Western Railroad Discussion > Sunday at IRM

Went to Illinois Railway Museum for the Sunday Version of Diesel Days. 

1. How often does a U30C lead the Nebraska Zephyr?

2. IRMs latest acquistion...a former Q U28B. 

3. RSD15 and the CNW RS lead a coach train. Look at the smoke.....the way an Alco should smoke. 

Thanks for looking. 

MILW86A 





 

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Great shots, Dave!  Those Alco's are awesome!!

Good stuff, K-Man.  You know, there's just something WRONG about a U30C leading the Nebraska/Twin Zephyr set.  

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Fantastic  images  Dave  thanks for sharing..

Pat

I'm sorry, but the Alco in the third picture needs mechanical attention.
Sure Alcos smoke because of turbo lag but that amount of smoke is way more then "normal".
Especially on a light train like that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/19 10:56 by PHall.

PHall Wrote:
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> I'm sorry, but the Alco in the third picture needs
> mechanical attention.
> Sure Alcos smoke because of turbo lag but that
> amount of smoke is way more then "normal".
> Especially on a light train like that.

Unless possibly the Engineer deliberately widened out on the throttle, with the Generator Field switch OFF, just for visual effects.

HotWater Wrote:
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> Unless possibly the Engineer deliberately widened
> out on the throttle, with the Generator Field
> switch OFF, just for visual effects.

Perhaps *someone in charge* (like, I don't know, maybe Sir Topham Hatt) told him to "skin 'em back" for a few seconds right in front of the photo line, then back off before he exceeded the speed limit coming over that switch....

As Sgt Schultz would say: "I know NOTH-THING!!!"

Great shots, Dave! Glad I got to see you.

NZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/19 11:50 by NebraskaZephyr.

Sraight to 8 and don't hesitate. Great Alco pic. I used to do that with the 4009 at the Fillmore & Western. If you gradually opened it up , hardly any smoke, but when bending the throttle it looked like a forest fire.

And you guys wonder why the "Enviomental" types want to turn all tracks in to trails...
We have met the enemy and they is us!

Thank you for including photos of the GE's.  Strange to say, although the U30C outsold the RSD-15 nearly 7-to-1, and four times as many railroads bought U30C's as bought RSD-15's, there are more preserved RSD-15's than preserved U30C's.

Nice! 

To echo Evan's observation, GE's seem to have gotten short shrift in the preservation world.

As common as U30s were at one time, it appears Portola's WP 3051 is the sole survivor of the 4 axle version and only 3 other 6 axles aside from Union's seem to still be around.

Z

Awesome!
 

RSD15s on the Utah Ry and the LS&I smoked like that all the time, but only when first notching up.
- Eric B.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/19 13:16 by AlcoRSD15.

zephyrus Wrote:

> As common as U30s were at one time, it appears
> Portola's WP 3051 is the sole survivor of the 4
> axle version and only 3 other 6 axles aside from
> Union's seem to still be around.

...and the U30C is the "success story" of 6-axle GE preservation.  Otherwise, we have one intact U23C, a U25C hulk, about 3/4ths of a U28C, one intact but neglected U34CH, and one C30-7 hulk.