I saw this (and a few other) SD45's for sale of PRR heritage listed on Rail Swap. Go to http://railswap.org/cb/cl/classifieds.c ... =retrieval

I was thinking that it would make a good addition to RRMPA's already overcrowded collection or to Altoona's collection. I believe it is the largest and one of the last diesel's PRR ordered and accepted before their less than successful merger with those other guys.

Obviously it would take willing financial sponsors, even if the loco were to be donated, just for transportation costs. But I suspect that existing PRR diesels are not going to exist much longer. We can't save everything nor should we. Saving too much becomes a financial drain which threatens the existence of everything else. However, this does seem like it might fill a void in the preservation of a large PRR diesel.

Kurt Bell and others, what do you think? I remember that Kurt started a thread a few years back about what should the museum add to the collection. It was a wonderfully interesting thread which I still occasionally reread. I though at the time this might be a worthy addition. Still do.
Scott Markloff

There's some other former PRR SDs running around, including this one from 2006. Photo taken by in Binghamton, NY.

http://joshuakblay.com/nyswrobinsonst_5_26_206%20(5)smallname.JPG

Joshua

My vote counts for nothing until I cough up money one way or another, of course.....

...... but if I were to have any say in this, provided that said unit was indeed donated for preservation............

Altoona, where her horsepower pounded up the steep grades and later was part of helper sets.

Beside which, Altoona needs a big diesel locomotive to balance out that particular steamer. And far too often, the state museum at Strasburg gets regarded as the "Pennsylvania Railroad Museum"; I want a better cross-representation there (which explains why I want a Baldwin Shark there after being owned/operated by THREE Pennsylvania railroads!). Altoona needs to make no apologies to anything but the Keystone.

Okay, I talked myself into it. I'll put up money if Altoona/Railroaders Memorial Museum wants an ex-PRR SD45. Anyone else with me?

This one has a high short hood. Gotta be pretty rare. Is it ex-PRR too?
http://railswap.org/cb/cl/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=8919&query=retrieval
http://railswap.org/cb/cl/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=8919&query=retrieval

I fully agree with the honorable Mr. Mitchell when he says "My vote counts for nothing until I cough up money one way or another..." Neither does mine. I would agree with him about the appropriateness of a PRR SD45 being at the Railroaders Museum in Altoona. The one image that really sticks out for me is a picture in one of Al Stauffer's books showing one on or near Horseshoe Curve. My vote would carry alot more weight if there were some hard $'s behind it. But maybe, we can dream that the right person is reading this thread to make it happen:) Thank you Mr. Mitchell for indulging my dreaming for just a bit. But now a word from reality....

RRMPA already has a spartan cab EMD (the CR gp30). If anything - I'd like them to acquire something built in Erie. I think a Conrail C40-8W would be perfect. Built in PA, served PA, and you'd have a widecab to boot. With the desktop controls there is a decent amount of space in the cab for all your interpreting needs. It would also attract interest from younger people that actually would remember them on the mainlines. Of course they are still out there pounding the rails for NS and CSX, and may not be close to retirement yet ), there's a few years to look to securing funding.

If they were going to get a SD45, go for one of the ex-EL ones that are still working for NS up in Jersey. (actually, a SD45-2 now, but they are still flared)

As far as altoona - how many years did the SD45s serve as pushers vs. the SD40-2s that are found there now? I think the latter may make a good (better?) choice as well.

The ex EL SD45-2s are not and never were flared. They also did serve in pusher service on the ex EL and one those engines in GMY sitting in Strasburg gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. Might I also suggest that to see a diesel, either there now or in the future, in PC would also be interesting to me.

JKB

yep, this engine is from one of the PRR's last orders.
but not the last, the last order was PRR SD45's 6200-6234, which were new in January 1968.

the unit for sale is PRR 6186, which was built in 12/1967.
which I guess would the 2nd to last PRR loco order.


http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychao ... /index.htm

http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychao ... Survivors/

Scot

Joshua says, "Might I also suggest that to see a diesel, either there now or in the future, in PC would also be interesting to me."

No, you might not suggest such an awful thing. You should be banned from this forum forever for suggesting anything should be painted PC. (For everyone reading this, please repeat after me, "This is not a flame, this is not a flame, we are just having a bit of fun, this is not a flame). Any organization that uses mating worms for a symbol should not be celebrated (wouldn't it be a bit like celebrating failure?). Besides, a more appropriate symbol would have been a mating elephant and rhinocerous, but that would have been quite impolite to put on the side of a locomotive. Seriously, because of the enormity of the mess the merger made of two fine organizations, I have trouble getting excited about anything "PC". That's just me.

And yes, this true blue believer in PRR called NYC a fine organization. Don't tell anyone, but I still own 'Trains Nov 1957' and have read the article on NYC Hudson's within the past year. I was thinking that it could have been a fine locomotive if they had put a Belpaire firebox on her and lopped of one of the axles from the trailing truck. O, wait a minute, someone did that, its called a PRR K5 :) But I digress.

PC is probably worthy of some small recognition, if not to remember what was at the time the largest corporate bankruptcy in world history. PC certainly had a major impact on railroading, not just on the PRR/NYC and in the NE but throughout the US. So it probably should be remembered.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Scott -

A number of years ago, Conrail donated a Penn Central 50' single door box car to our museum; PC #153177. It was originally PRR #607267, a class X50B as I recall. Through the years, the PC green paint has badly faded. And there are members of our museum who want to paint it back to PC green! I feel much as you do, the PC's failure should not be celebrated with a freshly painted car. I am holding out for repainting it back to its Pennsy "large Keystone" lettering scheme. Keep your fingers crossed!

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)

My mistake, you're right - they aren't flared. I'm surprised no one at RRMPA put "PC" or "CR" letters on the 4800 while it is sitting there in black primer...

You know, there's a term for those who try to sweep "objectionable" history "under the rug" or otherwise eradicate it from collective memory.

It's called "revisionist history."

Much as the Penn Central was a fiasco, revisionist history-rewriting is even more of an abomination.

"Those who do not study the past are doomed to repeat it."

I don't knw, the various Titanic enthusiast groups seem to do well.

Not to mention all the Confederate Civil War reenactment units............

There are cars painted in one era on one side and another era on the other. The problem would be the ends, which side would they match?