Passenger Trains > E-units in Cleveland, OH

About a month ago I was in Cleveland.  I stumbled upon a steel mill with a bunch of trackage outside that had 4 E-units and several passenger cars in storage.  One of the E-units had MARC markings and another seemed to be ex-NJT.  Anyone know the story?

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grether Wrote:
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> About a month ago I was in Cleveland.  I stumbled
> upon a steel mill with a bunch of trackage outside
> that had 4 E-units and several passenger cars in
> storage.  One of the E-units had MARC markings
> and another seemed to be ex-NJT.  Anyone know the
> story?
These E-units were at one time stored here in Baltimore in the former B&O Bay View Yard.  The owners (two brothers I was told) had a contract with the Maryland DOT (MARC Commuter Service) and one of these E units operated for a short time pulling the MARC Commuter Trains.  The others were never in operation.  The brothers were hoping to get all 4 of them in service with MARC; however it did not happen and I heard that because these engines did not have head-end-power, MARC went looking for other power which they found and they purchased 7 or 8 former Burlington Northern E units that had HEP and they had been in service pulling Chicago area commuter trains.  So MARC returned the brothers E unit #60 back to the Bay View Yard and in time CSX ordered these engines off their property.  I guess that this is the reason why they are now in Cleveland.  And yes all of them were at one time in operation with New Jersey Transit.  I believe that 2 of them originally were Pennsylvania R.R. engines and the others were Erie or N.Y. Central, not sure.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

This equipment was formerly owned by Omni Midwest (or OmniSource Corp., OMNX) and stored on Ohi-Rail in Minerva, OH.  It was acquired by the Midwest Railway Preservation Society, with CTVX (Cleveland Terminal & Valley RY Inc.) reporting marks.

The engines are:

NJT E8A #4258, nee-IC #4033 (MARC #63), blt. 4/53, s/n 17752, f/n 2053-A2
NJT E8A #4324, ex-PC #4305, nee-PRR #5905 (MARC #62), blt. 3/51, s/n 13118, f/n 6181-A18
NJT E8A #4325, ex-PC #4253, nee-PRR #5793A (MARC #61), blt. 6/52, s/n 15658, f/n 6354-A11
NJT E8A #4327, nee-IC #4023 (MARC #60), blt. 4/51, s/n 14084, f/n 2037-A2

The passenger cars are:

CTVX #1367 (StLCC, Lot #1773, 1953) built as USAX kitchen #89650, sold in 1973 to Amtrak baggage #1367, converted in 1976 to dual steam-HEP, later sold to Omni Midwest.

CTVX #5704 (AC&F, Lot #3026, 1949) built as UP postal storage #5704, redesignated/renumbered in 1969 as express #24435, transferred to MofW department in 1970 as tool car #904235, later sold to Ringling Brothers (as parts source), then resold to Omni Midwest.

CTVX #461 (P-S, Lot #6942, Plan #4194, 1954) built as NH 6 section-6 roomette-4 double bedroom (6S-6RM-4DB) sleeper #536 Monument Beach, sold in September 1969 to LIRR as Class P80E parlor #2075 Sagtikos, retired in 1975 and sold in circa 1976 to Ringling Brothers, initially as #243 for the Monte Carlo trainset, later renumbered to #461, sold to Omni Midwest.

There was a 4th car, also ex-Ringling, #88, built by P-S in 1949 in Lot #6790 to Plan #4125 as NYC 12 double bedroom (12DB) sleeper #10503 Port of Boston, sold to Ringling Brothers in April 1967.   I don't know if this car is stored with the rest, or if has been moved elsewhere, perhaps to Midwest's ex-B&O roundhouse.

Posting from Estes Park, CO

Two more IC units for Ed Ellis!

I received a correction: these engines and cars are not owned by MRPS; they are simply storing them for Omni Midwest.

Posting from Estes Park, CO



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/15 17:19 by Rainier_Rails.

Best looking passenger diesel to this day!  Guess we're not going to see anything with graceful curves anymore - everything is sharp edges and angles.

Thanks for all of the info!

-Paul Grether
Cinti., O.

hsr_fan Wrote:
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> Guess
> we're not going to see anything with graceful
> curves anymore - everything is sharp edges and
> angles.

That's because those graceful curves required a lot of hand fitting and finishing with a complex framework underneath, done when A) style mattered and B) labor was a lot cheaper.

There was a discusion about these awhile back   ,  suggesting that eee repaint these and rebuild them

hsr_fan Wrote:

> Guess
> we're not going to see anything with graceful
> curves anymore - everything is sharp edges and
> angles.

EMD's F59PHI had a curved front, as did their DE30AC/DM30AC, as do MPI's MP36PH-3C and MP40PH-3C, as do the ACS-64 electrics being built by Siemens, as did the Bombardier/Alstom HHP8 that preceded them, as do the Acelas.  The only places these guys have sharp edges and angles are the same places E-units had sharp edges and angles.  None of the newer models have "noses," however, and they commit the unforgivable sin of being "new," which apparently makes them ugly by definition...

To follow up on what Ted Brumberg (Rainer_Rails) stated; These engines were NEVER owned by MARC, they were leased by them and ONLY the #60 ever operated in MARC Train service.  Two of the others #61 & 62 were being made available to operate; however neither pulled a MARC train.  I know this to be a fact as told to me by an official person from CSX.

John in White Marsh, Maryland

Agreed!

hsr_fan Wrote:
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> Best looking passenger diesel to this day!  Guess
> we're not going to see anything with graceful
> curves anymore - everything is sharp edges and
> angles.

dan Wrote:
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> There was a discusion about these awhile back   ,
>  suggesting that eee repaint these and rebuild
> them

REAL exIC E units would be so appropriate for his railroads.