Norfolk Southern "Heritage Units"

[556063]

For those of us here 50+, catching one of these in action may be a real treat. They are working every day, and I recently caught the Nickel Plate unit in LaPorte, IN. I don't know if they've been mentioned here before, but I'm Grateful to Norfolk Southern for doing this. The Wabash, Nickel Plate, and Erie Lackawanna units hold special places in my heart. And there are more than those! Norfolk Southern didn't have to do this, but it shows their respect for their heritage. It took a lot of time and effort to do these right, and boy did they!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNYnuAvGIfE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnnFStdvq8k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1WY-kvCT70

Complete "Family Portrait"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHBW6x7J17U

[Skip Lackie]

Have seen several of these units in motion, and they seemed to have done a very nice job capturing the original paint jobs. Norfolk Southern has paid to attach their name to the "suite" area (basically the areas behind the plate on the second deck) at the Nationals Park in DC. They have outfitted it with color photos of all their heritage units, plus an O gauge train that circles around the bar/lounge area.

[Commander Eddie]

Super duper. I'll share these with my fellow model railroad club members. Here in Portland we have the famous 4449 Northern in Daylight livery, as well as a sister locomotive, the 700. They run now and then are a wonder to watch. One of our club members is a volunteer at the museum where they are kept and has ridden in the cab of the 4449 on several trips.
Thanks for sharing these. Love it.

[StudeDave57]

Not that I am a Union Pacific fan, but it wasn't long ago they also 'played' this game~



I much prefer AT&SF's revamp of their WarBonnets~







Maybe one day BNSF can bring those and GN, and NP, and BN back...?

[showbizkid]

Love all of these... I was a railfan for many years beginning in high school.

Does my heart good to see the ATSF pics... although I know the age of them. Good luck finding an FP45 in revenue service these days

[StudeDave57]

Does my heart good to see the ATSF pics... although I know the age of them.
Good luck finding an FP45 in revenue service these days

You can't, as they've all been retired.
But you're in luck-- two of them are within a few hours' drive from you!!!
Lucky.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_FP45#Preservation

I've got a pretty good photo of 'Sweet Pea' next to #95 from way-back-when.


As for other locos in WarBonnet paint-- many are still plying the rails, but they don't look nearly as good....




StudeDave '57

[JRoberts]

The Spenser Shop video was pleasant to see. That is now the North Carolina Transportation Museum and although it is about all sorts of transportation, the railroad aspect of it takes center stage. There a some Studebakers among the cars and trucks in their collection. This video is fun to watch thanks for posting the link to it.

[Lark8girl]

Thanks so much for posting this. I am from Huntington, Indiana where the Wabash and the Erie RRs tracks crossed each other. The city library had separate paintings of the Wabash and Erie locomotives in the lobby.

Husband of Lark VIII girl

[556063]

I grew up in Rochester, IN. The junction of the Erie Lackawanna Mainline and the old Nickel Plate (N&W in my day) line from Indianapolis to Michigan City. The N&W unit and the EL Unit are etched in my memory. My Grandfather started a tavern in North Liberty, IN adjacent to the Wabash Mainline there, and named it the "Wabash Inn". That's still it's name today, although the Wabash is gone. He catered to Studebaker Employees at shift change in nearby South Bend.

Vintage footage of the EL in Fulton County (Rochester) in 1974 when I was eleven years old:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwCAHh1BgEI

[56H-Y6]

Hi

I've caught sight of the Pennsylvania and Nickel Plate units on point here on the old Erie RR Buffalo Division. Its exciting to see them. I do wish Norfolk Southern would add a third color to their regular livery, plain old black and white is just boring.

Now, if I could just see and hear an Alco RS2 or RS3 switching a wayfreight, I'd be happy.

Steve

[Buzzard]

So far I have only watched the first video and it was great to see them in their prime. We in western Arizona are 10 minutes north of the BNSF which goes east from Los Angeles, and there are over one hundred very long trains a day here. It seems every rail car is covered in graffiti. Sad change of the times. Thanks for the post.
Bill

[8E45E]

It seems every rail car is covered in graffiti. Sad change of the times.

I guess that's one reason they do not ship cars by rail anymore. http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...-RR-transport)

Craig

[53k]

I guess that's one reason they do not ship cars by rail anymore. http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...-RR-transport)

Craig

I see at least two car carrier trains every day on CSX. They usually are pulling more than 100 car carrier rail cars. The car carrier trains originate in Baltimore and go west from there.
I live about a half mile from the CSX tracks and often seem to get stopped at their rail crossings because of the trains. The car carriers seem to go slower than most freights and some times they stop which blocks at least two crossings and sometimes three.

[StudeDave57]

I guess that's one reason they do not ship cars by rail anymore. http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...-RR-transport)
Craig

I see at least two car carrier trains every day on CSX.

Automobiles are carried around in freight cars like these~






You'll likely see a bunch of them when you come to Tacoma later this year.
Lots'a lots'a trains run very near to the location of the International Meet....



StudeDave '57

[8E45E]

Automobiles are carried around in freight cars like these.

I guess they must be there, and not visible from my vantage point. But I very rarely cross the tracks of the main East/West CP rail line where it is a level crossing, which is most likely the train the car carriers would be on.

Craig