Eastern Railroad Discussion > A question about A-B-A sets

When I was at Spencer watching the DLW A-B-A set go by, it made me wonder just how many other operable A-B-A sets there are. We have the NS and UP sets of course, but after that I don't know of any others.

If there aren't any others operation, I suppose a follow up question would be are there are preserved sets?

Thanks in advance!

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KCS
RAD

Well, the B unit here is not operable so this set does not count. There are plans to make it operable though.

Keokuk Junction Railway has an ABA set. The B isn't painted the same but they've been run as an ABA set.

RickL

Grand Canyon Railway has their MLW FP4's.

Brian E

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I believe Wisconsin Southern has an operable A-B-A set of E units. If I'm not mistaken, the B-unit is owned by IRM and was converted for Amtrak at the ICG Paducah, KY shops into a steam generator car in the '70's. It was converted back into a locomotive (NOT a "motor") with help from a donor E unit and the W&S shop forces. It is now the only operable E B-unit in the country.

Topfuel Wrote:
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> I believe Wisconsin Southern has an operable A-B-A
> set of E units. If I'm not mistaken, the B-unit
> is owned by IRM and was converted for Amtrak at
> the ICG Paducah, KY shops into a steam generator
> car in the '70's. It was converted back into a
> locomotive (NOT a "motor") with help from a donor
> E unit and the W&S shop forces. It is now the
> only operable E B-unit in the country.

Are you saying UP 963B is non-operable? I thought it still was.

The Western Pacific Museum in Portola can field an A-B-A set of Fs, however only the A units are ex-WP F7s. The B-unit is a former CN F9Bu redone to look like a WP F7B.

Z

Who is RAD?

GP30Frank Wrote:
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> Topfuel Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I believe Wisconsin Southern has an operable
> A-B-A
> > set of E units. If I'm not mistaken, the
> B-unit
> > is owned by IRM and was converted for Amtrak at
> > the ICG Paducah, KY shops into a steam
> generator
> > car in the '70's. It was converted back into a
> > locomotive (NOT a "motor") with help from a
> donor
> > E unit and the W&S shop forces. It is now the
> > only operable E B-unit in the country.
>
> Are you saying UP 963B is non-operable? I
> thought it still was.


Pretty sure I saw recent photos of the UP set in operation pulling a special.

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> Who is RAD?

That would be the imitable Mr. Roger A. Durfee. http://www.digitaldurf.com/

JJSmith Wrote:
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> Well, the B unit here is not operable so this set
> does not count. There are plans to make it
> operable though.


I think that is very narrow minded as long as its in the consist better than leaving it out. Operation is nice but keeping or getting it in that condition may take more money or manpower than they have.

Topfuel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe Wisconsin Southern has an operable A-B-A
> set of E units. If I'm not mistaken, the B-unit
> is owned by IRM and was converted for Amtrak at
> the ICG Paducah, KY shops into a steam generator
> car in the '70's. It was converted back into a
> locomotive (NOT a "motor") with help from a donor
> E unit and the W&S shop forces. It is now the
> only operable E B-unit in the country.

The B unit should be heading back to IRM in the near future.

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GP30Frank Wrote:
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> Topfuel Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------

> Are you saying UP 963B is non-operable? I
> thought it still was.


My bad! I forgot about the most obvious member of the exclusive "operable E B units" club, the UP 963B. By the way, the 963B was also converted back into an operable B unit from an Amtrak steam generator car conversion.

Yes, by the same shop (Paducah) that did the boiler car conversion.

Is WSOR's executive train history now with the sale of the railroad?

That B would presumably qualify as the only E B unit in original configuration (twin 12 cylinder engines) compared to UP's with the single 16-645 "E38-2" arrangement. However, note that I didn't say WSOR's has 12-567's because I believe the BN/WSMTD units, of which one was the donor, had 645 power assemblies on the original 567 blocks after the MK rebuilds in the early 70's.