BL2's; what's the status?

Frank Hicks · **Posted:** Wed Nov 04, 2009 4:17 pm

Here are some photos of Glenn Monhart equipment at NRM during my last visit there, in March 2002:

http://gelwood.railfan.net/bar/bar56afh.jpg
http://gelwood.railfan.net/misc-j/jse52afh.jpg
http://gelwood.railfan.net/misc-j/jse52bfh.jpg
http://gelwood.railfan.net/misc-j/jse106afh.jpg
http://gelwood.railfan.net/misc-w/wict102afh.jpg

EDM · **Posted:** Wed Nov 04, 2009 4:52 pm

To echo ATK's comment, I once read that the BL-2 was essentially an F-3 with all the working room taken out of it-

Howard P. · **Posted:** Wed Nov 04, 2009 10:45 pm

Like the rare birds they are, Monhart's locos stored at Green Bay may be migrating south and west in the not too distant future, to warmer locales where the BL2 had never before been spotted. Call it "habitat expansion".

Howard P.
ALCO-Was-First, CT

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Nov 11, 2009 11:44 pm

Howard P. wrote:

Like the rare birds they are, Monhart's locos stored at Green Bay may be migrating south and west in the not too distant future, to warmer locales where the BL2 had never before been spotted. Call it "habitat expansion".

If the latest Trains Newswire is to be believed (and truly, the news cited is so squirrelly that I actually have trouble taking it seriously), brother, was he not kidding:

Quote:

A variety of motive power ranging from E8s to SD9043MACs is headed for Iowa Pacific Holdings short lines, President Ed Ellis told TRAINS News Wire today. In addition, the company is lining up several dome cars, some of which will serve on the Denver to Winter Park, Colo., Ski Train, which Iowa Pacific plans to restore to service.

Ellis said his company is selling 10 B39-8 diesels currently serving on Iowa Pacific's Permian Basin Railways. Taking their place will be 10 SD9043MAC locomotives from CIT group, to be split between Arizona Eastern and San Luis & Rio Grande. Additionally, two rare Electro-Motive BL2 diesels are on their way to Arizona Eastern for service on a local where the SD90MACs will be undesirable.

The company is also in the process of purchasing four ex-Chicago & North Western E8 diesels, of which at least one will serve on the Ski Train when it's restored. For his passenger services, Ellis is also acquiring four full-length dome cars that had recently served on excursion trains for Holland America in Alaska. Three are ex-Santa Fe; one is ex-Great Northern. Of the four, two are slated to serve on the Ski Train, one on the San Luis & Rio Grande, and one at Mount Hood Railroad in Oregon.

The pair of BL2s will be serviced at Permian Basin's Bixby, Ariz., shops, for 30 to 60 days after their arrival before being pressed into service. The pair passed from Fond du Lac, Wis., to the Chicago area today, and are slated for interchange to Union Pacific at East St. Louis, Ill.

So which E8's are they hunting for? I would think they might have been smarter to get some former BN units already converted to EMD 645's if any of those were on the market (anyone got the latest photos from Larry's Truck & Electric?).....

The Trains website offers subscribers a photo of the BL2 duo rolling through Kalmbach's home town of Waukesha. Now, if they had only posed them next to the earlier-mentioned passenger stock in town........

I was crazy enough seeing my friend's photos of the B39-8's at the SL&RG beside/with the 2-8-0's there; it's going to be crazier to think of SD9043MAC's there....... And now, it looks like a trip to the Arizona Eastern is called for along with the Apache............

Howard P. · **Posted:** Thu Nov 12, 2009 12:59 am

ADM, did you think I was kidding?

Oh, well, those NEW ENGLAND BL2s just keep getting further away from home.... (sigh).

Howard P.
Cramped Carbody, CT

wilkinsd · **Posted:** Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:27 am

Doesn't NRE in Silvis, IL still have 4 of the ex CN&W E units? They were the last ones used by Metra in the early 1990s on the CN&W lines.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:17 am

This just gets stranger by the minute.

Ed Ellis (or someone purporting to be him) over on the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum (http://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php ... msg-134598 ) is indicating the following:

Plans are to use ten-ex-LIRR bilevel commuter cars (apparently the orphaned set of ten oddballs that were acquired by someone who has shown up here on this forum now and then) on the Ski Train, along with the aaforementioned domes and PV Caritas...... and the aforementioned SD9043MACs, though that was a couple months ago that he said that..........

Meanwhile, back in Arizona, there are apparently plans for an excursion operation on the Arizona Eastern between Globe and a casino:

"And, we will also run the Winter Wonderland Express out of Alamosa, hope to have the 18 some days, the Copper Spike in Arizona between Globe and the Apache Gold Casino, and we plan to repeat Polar Express in Lubbock."

Looking at the map, it appears this route is hard against US 70 all the way. How's the scenery?

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:37 am

Howard P. wrote:

Oh, well, those NEW ENGLAND BL2s just keep getting further away from home.... (sigh).

Howard, you still have the one at the Stourbridge Line in Honesdale, Pa. to "play vulture" upon...........

Howard P. · **Posted:** Thu Nov 12, 2009 12:23 pm

The LIRR Japanese-built C-1 cars that have been stored on NAUG in Torrington, CT for the last few years are being prepped by non-NAUG personnel for movement off-line. One pair (the ten cars are in 5 "married pairs", drawbar-connected) was prepped and moved last fall and went to Lubbock. The remaining 4 pairs are due to move before the end of the year. Yes, they are slated to become the Ski Train out of Denver, and should make excellent cars for that service. The "spear" couplers are being replaced with H tightlocks.

And while it IS much closer, I think Stourbridge would be reluctant to give up their BL2...

Howard P.
Plains Siding, CT

mikefrommontana · **Posted:** Thu Nov 12, 2009 12:32 pm

Hopefully they will have sense to pair the E-8s to the SD-90's. There's a reason that most western roads (save UP) didn't run E units over mountains. Hopefully the operator will have a good parts stash of traction motors and lots of sand for climbing up the Front Range.

The passenger equipment makes sense, especially being late model stock. Amtrak is contracting for crew services, so we'll see. Ought to be neat anyway.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

trolleyira · **Joined:** Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:22 pm **Posts:** 219

Having ridden the San Luis & Rio Grande this summer, both the ex-LI C-1 bi-levels and the super domes are in service there. I rode in both.
As of today, one of the super domes has been parked in the soon to be chopped up Denver Union Station.
Plans are still on to start Ski Train operations just after Christmas this year.

Tom Richards · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:04 am **Posts:** 137

Quote:

the soon to be chopped up Denver Union Station

Guess I'm out of touch: what's that about?

trolleyira · **Joined:** Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:22 pm **Posts:** 219

See:
www.colorail.org

Mgoldman · **Posted:** Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:03 pm

Here's a recent pic of the BL2's in transit to Arizona from the pages of RP:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=303963

As for the Denver Union Station chop up?
The link does not really explain the comment other then perhaps
note an exaggeration?

/Mitch

trolleyira · **Joined:** Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:22 pm **Posts:** 219

The Colorail link is OK but the law suit, as filed, is missing. I know not why.

trolleyira,
President
Colorail