Alco Road Switchers - RS1, RS2, RS3, RSD4, RSD5, RS11, RS32, RS3
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One more for this run at the Erie Lackawanna. An RS3 has local in tow by the yard in Akron in June 1973. The 1036 was built for the Erie. We were fortunate that the EL stationed RS3's in Ohio for local duty during the last years. I hardly never saw a GP7 or GP9. I forget the story but it was unusual to see road power over by the engine house. I think there was an unplanned repair.
Returned to Chessie by the Gettysburg railway after GETY acquired its own power, Western Maryland RS3’s 189, 186, and 198 have been set aside at the B&O shops in Cumberland, Maryland.
A rainy April day finds a Jersey Central RS3 visiting one of its old haunts, pausing at the west end of Allentown Yard.
Battenkill Railroad's RS3 #4116 has molded into this scene for what seems like forever. Shushan, NY has seen it's once or twice per week passage for decades. Hopefully this view will last for more decades to come, but the aging Alco has served a lot of time for this line, predecessor, Greenwich & Johnsonville, and the Delaware & Hudson and undoubtedly have to take a final rest in the future. Let us hope I'm wrong, but in the mean time take a trip to step back in time with a leisurely day along the Battenkill.
Nevada Northern RS3 109 passes one of the many original Nevada Northern buildings in Ely, NV back in 2008. A trip to this museum is like a trip back in time, as almost all the equipment is original to this operation.
Other than continuing to operate subsidiary Lehigh & New England Railway, the Jersey Central ceased operations in Pennsylvania on 1972, and competitor Lehigh Valley took over operations of all remaining CNJ assets in the Keystone State. This was before I started railroad photography, and I have very few CNJ images. During Conrail’s first year of operation, a very unexpected surprise was a train headed by four first generation CNJ units returning to the light side receiving tracks in Allentown.
After serving the Black River & Western for a decade, former Jersey Central RS3 1554 was acquired by the Hawk Mountain Chapter, NRHS and restored to its original appearance. The RS3 spent some time on the Blue Mountains & Reading, as seen here at Temple, Pennsylvania.
Western Maryland RS3 189 looks swell leading an F7A, GP7 and GP9 at the WM Bayard, West Virginia engine terminal as it shuffles power before returning back to Elkins on May 22, 1976.
Most of Western Maryland’s RS3’s were retired by 1976, but four were leased by the Gettysburg Railroad when it was formed to operate the line from Gettysburg to Mount Holly Springs, Pennsylvania. After the new short line acquired its own power, the four Alcos were returned, and placed in storage at the B&O shops in Cumberland, Maryland, as seen here. This particular unit escaped the torch when it was donated to the B&O Museum in 1979.
The Adirondack railway operated passenger service from Utica to Lake Placid, New York between 1979 and 1981. The Adirondack served the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games (remember the Miracle on Ice?) and was the biggest alternative to automobile/bus transportation to the games. After the Susquehanna acquired what became its Northern Division, it purchased former Adirondack RS-3 29. Here it is, with NYS&W lettering on the cab, but still displaying its Adirondack roots through a weak patch job on the long hood
Many photos of Jersey Central RS3 1554 have appeared on this site as it serves the Delaware-Lackawanna. Here the 1953 Alco is in its original paint on the rails of new owner Black River and Western. A few months after this photo, the 1554 will be repainted in the CNJ “Red Baron” scheme, although I don’t think it was still a CNJ asset. After wearing two BR&W schemes, the RS3 will be acquired by the Hawk Mountain Chapter, NRHS, and returned to its original scheme in 1985.
After shooting the San Manuel Arizona road train with the RS3 near Hayden, I gave chase and was able to bag this shot of the train on the trestle at Mammoth. I thought I was hot stuff with this until I saw JJL's Flicker shot taken three years earlier with two RS3s on this bridge!
When we visited D&H's famed Colonie shops back in 1978, there were Alcos and GE's everywhere and in every state of repair. Sometimes, it was hard to figure what was still in service and what wasn't. The scene was both amazing and sad at the same time. Here's three examples of units appearing to be near the end of their usefulness, who could tell for sure. RS3 4126 is joined by RS11 5010 and U33C 758 as they await their fate.
News came this week that Magma Copper/San Manuel Arizona RS3 No. 3 is being preserved at the Arizona Railway Museum in Williams. RS3s were primarily used on mine runs in SMA service, and occasionally on the road train up to the connection with SP/Copper Basin in Hayden to San Manuel.
I was lucky on May 10, 1989 when RS3 No. 13 lead the road train south, seen here leaving Hayden. Interestingly this RS3 is still around too, stored at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum in Ely.
After cutting off the RS3 to leave in town for the night, the 1968 Alco was officially solo for the first time with 19 loads. Unfortunately it had a hard time getting on the move and crew had to dump sand on the rail to get the train rolling. After the engine had no problem the rest of the way and has performed well since. It was a cool moment especially since the gates were stuck down in the center of town the whole time and a lot of disgruntled locals were a result. Photo taken Cambridge, NY April 15, 2020
VLIX RS3 512 is in the dead line at Oak Ridge, Tennessee on April 2, 2020. The unit was built for the Reading Railroad July 1952.
Olgebay-Norton Alco’s stand in the rain at the company’s Ashland, Kentucky yard. RS3 512 began life as Reading 495, and is now part of the Vintage Locomotives, Inc. collection in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I haven’t found the origin or disposition of S2 511.