el

[Spikre]

bcrn,
go to elhs.org to see some of Agnes's damage.
ELHS has plenty of info,but not sure how much is on-line yet ??
Spikre

[bcrn]

darn!!! lack of computer dexterity, couldnt find them. what did el use for ballast?

[Spikre]

bcrn,
on the Erie main in NJ,EL used nice sized gray ballast.
having walked several thousand miles over that stuff,it
worked very well for smooth riding passenger trains.
some of it still may be in use if one starts at Suffern
and works south towards Paterson.
Spikre

[bcrn]

from some pics ive seen years ago, looked like limestone?

[Great-Northern-Willmar Div]

Jun 27, 2016 20:05:18 GMT -8 bcrn said:

from some pics ive seen years ago, looked like limestone?

On the west end of the EL the ballast was limestone. A light gray color when new, looked almost white.

EL GE U33C at State Line Tower in Hammond, Indiana.







More of the EL in Hammond

[Spikre]

??
Jimalooey,
do You have a fuller pic of that EL PS-4740 behind the E8 ?
the slope sheet sure looks black.
there is a running debate with a few guys in the ELHS claiming
the hoppers were all gray.
since they were leased from PS am sure the under parts follow
standard PS paint guide that has the bottoms of most cars painted
black.there are a few B&W photos here that show the black bottoms,
but cant find good color pics of it.
nice EL pic,notice the lack of side portholes,EL was doing all
the E8s that way.
Spikre

[bcrn]

love those photos, classy power. any more?

[fr8kar]

Is there a former EL engineer alive who still has his hearing? I love EL power but man, I would hate to have to run it with those horns right overhead.

[Great-Northern-Willmar Div]

Jun 29, 2016 20:13:47 GMT -8 bcrn said:

love those photos, classy power. any more?

All at Griffith Junction in Griffith, Indiana.

[bcrn]

thanks a bunch! what a classy paint job, looks good on those units. the shot with the u 25 on the head end is really good,one more builder and it coulda been a wabash combo! i wonder how those hoggers like working with mixed groups like that? i thot starting a short grain train was a little tricky with a c420 and a sd7 or 9 on dakota southern . starting from a full stop with a grade had to be kinda fun with multiple builders involved.

[Spikre]

bcrn,
a U25B,a C425,and a PHS-2 GP35,what could Wabash have added to that ?
there were only 3 second generation builders in the U.S.
even though F-m didn't exit until 1963,they were still building H16-44s,
a 1950 design basically.
the RS-3 may be ex-DL&W ?
great pics Jim !!
Spikre

[bcrn]

spikre, exactly. i was thinking of the green frog vcr i have with a emd, alco, ge, and fm onthe headend. it'd be interesting. the emd's load so much faster than an alco. a smooth start didnt always happen.

[Spikre]

bcrn,
will admit to not seeing too many Century units loading up
and moving out.a trio of LV C628s moved out fast enuff,they
left Newark in a fog.
but EL C424/425s were generally already moving,and had longer
and heavier trains than a pair of GP35s or U25Bs would be assigned.
could walk next to them and keep up when they came thru Allendale.
but on the commuter trains Alcos were the Top Dogs.
RS-2/3s and PAs would be up to speed before GP7s or E8s could even
get moving.
until mid 68 EL could run T-Ms with most 2nd generation power,didnt
happen to often,but it was a possibility.
the 1957 T-M pair worked at either Youngstown or Cleveland until their
Trusts expired around 72.then EL sold the Engine blocks back to Colt.
something that didn't always happen with the 1st batch of 10.
and at least 2 of those ended up in Mexico.
with Wabash,by the time they had U25Bs,GP35s and C424s their T-Ms were
repowered by Alco with 16-251Bs rated at 2400 HP.
recall that the Wabash ordered C425s were delivered after N&W took over
the Lease of the Wabash,and were delivered in N&W paint.
Spikre

[bcrn]

nice to know. where did el stop going west? in chicago? excluding run thru, where did the trains go? did they have a yard?

[Spikre]

bcrn,
EL ended at the Indiana State Line,but they did have their own 55th Street Yard
in Chicago.the UPS/Pig trains originated there also.
but,,,EL run thrus west made it to Minnie/St Paul and Kansas City on BN.if they went
on Rock Island,not sure how far west they went ?
or when Milwaukee stole units not sure how far they went ?
this is roughly 68 to 76.
CB&Q/BN run thrus lasted longest,but they were on and off after Agnes,carried a lot
of Spam and Cereal east,and Autos/Auto Parts.
Q/BN units did get to Croxton now and then,but usually turned back at Hornell or
Binghamton,as did Rock Island units.
D&H,PC and B&M units could be seen now and then also.
the Milwaukee GP40s and other units used to pay off the "Stolen Hours",seemed to stay
west of Meadville,but did have an extended stay on EL.
Spikre

[bcrn]

thank you sir, much appreciated.