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WSOR Business Train with A-B-A set of E Units

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  • From: WSOR Northern Div.
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Posted by WSOR 3801 on Friday, November 21, 2008 3:17 AM

zardoz
My understanding is that the E units we see these days have had the twin 567's replaced by a 16-cylinder 645 series (essentially a GP38-2 in a carbody).

 

The UP E-units are equipped like that.  The WSOR E-units are properly equipped with 2 12-cylinder prime movers each.  I'm pretty sure they have 645 power assemblies in them.  WSOR 102 is apparently the only E B-unit properly equipped and running at this time.

WSOR 101 is ex-MILW, with a side trip to Alaska.  WSOR 103 is ex-UP, also went to Alaska for a spell.  WSOR 102 is ex-UP, then to Amtrak, then to the Michigan Northern as a power car.  Retrofitted with engines from the MARC (ex-BN) E9 sitting in Horicon. 

 

Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com

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Posted by kschmidt on Thursday, November 20, 2008 5:35 PM

videomaker

Great Pix guy,thanks for sharing !

Are these units the X-BN e units?

Thanks for the nice comments.  It was a great day to chase.   I believe one of the E units is an ex-Milw, another one of them might be from Alaska RR.  Not sure about other heritage or the correctness of what I just typed. 

Keith

Keith Schmidt KC9LHK You don’t bring nothin with you here and you can’t nothin back, I ain’t never seen a hearse with a luggage rack. George Strait Check out Flickr Train Photo Page 

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Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, November 20, 2008 11:55 AM

zardoz

My understanding is that the E units we see these days have had the twin 567's replaced by a 16-cylinder 645 series (essentially a GP38-2 in a carbody).

.....And I wonder then, if that change to a larger prime mover negates having to use 4 of them even since the renovations.

Quentin

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Posted by zardoz on Thursday, November 20, 2008 11:43 AM

Modelcar

gabe
Stupid question: why is it that I almost always see F-units in sets of 4 while E-units are in sets of 3?

 

I might take a stab at that one.....Don't "E" units all have 2 engines {prime movers}, in each unit......

The original E units had 2 of the 567 series prime movers inside, plus an auxiliary system for passenger service needs.  Each motor fed one truck (2 powered, 1 idler axles).  Early E units had steam generators; however, the units rebuilt for Metra had HEP generators (Cummins, Detroit, etc).

My understanding is that the E units we see these days have had the twin 567's replaced by a 16-cylinder 645 series (essentially a GP38-2 in a carbody).

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Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, November 20, 2008 10:07 AM

gabe
Stupid question: why is it that I almost always see F-units in sets of 4 while E-units are in sets of 3?

 

I might take a stab at that one.....Don't "E" units all have 2 engines {prime movers}, in each unit......

Quentin

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Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, November 20, 2008 10:04 AM

pm_1225
Great shots makes me appreciate living in a hot state where it never snows.  

 

Never snows in a lower 48 state.....? 

Quentin

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Posted by gabe on Thursday, November 20, 2008 7:55 AM

Stupid question: why is it that I almost always see F-units in sets of 4 while E-units are in sets of 3?

Gabe

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Posted by pm_1225 on Thursday, November 20, 2008 1:38 AM

Great shots makes me appreciate living in a hot state where it never snows.  

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Posted by videomaker on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 9:40 PM

Great Pix guy,thanks for sharing !

Are these units the X-BN e units?

Danny
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Posted by Noah Hofrichter on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 5:53 PM

Really nice shots Keith! Wish I could have chased it to, but that darn school thing gets in the way all the time... 

al-in-chgo

Beautiful pix!  I wonder who did the rear-end treatment of the final (observation) car?  -  al

 

The Stone Gardner theater car was modified/built by the folks at the WSOR's Horicon (WI) shop. They took a 44 seat Pullman-Standard coach, and pretty much gutted the inside to create the theater car, which included modifying the back end for the big window and theater-style seating. The WSOR used to have a bunch of pictures and story on the process on their website when the car first was done a few years ago, but it's no longer there. Like Zardo said, I'm sure part of the inspiration was the CNW's theater car, and other cars like it (the former CNW car is currently a part of UP's fleet, and the BN used to have a theater car that the WSOR actually leased at one point in the past).

The shop forces at Horicon do nice work. They are the same place where the UP heritage units were painted, for example.

Noah 

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Posted by zardoz on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 5:00 PM

al-in-chgo

Beautiful pix!  I wonder who did the rear-end treatment of the final (observation) car?  -  al

That looks very much like the observation business car from the C&NW business train of the 1990's.(C&NW called it a "theater car")

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Posted by Modelcar on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 10:26 AM

.....Great photos of not too often seen business trains....

Quentin

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Posted by al-in-chgo on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 10:39 PM

Beautiful pix!  I wonder who did the rear-end treatment of the final (observation) car?  -  al

 

al-in-chgo
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Posted by The Butler on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 9:05 PM
Great pictures, I thought WSOR sold that train except for one A unit.  I'm glad to see it is still around! Big Smile

James


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Posted by chad thomas on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 7:53 PM

 Ditto. Thumbs UpThumbs Up

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Posted by blhanel on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 7:21 PM

Great shots, Keith!

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WSOR Business Train with A-B-A set of E Units
Posted by kschmidt on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 6:26 PM

Greetings,

Yesterday I had the chance to chase a Wisconsin & Southern business train with the railroads great looking A-B-A set of E-units on the point pulling 5 matching passenger cars.  The train ran from Cambria, WI to Milwaukee, WI.  Not sure why it ran, but it sure looked good.  But it was a strange day to chase a train. 

Started out with partly cloudy skies and temps in the upper 20's.  Then in early afternoon bands of snow showers/squalls would come through and at times it was like a blizzard.  Snow did stick to grassy areas and some roadways especially bridges and overpasses.  As the sun went down the bridges started to ice over with "black ice" and things got bad real fast. 

Standing on the Hwy 164 bridge over the WSOR/CN in Ackerville we watched several cars spin out as they crossed the bridge and eventually a Ford Escape rolled over after spinning out.  Luckily there was a Sheriff van right there when it happened.  All in all a strange chase day.

Below are some shots from the day

To see more Check out Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/22338037@N04/sets/72157609316796251/

Eastbound under the CNW/UP bridge east of Cambria, WI

Departing Horicon, WI front and rear of the train

Eastbound near Woodland, WI in a snow burst

From the slippery Hwy 164 bridge at Ackerville, WI 

Keith Schmidt

Keith Schmidt KC9LHK You don’t bring nothin with you here and you can’t nothin back, I ain’t never seen a hearse with a luggage rack. George Strait Check out Flickr Train Photo Page 

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