I guess the title says it all, it's something that I thought of out of the blue today. We always hear of regular locomotives being preserved and even a few "B" units but I honestly have never heard of or know of anyone preserving (or planning on) slug or calf units.

I just thought it might be interesting to some people to see a unit that likely began life as a standard diesel-electric but was rebuilt as a slug unit retaining it's traction motors only.

I agree because I always think the odd-ball stuff is what gets left out of the big collections. Having said that I am fairly sure an ex N&W slug converted from a Wabash trainmaster has been preserved in a museum. I am writing this during a break at work and I don't have my books with me so I can only guess the museum for you. I think it is Monticello. I am sure others can confirm/deny this.

Wes

OK, I got that partially incorrect. Monticello does have one but it is not the Ex trainmaster, theirs is an ex Southern RS3.

Wes

I believe there is a TR(something) ex-CGW? at Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad

-Hudson

The RCT&HS has a former NS/N&W Trainmaster-turned-slug in their collection, the idea is to recreate a RDG Trainmaster with a lot of metalwork. It won't be functional, only a representation. This may not be what you're looking for, but it's worth mentioning.

-Micah

From a preservation standpoint I think it's completely legitimate to consider these as existing locomotives, they're just in need of a lot of work! Can Algoma Central 78 go in this category?

-Alex

The B&O Museum has a former Western Maryland slug, 138-T, that was a sister to the preserved WM BL2 it has, 81. It was converted from an Alco S1 around 1962. Both BL@/slug sets worked Hagerstown for several years.

[quote="MEC_557"] I just thought it might be interesting to some people to see a unit that likely began life as a standard diesel-electric but was rebuilt as a slug unit retaining it's traction motors only.[/quote]

That's a fairly esoteric concept from an interpretive perspective. Given an audience of 95% (or whatever) non-railfans, who would really care?

Not to say that showing adaptation through time cannot be made extremely interesting - imagine a trolley car restored to as-built condition and displayed next to a sister car in worn-out company-service condition as a rail grinder or line car with focus on the crews that maintained the system, or better yet, as a grounded body that someone used as a home.

But given finite resources (and you're only kidding yourself if you think this does not include permanent undercover accommodation), things like slug conversions are probably similar to different paint schemes over the history of a locomotive - for which a few photographs or models can adequately illustrate the concept to your audience far more reasonably than multiple examples of the same locomotive. Given the B&O Museum's preserved WM slug, it's a preservation sub-sub-category that can probably be checked off the list of things to do.

VMT has an N&W slug that was an ex-Virginian "Trainmaster"

Yaknow, Its not hard to get FM OP's...

Hey Gary & Group

Here are some images to go with the NS/N&W Slug (Ex-Virginian Train Master) that belongs to the Virginia Museum of Trainsportation that was mentioned. This unit is currently stored off site from the museum and is located near the north side of Norfolk Southerns Roanoke Shop Complex.

General view:

Close up of end and stair details:


Enjoy Steve aka Mr.Pullman

See the he Winchester and Western No. 120. They apparently put a cab back on a slug. See:

http://www.thedieselshop.us/Winch&West.HTML

G.F.Payne
B'more, MD