Does anyone know if there are any sort of throwback scenic railroad routes that use refurbished or replicated postwar passenger trains with E-unit locomotives? I have always wanted to ride on one. Thanks in advance.
Their a good number of surviving e units luckily. Google the dieselshop or just surviving emd e units. They have a great site that lists what units remain and their current status.
The only one I know of that might run on a regular basis is Orange Empire Railway Museum (UP 942). IRM has the exotic Burlington E5 that it runs on special occasions, and NC Spencer has Southern 6900, to my knowledge kept in operating condition.
I caught the imr e last summer during their disel day's. They have an awesome museum including steam, diesel and traction. Just go to their web site and they a detail listing of their events.
St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern has an E-8 that they use on a regular basis.
Does Saratoga and North Creek run the Iowa Pacific E8 gotten from Arizona Eastern a few years ago (when freight kicked the Copper Spike passenger train off)?
This (repainted from Black Widow to IC) is the famous E unit in the parody that was made of trainandhawksfan's 'finally-caught-a-Heritage-unit' video? (For those who don't know the 'inspiration', it's here.
Until you get to ride in one, here's the next best thing:
U.P. still runs 'em on their office trains and specials, but they are re-engined from the 567 originals, and no longer make their distinctive sounds.
IRM (Union, IL) does run their E-5 with their Nebraska Zephyr on occasion, and on rare occasions outside the museum via their UP ex-C&NW connection.
daveklepper IRM (Union, IL) does run their E-5 with their Nebraska Zephyr on occasion, and on rare occasions outside the museum via their UP ex-C&NW connection.
IRM also rosters the BN Executive Units (F-9 A&B set- BN#1& BN#2) as well as an 'Executive' paint scheme, E unit (BN#3) that is apparently, not fully operable(?) The A_B Set was rebuilt by BN and was unique when in service as, the BN had added a sort of vestibule extension between the units, They were donated as a set to IRM; IIRC in 1997(?) .
There is a tourist railway with a 36 mile roundtrip out of Lockport New York just east of Buuffalo and north of the I90 Thruway about 8 miles which along near the Erie canal. They have a pair of x NYC E8's. One which should be running shortly and the other needs a fair bit of work to run. They are running some x Waterloo and St. Jacobs Ontario x Via coaches and a couple of others. I was doing a back roads tour and stopped in for a visit (non-operating day darn) earlier this summer and they were doing an excellent restoration/upgrade to a diner. They also have a fabulous HO train layout ~40 x 225 feet, a large collection of vintage toy trains and firemans equipment. The Erie canal runs through the town and there is an excellent museum about the canal and the locks so that makes it doubly interesting to visit there.
Iowa Pacific has several E-units painted in their Orange/Brown IC scheme that are used on their business train and for excursion service. They run a "Santa Train" with them out of Middleton, WI (Madison suburb) each year. Wisconsin and Southern still has one E-9A, the 101, in its fleet for it's business train, but new owner WATCO sold the other A unit (103) and the B-unit (102) to Iowa Pacific a couple of years ago. Not sure where they are or what they're used for these days. Speaking of really old E-units, don't forget ACL 501, an E-3 at the North Carolina Trasportation Museum. Built in October 1939 for the then-new Champion, it's about 4 months older that the IRM's CB&Q E-5 9911 which came out of LaGrange in February 1940. The unit was still running at the "Streamliners at Spencer" event two years ago, although I don't think the NCTM uses it to pull excursions.
Let's add a clip for that.
Do we need to add this is a Global Treasure?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3f21ItEZvU
I rode this summer on train at NCTM pulled by classic Southern diesel and yes, the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern has one painted in Pennsy colors. Rode that train for a murder mystery lunch trip. Columbia Star had a nice Wabash unit they ran, but that RR is closed now and items were sold to others.
The California State Railroad Museum has a Southern Pacific E9, along with a lounge car and a diner, all in Daylight colors. The best way to guarantee seeing all three in a row on the same train is on the Polar Express, otherwise it's a toss-up as to what will be used on the regular excursion train.
jumper There is a tourist railway with a 36 mile roundtrip out of Lockport New York just east of Buuffalo and north of the I90 Thruway about 8 miles which along near the Erie canal. They have a pair of x NYC E8's. One which should be running shortly and the other needs a fair bit of work to run. They are running some x Waterloo and St. Jacobs Ontario x Via coaches and a couple of others. I was doing a back roads tour and stopped in for a visit (non-operating day darn) earlier this summer and they were doing an excellent restoration/upgrade to a diner. They also have a fabulous HO train layout ~40 x 225 feet, a large collection of vintage toy trains and firemans equipment. The Erie canal runs through the town and there is an excellent museum about the canal and the locks so that makes it doubly interesting to visit there.
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