I don't think anybody on the ATSF will have fond memories of a B 23-7. They were slow to load, lot of uncontrollable wheel spin, and just plain terrible. A CF7, was three times the engine !
Southernalco,
No, I never did get to run an RS3. By the time I started on the Southern (1977) they were all stored or scrapped. I did get to ride a few on the Penn-Central in New Jersey during the early 70's. They were smokey and dirty and thoroughly fascinating to a kid railfan! When Conrail was formed they dug up some worn out Erie-Lackawanna RS3's to replace the PRSL Baldwins in south Jersey as all things Eddystone were taboo. Several crew members ended up in the hospital from overexposure to Alco fumes, after which the CR brass scrambled to "find" the PRSL GP38's that had been relocated, as well as other power to replace the replacement RS3's.
I did get to run a few RS11's, though. These were the Penn-Central 7600's. They were actually pretty good to switch with and rode descent, even on PC's crumbling rails.
John
In Colorado on ATSF they were rarely ever on the lighter branchlines or used as yard switchers. They would pass through on main line roadswitchers and lower priority trains (including work trains). Rarely would you see one at all between La Junta and Albuquerque. Complaints abounded because of the steps and slow loading even though they pulled well.
John,
You basically confirmed what I was told by a carman at North Yard in Winston Salem back in the 80's. He stated they were constantly having electrical problems (transistor boards), he had to be careful to not hit his head on the radiator overhang, and he didn't like climbing up and down on them. I personally observed they were very slow to load up. I was never able to talk to any of the engineers who ran them, but I was told by the carman that they did not like them as the lead unit..........
Did you or anyone you worked with ever run the Alco RS3's as I believe the SR had some up to the early 70's. Winston Salem was full of the old Interstate units .
Thanks again,
Gene
SouthernAlco
PS It's interesting that NS is retiring all of their D8-32B's instead of rebuilding them as they are doing to all their EMD 4 axle units...........
I ran these units, along with their older U23-B brethren on the Southern Railway during 1979-80. The service in which they were employed on the Richmond district was exactly that, locals and flat switching. They were miserable, in my opinion. Visibility out the long hood end was poor and since this was the old Southern, the high short hood wasn't much better. Acceleration was pathetic. They made a lot of impressive noise, but this did not translate into a decent kick. They slipped a lot easier than the EMD GP-38's we ran. They rode intolerably rough on jointed rail. Richmond district was at that time primarily 85# rail, with some 80# sticks on the R&M branch down to Durham,NC. The steps up to the walkways and the cab were nearly vertical. This was not fun when trying to heave up a heavily loaded grip or one of the old galvanized water coolers. You couldn't walk along the walkways of the long hood without getting your clothes dirty, the doors into the cab were designed for a much more diminutive species, and I'm not a big guy! I DID like the smoke, though. They could put out a plume like an old consolidation and if you backed off the throttle a couple of notches and then opened her back up, a spectacular column of flame could be had!
southernalco Did the crews like the B23-7 especially on locals and flat switching?? Thanks, SouthernAlco[
Did the crews like the B23-7 especially on locals and flat switching??
Thanks,
SouthernAlco[
You might find the information on this linked site of interest. It is a narrative of the AT&SF and their fleet of GE B23-7's
@ http://qstation.org/BNSF_B23-7_4245/
FTL:'....Welcome to the BNSF B23-7 in Detail website. Here one can learn the history of the BNSF GE B23-7, as well as take a look at a prototype B23-7 from highly detailed, highly specific photos, provided by ATSF modeler..." Eric Goodman.
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