Your Rarest Locomotive Sighting

[bnsfkline]

Mine is no longer the GP40X, but a Ex SP Commute GP40P-2

[Anonymous]

i havn't seen to many locomotives. my rarest locomotive sighting would be an EMD F9.

[Anonymous]

I saw a clean ESPEE locomotive once...

No, sorry, I made that up. It never happened.

[dldance]

I don't know the original manufacturer of this locomotive, but I suspect it was a GE 90 tonner. It had been fitted with lead and steel shielding for moving nuclear reactor experiments between "hot" shop facilities at the Idaho National Engineering Labs in the late 1950's when they were working on a nuclear powered airplane. The engineer had a clear view out of the forward set of windows, but the rear facing windows were blanked out by the shielding. The only way that the engineer could see that direction was through a lead and barium glass shielded periscope. The coupler on that end was remotely controlled and they did not bother with brake glad hands.

The experiments were moved on heavy duty flat cars that were double wide. The whole assemblage ran on two parallel sets of standard guage tracks that were set 4' 8.5" apart. The flat cars had two sets of trucks on each end to fit the parallel tracks.

I was not able to photograph it due to security restrictions, nor do I know what the markings were - but knowning the US government - it had a number.

After all of this was built, the airplane program was cancelled - so I don't think the engine and cars ever made more than a few test moves.

dd

[Anonymous]

The GG1 at the PRR museum #4935 "Black Jack" - rare, because the damn thing was running mainline duty when I got hired! I wasn't supposed to go past age 30, I was supposed to stay young forever...what happened?? [:D]

[Anonymous]

Oh I also for got to mention UP 3985 West coming through Blair last year.
Now "THAT" was a Rare site to see in this Town,wow!

[Anonymous]

Would have to be the EMD 268, prototyp AC traction locomotive from the '80s. Built on a tradein Amtrack SDP40-2 carbody. Ran once at night on the BN through Chicago's western suburbs.

[tpatrick]

Come to think about it, Western New York and Pennsylvania RR (former Erie) still runs Alcos exclusively. Saw a pair of C424s passing through Lakewood just this week. Nationally they probably qualify as rare, even though we here are used to them. WNY&P has some six axle units, but I have not seen them yet. Just a few years ago, ANY train was rare here, so we appreciate them all.

[mudchicken]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tpatrick

Back in the fifties, Erie ran a brace of Cooper-Bessemer diesels that often passed through Jamestown NY. They looked a lot like ALCO FAs, but with fluted sides and without the grill around the headlight. I guess thay were not successful since we don't see any C-Bs these days.

And just what do you think ran under the hoods of all those GE U-Boats?[[swg][swg][swg]

[tpatrick]

Back in the fifties, Erie ran a brace of Cooper-Bessemer diesels that often passed through Jamestown NY. They looked a lot like ALCO FAs, but with fluted sides and without the grill around the headlight. I guess thay were not successful since we don't see any C-Bs these days.

[WSOR 3801]

The BL2s were used in revenue service. They made many trips to Chicago, with F-units (A & B). One of the older engineers recalled the other crews asking what kind of engine he had.

The purple E-3 was Atlantic Coast Line 630. It was used on passenger excursions in the '80s. It, along with a BL2, was at EMD's 75th anniversary open house in La Grange in '97. I went up inside the BL2. The line for the SD90MAC was way too long.

I'm pretty sure the BL2s and E-3 are in the Green Bay Museum.

The WSOR E-9s are back in service.

I also saw both Amtrak F69ACs at Corwith, after they had been taken out of service, And Metra F40C 614 at Fox Lake, laying over 1-12-05

Mike WSOR cndr

[eolafan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by equinox

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

Mine had to be a few BL2 units at the WSOR roundhouse in Janesville, WI and also the old purple colored E unit (E-6?) in old Seaboard colors also in Janesville.

What ever happened to them?
Are they still in Janesville?
Did they ever operate in revenue service?

Not really sure, but the last time I was in Janesville they were stored on the south side of the roundhouse, but that was almost two years ago. They are likely scrap metal by now. Next time I am in the area and have a little time I will stop by and check and report. I do not think they ever rolled a mile for the WSOR though, anybody else know?

[espeefoamer]

Saw an ex BN NW5 south of Portland, owned by a shortline.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

Mine had to be a few BL2 units at the WSOR roundhouse in Janesville, WI and also the old purple colored E unit (E-6?) in old Seaboard colors also in Janesville.

What ever happened to them?
Are they still in Janesville?
Did they ever operate in revenue service?

[JoeKoh]

Chessies all american Locomotive a gp 38-2. although it was renumbered for csx (2002) and by luck the 2816 that came through on Matts Birthday last year.
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

Seaboard System SD40 4601. trailing unit in a rock train a couple months ago. I think I remember reading that it is CSX's oldest active unit in predecessor paint. Other than this unit the only other one I know of in Seaboard paint is either a GP38 or 40. can't remember which but it was a 4 axle. it's a shame they all get painted over.

[oltmannd]

Another "rare" one is this SD45-2

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=16956

It's really wasn't all that rare - Conrail had 13 of them - but it was rare to be seen on the water level route. We were conducting a ride quality test between Selkirk and Collinwood to try to get the 45 mph speed restriction lifted. It operated on TV53 westbound and TV6 eastbound. The second unit in the picture is 6842, one of the SD60 demonstrators that Conrail purchased.

There was a picture of the westbound in a Trains magazine months later. The article was unrelated to the test but it was the second time I had my picture in Trains (if a couple of photo offset dots count as "my picture")!

[wcfan4ever]

I dont think I have ever seen anything rare. Every time I go trackside, its the same old regular power. The only time I have seen anything rare was in a museum or a loco that is unused. But I guess I'm just gonna have to go with the Fox River Valley/Green Bay and Western RSD15's when they were in Green Bay, WI right before scrapping. Never did see them operate but I know they did.

[oltmannd]

One of the neat things about working in the Mech Dept at Conrail was that I got to go out on tests. We tested EMDs SD70M demonstraters on the crooked Elsworth Secondary to see how the radial trucks would compare to four axles.

This was the first time 6 axles were used on that line:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=13389

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=9423

[oltmannd]

Conrail bicentenial U34CH in fresh paint on July 4th 1976 in Hoboken. I was on the way home from watching Operation Sail at Stevens Tech. Had ridden in from Maplewood on MUs.

Here it is: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=30711

[eolafan]

Mine had to be a few BL2 units at the WSOR roundhouse in Janesville, WI and also the old purple colored E unit (E-6?) in old Seaboard colors also in Janesville.

[Anonymous]

PC 9950 That EMD repowered RS3 where they took off the whole short hood and welded the back of an EMD switcher cab to the RS3 cab. What a wierd looking beast with a monsterous back porch.

[Anonymous]

Dumb Luck…… Summer of 93 my older brother went to a Cubs game in Chicago, I went to Elmhurst, IL instead. Could not get over all the traffic on the CNW, Trains Magazine said it was a hot spot, but I had no idea. Then to my amazement here comes the Amtrak California Zephyr with a Metra E8 leading.

Turns out there was this little thing called the floods of 1993 tearing up the Midwest and I had no idea that this was the only route open to the west. I believe the E8’s only led a couple of the Amtrak trains for which they were brought out of retirement for…..and of course…..no camera.

[Anonymous]

GCRY #18 (I think it was, which ever one was in Las Vegas on display) saw it in Alliance Yard on a flat car near Ft. Worth, TX shot 2004.

Two nice clean SP units Speed Lettered one SD45 & the other a SD45T-2 shot 2004.

Grey UP B23-7 UPY (forgot #) no fuel tank 3rd engine on train shot 2004.

SOO Line SD40 remembered 2002.

-Matt

[CP5415]

A UP C44-9w & a CPR H1B 4-6-4 all in the same day in Toronto ON.

Gordon

[jabrown1971]

Rarest locomotive sighting-Speno Rail Serivce F38-2M's? They were a hybrid locomotive built for Speno to use on their rail grinders. Popped up in Edwardsville, Il once. Anything low nosed on the N & W and the Amtrak 44 tonner used at Beech Grove. Beech Grove used to host quite a bit of interesting stuff, mostly old Amtrak cars, but lately, the west yard has been pretty empty.

[Anonymous]

Amtrak #27 the former New Haven Roger Williams Budd RDC with a cab like an F Unit. Got a cab ride in this one back in 1981. Mass Central NW5 just a few days ago. An Alco C424 and a former Alaska RR F-Unit hauling 1 mile of double stack in Palmer, MA in 2000.

[Anonymous]

back in 1993...sighting a norfolk southern trio m.u. of locomotives on an eastbound
freight for west virginia one saturday afternoon about 2 p.m. then the following
saturday afternoon, one week later, at approx. same hour, seeing the same trio of
n s locomotives in the same number order on a westbound southern pacific train
for houston. i was trackside in downtown beaumont, texas. it was believe it or not.
the first sighting was in columbus, ohio, where i live.
theo sommerkamp [e-mail]

[ericsp]

My rearest sightings, at least in the past year, are both remaining DRGW SD50s, a SP SD70M, and a BNSF SW1500(?).