New Penn Central Power

 Greetings All,

New Penn Central Power

Three new Penn Central locomotives joined the roster in April 2025. The first two were a pair of Atlas Classic Alco RS11s and the third is a Walthers Mainline EMD NW2 end cab switch engine. Lets take a quick look at the models and the prototypes.

Alco RS11s / DL701s

The preordered Atlas Penn Central RS11s are ready for unboxing!!!

Penn Central Alco RS11 #7600 is the former New York Central #7600. Note the F on the sill of the long hood. The NYC engines were set up to run long hood forward.

PC #7604 is ex NYC #7604. Checkout the fireman looking forward.

The 7600 and 7604 will be joining PC RS11 #7608 that I painted and added to the roster in November, 2022.

Prototype Tidbits

The Alco RS11 or Alco DL701 was an 1,800 HP diesel electric road switcher built between 1956 and 1961 that rode on four wheel trucks and was powered by the Alco 251 prime mover.

"Alco RS11 Demonstrator DL701" by Digital Rail Artist is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/?ref=openverse.

The New York Central ordered nine units in 1957 numbers 7600 - 7608. A second order of six RS11s were delivered to the NYC in 1960 but they refused delivery. These six engines languished in Selkirk until the purchased and repainted for the Delaware & Hudson RR. 

The reason for the refusal to accept the six later RS11s is a bit murky. A verbal order not approved by the board? The NYC was so disgusted with the first nine they cancelled the order? I've read both were the reasons.

The Pennsylvania Railroad signed up for thirty two RS11s (8617-8654) that were delivered between August 1956 and December 1957. The PRR units were renumbered 7617-7654 for the merger with the NYC. 

Ex PC, nee PRR 7651 sits at Bethlehem PA in 1979.

Conrail Alco RS11 7651 at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, November 4, 1979. Photographer: J W Hulsman. Scanned from a 2 1/4 x 4 1/4 negative owned by Digital Rail Artist. Ex-Penn Central 7651, ex-Pennsylvania Railroad 7651, nee-Pennsylvania Railroad "Conrail Alco RS11 7651" by Digital Rail Artist is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=openverse.

In 1956 the New Haven Railroad purchased fifteen RS11s (1400-1414). In 1969 these engines were renumbered 7660 -7674 when the NH was absorbed by the PC. The NH RS11s were set up to run short hood forward.

The Models

The Atlas Classic RS11s have been thru the NYCTL shops receiving some Testor's Dullcote, flat black paint for the trucks and Kadee #5 couplers. The engines ran great right out of the box and help fill a need for first generation Penn Central road switchers on my layout.

Look for the 7600 and 7604 making their debut in the upcoming PCCM 111 which will begin next Friday, May 23rd.

EMD NW-2 Switch Engine

This Walthers Mainline Penn Central NW-2 #8807 was offered thru the Penn Central Historical Society and arrived on the layout in April 2025.

Prototype Tidbits

The Electro Motive Division of General Motors produced 1,145 NW2 1,000 HP switch engines between 1939 and 1949. The end cab switchers were powered by a 12 cylinder 567 prime mover and later a 567A prime mover. 

The PRR, NYC and NYC subsidiary Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB)  purchased a combined total of 184 NW2s starting in October 1941. The NW-2 was the PRR's first purchase of a commercial diesel electric locomotive numbered 3909 which later became PRR 5912 then PC 8677 and then PC 9171 after a capital rebuild and upgrade to 1,200 HP.

IHB NW2 8814 was delivered in late 1949 and looks good after almost 40 years of service.

Blue Island Yard, Chicago area, Midwestern U.S. railroad, 1987; digital copy of print. Complete indexed photo collection at WorldHistoryPics.com. "Indiana Harbor Belt 8814 (NW2)" by Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D. is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=openverse.
IHB 8787 was delivered in Summer of 1949 and is approaching its 40th year of service. 

Blue Island Yard, Chicago area, Midwestern U.S. railroad, 1987; digital copy of print. Complete indexed photo collection at WorldHistoryPics.com. "Indiana Harbor Belt 8787 (NW2)" by Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D. is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=openverse.

Model Info

The Walthers NW2 PC 8807 / ex NYC 8807 is just out of the box and ready for testing. The model comes with Proto-Max knuckle couplers, a Kadee type clone. Like its prototype ex NYC NW2s the 8807 is not set up for multiple unit operation.

The unit ran extremely well during testing. A very smooth and quiet running engine that easily handled the light switching moves I intend to use it for.

Look for the 8807 to make its PCCM debut in the upcoming PCCM 111.

Final Thoughts and Comments

The Atlas Alco RS11s are a welcome addition to my roster of first generation road switcher motive power that I can use for road trains, transfer runs, locals, low priority extras and some yard switching as needed. These units when paired up can pull long trains easily.

I've had my eye out for for a long time to find a good running Penn Central end cab switcher that can handle some light transfers, locals and switching duties. The Walthers NW2 fits the bill very nicely. I did consider purchasing a second NW2 so they could handle heavier trains but with the prototype not being set up for m.u. operations it wouldn't look right to me.

Additional reading and links

Locomotive Spotlight #9/2022 Alco RS11 #7608

Thanks for reading!!!

See you for PCCM 111 next Friday!!