I-R Boxcab

tomgears · **Posted:** Thu Dec 10, 2009 11:40 pm

This photo came through on railpictures. She is looking very well kept and enjoying a nice retirement indoors.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 692&nseq=5

Stationary Steam · **Posted:** Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:05 am

At which IR plant did that locomotive serve as shop switcher? We have an Imperial type 10 steam driven compressor that came from the Painted Post plant, although built way before this boxcab was ever thought of.

David H. Hamley · **Joined:** Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:07 pm **Posts:** 705

IR number 90 served the Phillipsburg, NJ plant for its entire service life. It was active into the early 1970s. Also still there and usable was IR 91, a virtually identical boxcab that was originally DL&W 3001. A later model centercab GE diesel did most of the work in later years, but I think sentiment kept the two old timers on hand. I believe both were preserved.

As built IR 90 had an early application of roller bearing journals. Those had disappeared somewhere along the way, making 90 look like sibling boxcabs, as it appears today.

Is 90 operational? I can't say for sure, but it certainly was on a visit to the IR plant in 1971 when I was researching the article that eventually appeared in TRAINS. In addition to a unique sound, those old IR engines were a visual delight with their row of dancing external pushrods for the valves. Neat stuff!

Dennis Storzek · **Posted:** Fri Dec 11, 2009 9:02 am

IRM has DL&W 3001.

Doesn't look quite like this now, but it is stored inside.

filmteknik · **Posted:** Fri Dec 11, 2009 1:13 pm

Here she is at IRM, Summer 2008, still wearing the by-now historic bicentennial color scheme. I'm sure they'll paint it for Lackawanna if it is ever restored but a case could be made for the current scheme as well.

http://tinyurl.com/y9e52r8

I believe those are not the correct trucks but I was very pleased to see it out for IRM's Diesel Days after languishing for years deep inside the diesel shop on a flat car.

Steve

Jdelhaye · **Posted:** Fri Dec 11, 2009 2:58 pm

filmteknik wrote:

...after languishing for years deep inside the diesel shop on a flat car.

Steve

In the interest of fact correction, this locomotive was NEVER "inside the diesel shop on a flat car". It arrived at IRM on a TTX flat, and was unloaded onto shop trucks very shortly thereafter.

Jeff

jamesk · **Posted:** Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:37 pm

I kinda like this photo:
http://www.irm.org/gallery/dieseldays2008/aan

filmteknik · **Posted:** Sat Dec 12, 2009 2:11 am

I stand corrected about the flat car. I must've mis-remembered because of all the stuff piled up in front of her but I checked my photos from 9 years ago and it is indeed on trucks.

Steve

Bob Davis · **Joined:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 3:25 am **Posts:** 1025

Thanks for the link to the "Diesel Days" photo gallery. I have a question about the IR unit: What is the ancestry of the shop trucks it sits on? It looked like one truck has one axle with roller bearings and the other with plain bearings. It reminded me of the diesel switcher I saw in Melbourne Australia with salvaged "bogies" from a suburban electric MU car.

Jdelhaye · **Posted:** Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:51 pm

I believe the shop trucks are former Rock Island commuter coach trucks.

Jeff

robertmacdowell · **Posted:** Sat Dec 12, 2009 7:03 pm

So why isn't the IRM unit on its proper trucks? What happened to them?