AT TVRM, Chattanooga.

http://j-guy.rrpicturearchives.net/show ... x?id=99166

Can someone from TVRM tell us more about the history of this unit and where she has been over the years?

Scott

6914 was built for the Southern Railway, and sold in 1979 to New Jersey Transit after the "Southern Crescent" was conveyed to Amtrak.

TVRM acquired the unit after it was retired by NJT. It's one of three Southern survivors - 6900 is at Spencer, and 6901 is at Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, GA.

JAC

What's always amazed me is how long these units lasted in Southern service --- of the original 18, most made it to the final day in 1979. The notable exception of course, was the disasterous wreck of December 3, 1978, which destroyed a couple I believe. I've always wondered --- did that accident in any way hasten the demise of Southern's passenger service, or was the writing pretty much already on the wall?

TJG

Is the one at TVRM the same one that sat at Binghamton, NY until a couple of years ago?

"I Feel Your Pain"

E.B. Levin

I don't believe so. This unit has been in Chattanooga for quite some time - approaching ten years, perhaps.

JAC

The Shipman wreck had nothing to do with the transfer to Amtrak - most, if not all of the terms had been agreed before then. I don't remember now if the final date had been set - my recollection is that it was made public a few weeks after the event (I've got the original notice posted at my home town somewhere). But the date was probably already agreed, if not public.

The only impact of the wreck was that, for the final weeks of Southern service, the trains south of Atlanta tended to run with three units, not four, and the consist was altered. Once Amtrak took over, some Amtrak Es and a few cars supplemented the existing Southern equipment. Slowly through 1979 more Amtrak and less Southern equipment was visible. By late 1979 or early 1980 the trains were pretty much all-Amtrak - I recall seeing the Es in storage at Pegram in April 1980 or so, before the Crescent" got F40s and Heritage HEP equipment.


JAC

I believe the E in Binghamton (or used to be) is/was the 6913. That should be the extent of extant SR Ez: 6900, 6901, 6913 & 6914.

For more photos of TVRM's unit, do a search on www.railpictures.net for sr 6914 and/or njt 4330.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=65206

And here is Andrew Toppan's E unit survivors list found by a quick search (current as of '99):

http://www.membrane.com/~elmer/rail/units/e_units.html

#6913 is still with us though I thought she was headed to Tennesee.,

Ain't it great how a Yankee commuter operator lead to the preservation SR E's?

:-)

Rob

6913 remains in Binghamton- quite easily visible. Unit is just north of the former DL&W "YO" yard near the landmark Agway building.

Joshua

The South owes a debt to many different Yankee groups like the Morris County Central, the Valley, Gettysburg, Illinois Railway Museum . . . for buying all those artifacts.

Now, can we have 'em back? ;)

JAC

Ditto, John. Now if we can just pull a few raids like Jackson at Harper's Ferry.......................

Actually John it must be getting closer to 20 years. I remember working on the 6914 in 1988. I don't remember how long it had been there before that but I think not long.

John Bohon