Nostalgia & History > Moving an RS3 Sayre, PA to Chicago 1980

In April, 1980, I moved an Alco RS3 from Sayre, PA to Chicago for a private contractor. The RS3 was rebuilt in the old L.V.R.R. shops by the contractor. The engine was moved via Conrail in several trains. First, a local took it from Sayre to Elmira, NY where it was picked up later by a westbound freight. There was time between trains to look over the little 2 stall roundhouse at Elmira which had only one track in service to handle maintenance on a few switchers based there. The other stall had been converted to an office and the track removed.

Once the through train picked me up, it proceeded to Hornell where the crew was changed for an overnight run on the old Erie to Meadville, PA and another set-out to wait for another train. I sat in Meadville for most of the day before we departed towards Chicago via Orrville and over the old PRR main line through Ft. Wayne. In the Chicago area, the unit was set out next to the Indiana Harbor Belt roundhouse and another long wait ensued until an IHB switcher took the unit on to Interlake Steel. It was finally delivered around 11 PM and I was off duty after riding for several days.
-Jim Herron

We'll begin with a few scenes around the Sayre shop and surrounding area. The contractor had a former CPR baggage car in the shop at the time.

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1. Scrawled on the shop wall by a former employee, this tells the story of closing the old shop and the loss of many jobs in Sayre.

2. Here's the RS3. It carries a strange number 2-19. I don't know why the hyphen was put in there. I've heard that the engine is now at the Illinois RR Museum. Can any one confirm this and when it was donated to them?

3. The Sayre engine service tracks. The RS3 has been accepted for movement and turned over to Conrail for movement. Now, it was time to wait for the local to take us to Elmira.

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1. A freight passes through Sayre moving dead ex-SCL U boats. I believe they were going to the GE plant at Hornell, NY.

2. The Alco has been switched to the head of a cut for pickup by the local and the sun has come out. It sat here for a couple of hours before moving on to Elmira, NY, just a few miles away.

3. The Conrail roundhouse at Elmira. It has only one usable stall with the second one converted to house an office.

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Finally moving, we're between Elmira and Hornell on the Southern Tier Line in the late afternoon.

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1. Stopped at Hornell for a crew change. It was after dark before we departed, running on the former Erie toward Meadville, PA.

2. Arriving at Meadville in the early morning.

3. At Meadville. I had an all day wait here and slept in a caboose for a few hours.

Continued in the following post.

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WHERE did they find an RS3 with solid bearings at that late date? At first I thought it might be ex-LV 219, but not with those trucks. Can't quite read the name on the hood; is it Interlake, Inc.?

The bagg. car in pic. #3 strongly resembles Stan's "Pony Express".

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