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Preserved Lackawanna MU Cars
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Author:  Frank Hicks [ Mon Feb 19, 2001 12:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Preserved Lackawanna MU Cars
I hope I'm not beating a dead horse too hard here, but I figured that the response on my query about Lackawanna MU electric cars was so large that there might be some people out there who are interested in the overall preservation picture. So, I present here a roster of all of the Lack MU cars my research has established as being preserved (there are quite a few missing due to lack of info about original #, etc). The "M/T" column denotes whether the car is a Motor or a Trailer. The cars are all either Pullman or, for a trio of 1912 parlor cars, Barney & Smith. I'm sure I got some info wrong, and I'm REALLY sure I missed a lot of cars, but this is what I've got. I purposely left out cars like the ones at Steamtown which were converted to electric trailers from standard coaches, and have been converted back by their current owner. Point of interest: not one Lackawanna MU car has been restored as such. The only ones not modified for use as regular coaches are the ones which have not seen any work done at all, and as such are rusting away.

No.---M/T---Bldr/Yr------Owner
------------------------------
2200___T____Plmn '25_____United RR Hist Soc
2232___T____Plmn '25_____Osceola & St. Croix
2237___T____Plmn '25_____Delaware-Lackawanna RR
2242___T____Plmn '25_____Delaware-Lackawanna RR
2406___T____Plmn '25_____United RR Hist Soc
2453___T____B&S '12______United RR Hist Soc
2454___T____B&S '12______United RR Hist Soc
2541___M____Plmn '30_____United RR Hist Soc
2581___M____Plmn '30_____San Diego RR Mus
2583___M____Plmn '30_____San Diego RR Mus
2584___M____Plmn '30_____San Diego RR Mus
2585___M____Plmn '30_____San Diego RR Mus
2586___M____Plmn '30_____San Diego RR Mus
2628___M____Plmn '30_____NY Mus of Transport
3202___T____Plmn '25_____Middletown & Hummelstown
3203___T____Plmn '25_____Boone Ry
3207___T____Plmn '25_____Boone Ry
3208___T____Plmn '25_____Boone Ry
3213___T____Plmn '25_____Boone Ry
3215___T____Plmn '25_____Steamtown NHS
3218___T____Plmn '25_____Boone Ry
3219___T____Plmn '25_____Boone Ry
3227___T____Plmn '25_____Ohio Central
3229___T____Plmn '25_____Middletown & Hummelstown
3238___T____Plmn '25_____Boone Ry
3240___T____Plmn '25_____Bluegrass RR Mus
3247___T____Plmn '25_____Bluegrass RR Mus
3343___T____Plmn '25_____Middletown & Hummelstown
3357___T____Plmn '20_____Steamtown NHS
3366___T____Plmn '20_____Middletown & Hummelstown
3451___T____B&S '12______NYO&W Hist Soc
3505___M____Plmn '30_____Steamtown NHS
3509___M____Plmn '30_____Stourbridge Line
3518___M____Plmn '30_____Florida Gulf Coast RR Mus
3519___M____Plmn '30_____Stourbridge Line
3545___M____Plmn '30_____Ohio Ry Mus
3572___M____Plmn '30_____Florida Gulf Coast RR Mus
3589___M____Plmn '30_____(Private owner)
3596___M____Plmn '30_____Stourbridge Line
4302___T____Plmn '25_____Middletown & Hummelstown
4323___T____Plmn '25_____Ohio Central
4352___T____Plmn '25_____Middletown & Hummelstown
4362___T____Plmn '25_____Ohio Central
4363___T____Plmn '25_____Middletown & Hummelstown
4364___T____Plmn '25_____Smoky Hill Ry
4615___M____Plmn '30_____Indiana & Ohio RR
4633___M____Plmn '30_____Ohio Ry Mus
Author:  Christopher Hauf [ Tue Feb 20, 2001 12:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Preserved Lackawanna MU Cars
Frank,

A little exception to your point of interest. First, MU Power car 2628 is owned by the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum and not by its partner museum, the New York Museum of Transporation.

We have worked very hard to keep 2628 as a restored, complete MU power car. It still retains all of its electrical gear and received a complete interior restoration over 10 years ago. It even still has its complete set of rattan seats.

Right now we are fighting to get our trackage complete to our new 60' x 140' two track restoration facility so we can bring the 2628 into the building for roof repair and more than likely replacement. Mother Nature doesn't allow for much trackwork during the long Rochester winters.

In places, the aluminum roof which had been riveted to the steel car has come loose due to the corrosion between the incompatible metals and needs to be attended to. However, massive roof repairs/replacements are not easily done outside, plus we must contend with the removal of all of the pantographs and electrical gear. Hopefully 2628 will find its way into our shop soon and will then leave to get a complete new exterior paint job and some further interior and exterior repairs as well.

It is our hope that we may be able to someday operate the 2628 under its own power. While we are working with our partner museum, the NYMT, to electrify via 600 VDC overhead our 2 mile demonstration railroad for trolley operation, we would never have the power to run it on the overhead. However, we believe we may be able to operate it on its shop tap since the cars where capable of being "plugged in" and moved slowly within the shops on basically a long extension cord. While this is not the most ideal situation since you won't be able to go far without a power unit tagging along, it is at least one small step toward seeing a Lackawanna MU move under its own power and is in essence prototypical.

Thanks for your good work in putting this list together and rest assured we are doing our best to see that at least one MU power car is being preserved.

Until later,
Chris Hauf
Rochester & Genesee Valley RR Museum
A project of the Rochester Chapter NRHS

>Point of interest: not one Lackawanna
> MU car has been restored as such. The only
> ones not modified for use as regular coaches
> are the ones which have not seen any work
> done at all, and as such are rusting away.

>
> 2628___M____Plmn '30_____NY Mus of Transport


MU 2628 at the R&GV RR Museum
crhauf@frontiernet.net
Author:  Frank Hicks [ Tue Feb 20, 2001 6:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Preserved Lackawanna MU Cars
> A little exception to your point of
> interest. First, MU Power car 2628 is owned
> by the Rochester & Genesee Valley
> Railroad Museum and not by its partner
> museum, the New York Museum of
> Transporation.
> We have worked very hard to keep 2628 as a
> restored, complete MU power car. It still
> retains all of its electrical gear and
> received a complete interior restoration
> over 10 years ago. It even still has its
> complete set of rattan seats.

You are absolutely right. Sorry about the confusion between the two sites; I trust you understand. I have been to your museum, and I did notice that your coach was still in original condition. At the time I wasn't actually sure whether you were planning to "restore" it to its condition as an electric, or were planning to remove the electric equipment as time permitted. I am very happy to hear that it is the former. As for operating it under its own power - Jesus Christ, that would be impressive!! The only thing I can say is "good luck"!
Author:  O. Anderson [ Wed Feb 21, 2001 1:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Preserved Lackawanna MU Cars
Frank,
When you consider it, I think it is impressive that IRM has operable 1200v pantograph equipment on its 600v trolley system. I don't know much about the Lack MU systems, but changing out low-voltage motor-generators and the air compressor armature is a relatively simple way to reconfigure the equipment (but always hard to accomplish somehow).
Author:  Frank Hicks [ Wed Feb 21, 2001 4:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Preserved Lackawanna MU Cars
> Frank,
> When you consider it, I think it is
> impressive that IRM has operable 1200v
> pantograph equipment on its 600v trolley
> system. I don't know much about the Lack MU
> systems, but changing out low-voltage
> motor-generators and the air compressor
> armature is a relatively simple way to
> reconfigure the equipment (but always hard
> to accomplish somehow).

It's true that something like this would be possible. You could rework the MG sets and compressors and get the cars to run. The problem is the voltage drop: cars built for 1200v DC run at about half speed on 600v DC wire. The Lackawanna cars were built for 3,000v DC operation. This means that, even if you could get them to run on 600v without blowing up the motors, their top speed would be somewhere around 10 mph. It's unfortunate, but it seems that no one will be able to get a DLW MU car running normally without devoting the entire line to those cars.
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