Metro-North hauled six CDOT-owned FL9m's dead-in-two from Harmon Shop to New Haven, Connecticut last night. In a bit of twisted irony, a brand-new Brookville BL20-GH did the honors. The FL9's were decativated in February and March, and have been sitting at Harmon shut down with their stacks capped ever since. The New Haven-painted units belong to CDOT, while two Metro-North FL9's remain at Harmont (MN 2008 and "NYC" 2012). There are also two rebuilt F10's (rebuilt F3's purchased secondhand from MBTA) at Harmon as well.
You can see a video of the movement here, courtesy of my friend Josh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypXNubHkOjM
-otto-
== otto vondrak - www.ottovondrak.com - www.ritmrc.org - www.nywbry.com ==
Its a shame to see these classic locomotives go, but they always seem to come back for another go around. Hopefully they will again.
That quiet "Bye" at the end is enough to bring a tear to your eye. What did those units put in, about 50 years on the Job?
AgentKid
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
I believe that the FL-9's were delivered to the New Haven between 1956 and 1960. They were New Haven class EDER-5/5a and had 1750 - 1800 horse power. They were built by EMD and were basically an extended F9 with an A1A rear truck. They were used as passenger power into Grand Central Station during the day and then as freight power at night. They were equiped with "third rail" shoes to run from Woodlawn, New York through the Park Avenue tunnel into Grand Central Station. Otherwise they ran as a normal diesel/electric locomotive along the New Haven's Shore Line.
rjglov
The FL9s will probably run again.
I was born in 1950, and back when I was about seven or eight years old and until I was about fifteen or so, I recall being in bed at night on the third floor of my parents home in Bronxville, NY and hearing the Nathan chimes of the FL9's sounding for the Tuckahoe and Bronxville stations of the NYC Harlem Line as my room had no air conditioning and the windows were wide open allowing those sounds to permeate my room...our house was about 3/4 of a mile from the Bronxville station. I can seemingly still hear those Nathan chimes in my mind some nights. Fast forward to about 1974 when my new wife and I moved into an apartment building about three blocks from the Tuckahoe station where I would catch an early morning train to GCT and my job at 40th. Street and 5th. Ave. in Manhattan. Every morning I would see a pair of FL9's with some older coaches bring an express train from way up north past the electrified territory (which at that time ended at North White Plains, but now goes quite a bit farther north) blasting through Tuckahoe ahead of my m.u. all-electric train...and THAT is what hooked me on trains and railroading...the seemingly awesome power and majesty of these first generation cab units...I HAVE BEEN HOOKED EVER SINCE! It is sad to see the FL9's go to their retirement but perhaps we should all look at this as just another piece of evidence that "time waits for nobody or nothing".
Here are some of my FL9 photos from the last five years or so...
Danbury Branch:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ottomatic77/sets/72157605588684466/
Waterbury Branch:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ottomatic77/sets/72157604920792723/
Upper Harlem Line:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ottomatic77/sets/72157606134061051/
Hudson Line:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ottomatic77/sets/72157612199688382/
I agree with that first comment on You Tube. Read it, the very first one. I totally agree. I mean, why the heck are thay scrapping them? Thay have served them well for over 50 years. Thhen thay have the nerve to just slap one of those shortend SD45's on the front... OHHH!!! If I could let them have a peice of my mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like said on Y.T., No one has any intrest in preserving them??? What??? At least let the lead unit be one of the consist! Give it one last fleeting moment please!
The road to to success is always under construction. _____________________________________________________________________________ When the going gets tough, the tough use duct tape.
ML
GDRMCoMore proof of a progressing economy and business practice.
Quite true, most businesses get rid of their older assets when something newer and less expensive to maintain is available. The FL9's lasted as long as they did primarily because they were somewhat customized for a specific service and nobody cataloged anything to replace them until GE offered a variant of their Genesis line for the service into Grand Central Terminal and later into Penn Station.
At least two of them are preserved at the Danbury Railway Museum. I am sure there will be more.
I'm glad at least a few are being preserved.I have only ridden behind FL9s on Amtrak trains on the Hudson line.I did see one Conn Dot. FL9 in New Haven paint when the train I was on passed it at speed. The FL9 blew its Hancock air whistle as we pased each other.It was really cool.
The Connecticut DOT has "officially" donated FL9 M-N #2006 (NH 2026) to the Danbury Railroad Museum, and another two FL9s, M-N #2002 (NH 2005) and M-N #2019 (NH 2019), to the Railroad Museum of New England. RMNE is said to be doing maintenance prior to tourist service. As reported in the NHRHTA BULLETIN by Chris Pey.
Photo taken on the tourist "Naugatuck Railroad" in Waterbury CT, a part of RMNE www.rmne.org
Don U. TCA 73-5735
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