[N&W] Re: N&W Alco question

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

 >> I seem to remember
 >> reading in Trains about EMD sending a A-B-B-A set of F7 diesel
 >> locomotives to the N&W in the early 1950's. Thank you for your help.

 >    Yea I think this was in 1952 when they were running the test runs
 >    steam/diesel?
 >    I made one of the steam test runs,1239 I think,Wm'son to Ports.
 >    R F Smith
 >

Gentlemen,

I appreciate your information, but the person asking the question, was
referring to ALCO's.   In the book ALCO Official Color Photography, By Walter
A. Appel there are pictures of the different ALCO demonstrators.  The are
listed as follows:

ALCO/GE demonstrator  FPA2 and FB2

ALCO 5 units RS27
ALCO C628s 4 units
ALCO C430 (number of units unclear, possibly 3)
ALCO C415 maybe one unit
ALCO C-636 3 units which were apparently ALCO's last gasp when they hit the
rails in 1968.

There were also some boxcabs and small switchers before ALCO got into the
road switcher market.

In a note to N&W fans, after the NKP - N&W merger the N&W sold ALCO an ex NKP
dynamometer car.  This car was painted to match the ALCO demonstrator fleet
and could be seen with the same.  This car is now back in NKP colors and is
the care of or owned by the NKP Historical Society.  The car sits in
Bellevue, Ohio.

As for what demonstrators made of ALCO's made it to the N&W for a visit.  I
would guess the C628's as N&W had quite a few of them and maybe the C430's.
The reason I say maybe on the C430's is speculation because the N&W got some
via merger and probably later ordered the hi-hood version.  The N&W's
experience with the C630 was not too favorable, so I doubt if the late set of
C636's would have made it to the N&W.

EMD, I don't know how many demonstrators they had and where they went. I
think they had sets for each model.

I do know that there is a picture of the GE U25b hi-hood demonstrator's on
the N&W.  There was a picture of them on the N&WHS Calendar, leaving
Portsmouth, Ohio.  This was a few calendars ago.

A.J. Gemperline