Looking for Lost Nickel Plate Road RS11

[seppburgh2]

Back in the mid to late 70's I was able to secure the reverse leaver from a ex-N&W, ex-Nickel Plate Road RS-11 being scrapped by the Morristown and Erie Railroad at Morristown. Had a part-time weekend job there and one of the mechanics gave it to me.   This was back in the day when the M&E was making a name at providing rebuilt services to replace the closed paper mill (?) in Whippany.   

The reason this RS11 was being scrapped was due to a prime-mover/generator fire while in N&W service. The cab was OK, but everything behind it was well toasted.  Not worth rebuilding, but worth dollars in recycle metals and parts.  While I had the opportunity, dummy me didn't take detail shots to ID the Alco 30+ years later.  

Does anyone know of a site where I can trace the history and final disposal from N&W of the NPR RS-11? From what I could find, it was either in NKP number range 558 to 577 or 850 to 864.  The one other detail is it was not dynamic brake equipped.

Can someone help me out?

[NorthWest]

None of the NKP RS-11s had dynamic brakes.

Try here: http://www.nkphts.org/rosters/diesel/index.html

Doesn't have everything. Was yours from a PNC unit?

[SSW9389]

This is not an exact answer, but some interesting bits and pieces that may be appropriate. The locomotive newsmagazine Extra 2200 South had two bits of news about the Morristown & Erie rebuild program. This rebuild program was started in late 1976 as the National Locomotive Company at the M&E shops.

Extra 2200 South issue 59 (X2259) dated January-March 1977 p. 12 it states that M&E has just cut up N&W RS-11 #368. And that nine more N&W units are due in to M&E in the next couple of weeks. Then speculation is given as to what units are coming to M&E.

The next news item is in X2268 dated April-June 1979 p.14. It states that National Locomotive Company has purchased seven N&W RS-11/RS-36 units: 394, 401-402, 404, 410, 2869, and 2871. The first five are N&W RS-11s and the last two are ex-NKP RS-36s. The 2871 was rebuilt as the National Locomotve #1800, it was the only rebuild painted in National Locomotive colors.  The remaining derelict units were sold to Naparano Iron and Metal in late 1979. There were other Alco units at Morristown besides these RS-11/RS-36s. Some were rebuilt and others scrapped.

Nickel Plate 869 may be the locomotive you are trying to identify. Or it may have been one of the other Alcos on site.

Ed in Kentucky

 

 

[ACY Tom]

The NKP locos mentioned above in the 400 series were not RS11's.  They were GP7's, so your unit was not 401, 402, 404, or 410.

Tom

[SSW9389]

Tom what part of "It states that National Locomotive Company has purchased seven N&W RS-11/RS-36 units: 394, 401-402, 404, 410, 2869, and 2871. " did you not understand? There were NO NKP locomotives when the National Locomotive Company was in existence, only ex-NKP units. The N&W RS-11s were 394, 401-402, 404, 410 and RS-36s 2869 and 2871.  The part could have come from one of the N&W RS-11s as they were certainly at the shop.

 

Ed in Kentucky

 

ACY

The NKP locos mentioned above in the 400 series were not RS11's.  They were GP7's, so your unit was not 401, 402, 404, or 410.

Tom

[ACY Tom]

Well, excuse me.  I was unaware that any NKP RS11's had been renumbered into the 400 series as of 1977, and still haven't seen any evidence of it or reason for it.  However, I could very well be wrong, so I'll defer to you on this one.  It's also possible that the scrapped 400 series engines were built for the parent N&W and were never NKP engines.  I'm not familiar with the N&W's original number series for their RS11's.  In that case, those 400 series engines were never NKP engines anyway, so they weren't the source of the O.P.'s part.  He does say the source was an ex NKP engine, does he not?

I'm reminded of a line from a very old Wayne & Shuster routine:  "Don't get your toga in a knot." 

Tom

[SSW9389]

Correction: N&W 410 is an RS-36 built in March 1962.

I've found no record that any ex-NKP RS-11s were at the Morristown Shops. I believe that if one did stop there to get parted out it would have ended up at NI&M.

 

[SSW9389]

The linked diesel roster from the Nickel Plate Historical and Technical Society gives the N&W renumber dates as between 1965 and 1967. A "2" was added before the NKP numbers. For example NKP RS-36 869 would be renumbered to N&W 2869.

Ed in Kentucky