ACL Steam and Rolling Stock

[Cheese]

Hey Y'all,

Living along a short line, which once was an ACL branch, you can't help but love the ACL. In fact, I got the circle ACL emblem painted on my spare tire cover on the back of my car.

I am craving some ACL Steam. Can anyone tell me of any steamers made by Lionel, MTH, and K-line made since 1995?

I already know about the Railking Northern, and the Lionel Hudson, but is there anymore.

Another thing I need is ACL rolling stock. Freight, to be exact. Boxcars, Flats, Hoppers, Tancars, anything. I have a Railking Tank and Caboose, but, as sated with the steamers, I want more.

Help if you can.

Cheese

[tschmidt]

Hi Cheese,

I also collect the ACL. I do not have any steam power but I have both sets of Lionel diesel locomotives and their respective passenger cars. One is a set of F3 ABA's with 6 silver passenger cars and the other is a set of E6 AA units with 4 purple passenger cars. I have one other ACL diesel and that is a GP-7.

I have some rolling stock by Lionel and they are: a brown boxcar (9471), woodchip hopper in blue(16468), grey boxcar w/red trucks(17257), and a purple operating boxcar(Chicagoland LRRC #52179).

I think the purple, silver and gold are some of the best looking trains.

TomS

[ChiefEagles]

Funny, I posted an answer to this.  Gone?????  I think I might have a box car.  I know I have a couple of Seaboards.

[csxt30]

Funny, I posted an answer to this.  Gone?????  I think I might have a box car.  I know I have a couple of Seaboards.

Chief : it was there earlier !!

Thanks, John

[Cheese]

Oh,

You must meen the tpic I made about the stuff I bought yesterday. No, i don't think I asked these questions there. I might have, but any help is great.

Cheese

[luther_stanton]

I collect / run ACL as well.  Seems like there are a few of us out there!

I have a Lionel Command GP7 (there was also a non-command version of the GP7), and the Lionel Command F3 ABA set as well as the rolling stick that TomS mentioned.  I aslo have an Atlas SW7/8 switcher.  I am on the look out for the E6 set as well but they seem a little more rare.

Both KLine and MTH have had runs of ACL cattle cars - they can still be had on Ebay.  The Kline is brown, the MTH yellow.  MTH also had an ACL diesel fuel tanker, a silver box car with a purple roof, a PS-2 hopper and I believe an uncovered center flow like hopper with a rock load - may be a nice representation of a phosphate load out of the Bone Valley.

There is a rich selection of cabeese available as well.  Lionel has a bay window lit model and a very light weight steel side cupola caboose.  Williams also made a port-hole caboose. 

As for steam, Williams has (I do not know if they are still available) a Hudson and a Berkshire - neither of which the ACL actually every ran. They were both colored purple and silver, however I believe all the ACL steam was black.  About three years ago I saw a set on Ebat from KLine - it was a Pacific with heavy weight coaches - very nice.  I have never seen it again.

[tschmidt]

Luther,

You are right, there are a few of us out there. At a place on-line called Train Buddies I found these:

http://www.trainfinder.com/traindealers/store.asp?action=newSearch&search=atlantic+coast+line&dest=Merchant&accountNo=TF1013§ion=trainListing&orderBy=LastUpdated&tfResults=10

If that link doesn't work then just go to trainbuddies.com and seach ACL. The purple boxcar is the one I have and it sits between my ABA's and the 6 silver passenger cars. I have always been disappointed that Lionel never made a station sounds car for that set. I was also hoping for some add on cars to go with those E-6's and the 4 purple cars but they never made them.

I think I am the odd one here because not too many of us from up north collect the ACL.

TomS

[Anonymous]

I also collect ACL. I'd have to give Atlas O top marks for producing a variety of prototypical ACL stuff including both engines and rolling stock. The USRA ACL boxcar is a sight to see. The Trainman ACL silver box is commonly available.

I have a Williams ACL GP-9 which is as always a great runner. However, it's in purple, which I don't think the ACL did in real life. The Atlas ACL models are, as noted, spectacular, but some of the Williams ACL diesels are very nice too. The steam, which has them in purple? Not so much. Williams also has the ACL/Seaboard "merger" set, which is kind of cool in a painful sort of way. I have a Williams ACL hopper which is a neat car but has couplers that sit WAY high.

Lionel has about two ACL boxcars, one with red truck Standard O (which is likewise a fantasy, I would guess, but a neat car) and the "Thanks For Using Coast Line" semi-scale box, which is cheap and widely available. I am trying to grab a whole consist worth myself. The Lionel ACL passerger cars have already been discussed, and their ACL E6s (?) are pretty sweet.

 MTH has that tank car already mentioned, which I would wager is a fantasy car, as well as the stock car. I have a set of extruded aluminum ALC passenger cars from 1996, made by MTH, that are absolutely sweet.

ACL is certainly a collector's challenge, particularly if you want things that resemble something that actually ran on the ACL, but I love the road.

[luther_stanton]

Raleigh Train Fan, 

I have a Williams ACL GP-9 which is as always a great runner. However, it's in purple, which I don't think the ACL did in real life. The Atlas ACL models are, as noted, spectacular, but some of the Williams ACL diesels are very nice too. The steam, which has them in purple? Not so much. Williams also has the ACL/Seaboard "merger" set, which is kind of cool in a painful sort of way. I have a Williams ACL hopper which is a neat car but has couplers that sit WAY high.

I have also found no evidence that the ACL ever had any GP9s.  For road power, they ran GP7s and F units pretty exclusively. Both of theses models would have been delivered in the purple and silver livery. 

I have heard the GP9 refered to as a "GP7 with dynamic brakes" because of the mechanical similarities.  If this is accurate, this would explain why the ACL only ran GP7s.  Most of the route along the coast up from Jacksonville was flat enough that dynamic brakes were not of great benefit.  

The ACL started purchasing new GP-30s in 1963 to replace the GP7s and Fs.  The GP-30s were the first new power to be painted black with yellow trim.  Eventually the GP7s and Fs were also redone in the black and yellow.  I think the Purple / Silver livery is so much better.

 MTH has that tank car already mentioned, which I would wager is a fantasy car, as well as the stock car. I have a set of extruded aluminum ALC passenger cars from 1996, made by MTH, that are absolutely sweet.

I have seen pictures of some tankers that the ACL used to fuel their diesels at various terminals around the system.  The pictures are only black and white but the colors could be purple and silver since some were built in the later 1940s.  The actual paint scheme looks a little different from the MTH offering - but it captures the spirit.

Please do not tag me as a rivet counter! The ACL is just my passion when it comes to trains.  I am guilty of wanting to run close to prototypical models, colors and consists.

 A neat book on the ACL is "Alantic Coast Line - Standard Railroad of the South" by William E Griffin.  A lot of pictures - mostly B & W - covering steam and diesel power, passenger equiment and freight equipment.  Another good reference is "Atlantic Coast Line Passenger Service - The Postwar Years" by Larry Goolsby.  Larry Goolsby also wrote "Atlanta Birmingham & Coast" which is a good reference on the AB & C which was absorbed by the ACL.

I do not think one can ever have enough ACL power and rolling stock!

[luther_stanton]

Tom, 

You are right, there are a few of us out there. At a place on-line called Train Buddies I found these:

http://www.trainfinder.com/traindealers/store.asp?action=newSearch&search=atlantic+coast+line&dest=Merchant&accountNo=TF1013&section=trainListing&orderBy=LastUpdated&tfResults=10

If that link doesn't work then just go to trainbuddies.com and seach ACL. The purple boxcar is the one I have and it sits between my ABA's and the 6 silver passenger cars. I have always been disappointed that Lionel never made a station sounds car for that set. I was also hoping for some add on cars to go with those E-6's and the 4 purple cars but they never made them.

Train Buddies are really great to deal with.  My first purchase from them was an ACL GP-7.  Ove the last two years I have bought numerous items from them.  Always outstanding customer service. 

I have contemplated that boxcar as well.  I only have the solid purple pasenger cars, but it would probably go with them as well.  It would give the train a nice look of having some time sensitive "Express Agency" freight within the streamliner consist. 

A station sounds diner car would be awesome!

I think I am the odd one here because not too many of us from up north collect the ACL.

I grew up in PA - in the heart of Conrail country.  Uncle Sam moved me to GA in 1992 where I have been since. We are about 5 minutes from the Macon - Atlanta mainline.  Former Southern trackage owned by NS now.  

We are about an hour from Manchester which was a major repair area / yard for the AB & C and then ACL.  There is still an old ACL strutcure there used by CSX.  They have a nice viewing platform as well so you can do some train watching.

My wife grew up in Port Charlotte, FL - which the ACL serviced.  I believe there was also a phosphate pier there at Charlotte Harbor - she had heard stories of a spill into the harbor in the early 1900s - which causes the water to be discolored for years.  Both the pier and the ACL were gone by the time she moved there.

- Luther

 

[Anonymous]

I have also found no evidence that the ACL ever had any GP9s.  For road power, they ran GP7s and F units pretty exclusively. Both of theses models would have been delivered in the purple and silver livery. 

I have heard the GP9 refered to as a "GP7 with dynamic brakes" because of the mechanical similarities.  If this is accurate, this would explain why the ACL only ran GP7s.  Most of the route along the coast up from Jacksonville was flat enough that dynamic brakes were not of great benefit.  

I had no idea. I've seen many ACL units that I assumed were GP9's, but must have been GP-7s after all. Should have checked a roster, I guess! Danged Williams folks!

 

 

 

[tschmidt]

Luther,

We get to Georgia every once in a while. My wife's son lives in the Atlanta area and we've been to visit. He has season tickets to the "Dawgs" football games and we've been to a few over the last few years.

If you are looking for the silver passenger cars I see them on Ebay now and then. The 4 pack are a lot easier to find than the 2 car add on set. If you ever come across the 2 pack you should pick it up. I wound up picking up an extra set of the 4 original silver cars once and I have them in the boxes stored away.

I stay only with Lionel for the most part. I have no particular reason, it's just what I like. I see that RMT makes a BEEP in ACL colors. I saw a picture of it on there website. It looks like a short GP-7

TomS

[tschmidt]

Since I have been collecting only Lionel ACL pieces, I was wondering if anyone has some pieces by other manufacturers. Are there some good looking cars out there? If you could post some pictures of them that would be great.
Thanks, TomS

[Roger Bielen]

Cheese,

For the past few months I've been doing work for an SAL fan and has the same problem.  What I've done is reletter, and some repaints, of engines and rolling stock that match what SAL used.  With some you can remove the lettering without damaging the paint and easily redecal.  Microscale is a good source for decals.  In some cases the HO scale decals look better than the O scale.  He's also used Kinko's for getting decals made from photos, though, success is highly dependent on the tech. at Kinko's. 

[A&Y Ry]

Cheese

I just noticed that the recent Williams catalog has scale ACL hoppers---#HC09 for $34.95.

Plastic shell,diecast trucks,metal wheels,prototype graphics[black, white lettering],interchangeable coal and "Lid" roofs, metal floor and brake wheel, 10" long, 3-1/2" high,operating couplers.

 p.s:

Also,not the steam you seek, but the scale Williams ACL E-7 AA diesel set[#E-7 200 silver/purple] for $349.00 is a pretty good buy if you like diesels and if, the ACL actually had E-7s[I don't have an ACL book]. I have the Southern AA version which compares well to my Weaver E-8s and  Lionel E-6s. I had mine converted to TM/RS 4.0  and have been pleased with it. 

Scale silver/purple 72' 4-car ACL passenger set #STR72-01, $249, plus 2-car add-on set #STR7201AO, $124, will look pretty good with E-7s. REA headend car, 4 Coaches and Observation if add-on is included.