Engineer Ed and I hit the train show in Atlanta last week and the New York Central Train Layout has added Proto 1000 RS2 #0503 to the fleet. The class 1 New Haven RR served the Northeast, mainly New England, in colorful style but with little profit. Heavy in passenger operations and light in freight the NH was forced into Penn Central on January 1, 1969.
New Haven passenger trains enjoyed access to both the New York Central's Grand Central Terminal and the Pennsylvania's Pennsylvania Station. The NH boasted a locomotive line up that included catenary powered electrics and dual powered 3rd rail electrics. The New Haven was a principle in the smoke abatement from the NYC tunnels into GCT. In 1904 a NYC train crashed into the rear of a NH train in the dense fog of the tunnels. The NH also enjoyed a decent relationship with the PRR combining on express passenger trains from Boston to Washington.
On the New Haven the RS2s known as DERS 2b (Diesel Electric Road Switcher) began to arrive in 1947 and actually preceded the arrival of the Alco DERS 1b. The RS2 / DERS 2b boasted 1,500 horsepower and was dual service equipped and capable of hauling either freight or passenger trains. The RS2 fleet were numbered 0500-0516. The front zero was used to separate the newer diesels from the established steam locomotives.
The NH 0503 now on the roster is painted in the hot dog or balloon paint scheme that was applied to some units in the mid 50's prior to the McGiness Administration.
The exhaust stack is in the delivery position indicating it is still in the air cooled design.
The NH 0503 making a shove move
NH 0503 delivers a flatcar to Neal's Lumber and Hardware.
New Haven fan 1/87th scale Sir Neal Himself has come out to look over the newest motive power on the roster. Some children are also running up to see the new colorful locomotive.
Nice looking locomotive John, and great story too!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bryan! First NH locomotive in this scheme.
DeleteI agree! Good looking loco. How does it run? The inclusion of the New Haven is another factor credited as a woe of the Pen Central's fortunes and contributor to its eventual downfall. Nevertheless, I've always like their paint schemes. One of my locos sports the orange C in the Penn Central logo that supposedly was a nod to the New Haven as part of the system.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ralph! The RS2 run well. Will need new axle gears as did most of this product run. Factor that in whenever buying P-2000 and 1000 4 axle locomotives. Called LHS and new gears are waiting for me as we speak. I also painted PC GP40 #3175 with the orange C. The paint scheme definitely caught my eye and it was a gotta have it purchase.
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