Boyd

There are already other exSP units preserved in the black widow scheme.

If IRM restores it as EMD 990, the pant and number problems go away.

> There are already other exSP units preserved
> in the black widow scheme.

> If IRM restores it as EMD 990, the pant and
> number problems go away.

Great idea, LaGrange isn't to far from the museum and Southern Pacific didn't play much of roll in Illinois railroad history. I think that would be appropiate.

If this engine is as reported the first unit of this important class; then it should be restored as close as possible to the beginning of its career; not only the paint, but the small details as well.

glad to hear that it has a home at Illinois railway Museum.

ted_miles@nps.gov

> Maybe, but think of it like this:

> The SD7 has little or no significance as
> just another, run-of-the-mill, SP SD7.

> It's real historic value is as it left the
> factory (as an EMD painted, lettered and
> numbered unit) and toured the railroads,
> which lead to the sales of SD7's, SD9's and
> on up to the SD70's, SD80's and SD90's of
> today.

> And EMD had quite a presence in IRM's back
> yard;
> LaGrange is't that far away. What better way
> to preserve the memoty of the EMD plant and
> it's huge production?

> Besides that, how many other
> "firsts" or preserved demos are
> preserved as such? I can't think of a single
> one. IMO, that is an area of rail
> preservation that has been almost completely
> overlooked in the mad rush to
> "retro" paint schemes or phoney
> schemes (painting locos in colors they never
> wore).

I think that the Lake Superior Museum of Transportation in Duluth Minnesota has the first SD-45 number 400 and is in the "Hussle Muscle" paint scheme. Wasn't this the paint scheme that it wore on it's demo tour?
Steve


lead_sled7@hotmail.com

> I think that the Lake Superior Museum of
> Transportation in Duluth Minnesota has the
> first SD-45 number 400 and is in the
> "Hussle Muscle" paint scheme.
> Wasn't this the paint scheme that it wore on
> it's demo tour?
> Steve

No. It was in an EMD blue and white color scheme
while it was and EMD unit. The paint job it hasnow is as it was delivered to the GN when they bought it.

> glad to hear that it has a home at Illinois
> railway Museum.

And IRM seems glad to have another operational diesel - they were using it on their caboose train today. Since 1518 is the "rebuilt" number, going back to an earlier number or paint job would mean "unrebuilding" it at least cosmetically. They have six projects in the diesel shop right now so it may be a while before they get to SP 1518. In the meantime, they can try to track down replacements for the several missing headlights. Believe it or not, the unit came from UP with a full tank of fuel!


pnichol6@prodigy.net