what Fred should write about

[rodgar]

write about what happened to all of the rare and odd locomotives like the Katy's Geeps of all different types of bodies and motors. consider writing about about all the different locomotives on sale by locomotive brokers like Geeps,F-7'S, E-8'S,ALCOS, and others ....consider writing about all of the locomotives in Mexico that are still in the original colors of the fallen flags in the U.S.A......how many of these units ended up in central and south America? this might be interesting because U.S. railroads are getting down to buying 3 or 4 different models to use in the U.S.

[samfp1943]

rodgar

write about what happened to all of the rare and odd locomotives like the Katy's Geeps of all different types of bodies and motors. consider writing about about all the different locomotives on sale by locomotive brokers like Geeps,F-7'S, E-8'S,ALCOS, and others ....consider writing about all of the locomotives in Mexico that are still in the original colors of the fallen flags in the U.S.A......how many of these units ended up in central and south America? this might be interesting because U.S. railroads are getting down to buying 3 or 4 different models to use in the U.S.

 

THe Iron Horse Museum in Parsons (nee: MKT Division Pt.) has a Baldwin DS4-4 on the property.

Also on the Midland RR at Baldwin City, Ks. is an MKTRR home-built 'hybrid' of Alco and EMD heritage; still operational(?)   linked photo @  http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=920611

and a photo of another Katy 'Kit Bashed' RS3M linked @ http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1589924

 

[Firelock76]

So THAT'S what an RS-3 looks like after it's spent a few years in the gym!

[samfp1943]

Firelock76

So THAT'S what an RS-3 looks like after it's spent a few years in the gym!

 

Wayne(Firelock 76)

Kinda like this picture : linked @ http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1589924

Cannot get it to come out.. go to the link above..Sorry.

 

[SALfan]

Are you sure the loco in the first picture was homemade?  For a while, GM would re-engine any loco hulk that could be dragged into their plant with a GM engine and long hood.  I don't know either way, but the pictures look like they could have been done by GM.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

While some railroads did perform re-powerings in their own shops, all of MKT's various and sundry re-powerings (RS3, FA1, AS16, etc.) were done at La Grange.

[Euclid]

Here is M&StL GP9 #702 with an Alco nose that was added by M&StL shops.  Actually, this was C&NW by the time of this work.  They added to the lower part of the nose in order to raise it to a proper height for the geep.  #702 lost its original nose in a rear end collision.  It was leading train #1 and hit CStPM&O train #201 which was stopped at a crossing with the Milwaukee Road.  The engineer stayed in his seat and road out the crash.  Later he said that metal crumpled to within a foot of his legs.    

 

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=388624

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=397047

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=388623

[mudchicken]

Back to the original premise: Let Fred get into the dealings (unreal expectations?) between transit operators and the Class 1's over use of rail corridors. He could start by looking at the prickly mess in Denver between the 1980's and today.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

"Wrong perceptions."

[E DEAN CONLEY]

What Fred Should Write Anout: Metro North accident could have been avoided by implementing an old solution to such problem crossings - that it ses none of the power actors recognized: including state local and national regulators or partners in managing this inherently dangerous rail and road corridor. The tendency I see on current cmentary on the accident is to blame the main victim of this avoidable tradgety - the SUB drive Ellen Brody and her decisions when trapped in an inherently no win position. As her straight sighted now widower husband correctly saw, that crossing is inherently dangerous even if it operated as it should have - and set up to confuse the most concientious approaching motorist. Uncoordinated flashing lights, bells that didn't work, and gates that delay, or don't sync with other messages emanating from the so called crossing protection in place.

The old answer Grade Crossing Seperation. It should have been implemented at that site long ago. Shame on all the powers associated with the management and oversight of it not to have done so. Including us rail fan watchers of such transit situations like myself for not speaking out louder.

my recent fail fan research explorations recently led me into looking at a similar rail road interaction sight that has implemented that solution to the benefit of all concerned including up scale new residents of that changing new area.

I speak of the 35th street crossing and new commuter station of Chicago's Metra Rock Island Division which carries high speed commuter service in and out of the Chicago loops Classic LaSalle Street Station - a busy similar place to Nyc's GCT fedding Metro north. That double tracked line parallels the Dan Ryan Express way complex in the same way that cetary road does the Taconite express road complex.  It also has the added danger of a feeder to the White Sox Baseball Park several blocks west - and two other rail commuter lines on either side of it - the "L" red and green line.  All three are Grade Seperated and the bridging complexes do not impeed traffic flow or tarnish the aesthetics of that developing area.

Its a good model for what should have been done at the accident site in NY - and still should still be done at the two crossing points Ellen Brady was forced to confront on her interrupted journey home that night.

Maybe Ellen Brady didn't make the best choices in what she tried to do after being attacked by an errant (but properly working) crossing gate - but she was the victim of a terribly planned and mismanaged rail road corridor in a high speed commuter zone - a grade crossing that acted more like a weird half-broken mechanical toy that didn't work in protecting her life.

So there's your topic Fred - take a look at that Metra site for comparison.  And when we all chip it to correct this situation, let's name the overcross as a memorial to Ellen Brody with deepest regrets from us all

E. Dean Conley

Trains subscriber and long time reader of Fred's articles in the RR and general lit: esp the Washington Post