FT-103: The travels of, Circa 1939.

[nanaimo73]

Railfan and Railroad did a 3 part article on the FT which mentions the tour in their 10-89, 11-89 and 12-89 issues. I can give you the months and routes but it won't be exact.
When they were built, they were 1030 (A&B) and 1031 (A&B) and then numbered 103 (A&B) and 103A (A&B)
83,764 miles in 35 States from 11-39 to 9-40;
11-39 B&O-Operated between Chicago and Grafton through Pittsburgh and Cumberland.
12-39 D&RGW-Operated between Denver and Bond and perhaps the joint line to Pueblo.
1-40 AT&SF-Operated from Chicago through Armarillo to Barstow, Bakersfield and San Bernardino and back through Amarillo to Chicago.
2-40 GN, SP&S- Operated from Chicago to St. Paul (probably CB&Q) and on to Wenatchee on GN and on SP&S to Pasco. The route went through Willmar one way and St. Cloud the other way. It did not go through Grand Forks.
3-40 GN, NP-NP was used between St. Paul and Seattle. On March 18th it hauled a 17 car North Coast Limited west from Livingston.
4-40 CB&Q- Travelled on the CB&Q between Chicago and St. Paul, Denver and Kansas City.
5-40 CRI&P, WP-The CRI&P was used from Chicago through Omaha to Denver and Davenport to Kansas City. It reached the WP on the D&RGW through Pueblo to Salt Lake City. The WP was used from SLC to Oakland and up to Bieber.
6-40 CMSP&P-Chicago to Seattle.
7-40 MP-I do not know how it got to the MP, but it was either at Kansas City or out in Colorado. On MP it travelled between St. Louis and Pueblo.
8-40 MP, SLSF, SOU-MP was also travelled from St. Louis through East St. Louis and Thebes to Texarkana. SLSF was from St. Louis to Tulsa. SOU was from St. Louis to Danville, Atlanta, Birmingham and to Cincinnati.
9-40 NYC, B&M-NYC Cincinnati to Toledo, Buffalo and Mechanicville. B&M from Mechanicville to Portland and Boston to White River Jct. NYC back to Buffalo and Erie to Chicago.
It also rode the KCS from Kansas City to De Queen, M&STL from Minneapolis to Albert Lea, and Monon from Chicago to Louisville. The locomotives also went to Duluth and did a loop of the GN ore lines through the Grand Rapids (minn) area.
Here is the order that railroads bought them
1-ATSF
2-GN
3-CNO&TP(SOU)
4-CMSP&P
5-WP
6-D&RGW
7-SAL
8-NO&NE(SOU)
9-B&O
10-B&M
11-ACL.
12-SOU
13-MP
14-CB&Q
15-NP
16-CRI&P
17-SSW
18-NYC
19-Erie
20-LV
21-Reading
22-M&STL
23-DL&W
24-C&NW
25-NYO&W
The three part Railfan article is not about the tour but it does have the map I used a 3 paragraphs on the tour.

[oldyardgoat]

Back in the early 1960s, TRAINS Magazine published the story of EMC FT-103.
In 1989, the famous diesel was repainted in the 1939 color scheme, with all the attendent hoop-la.
However, I have yet to find an itinery giving the dates, roads, and movements of of FT-103 during its 14-16 months of demonstration runs.
Does anyone have this data, or know where this information may be found?
It would make for an ideal atricle in CLASSIC TRAINS!
Ardenastationmaster