Eastern Railroad Discussion > Dreamed of, but never delivered

Have you ever caught yourself wondering why your favorite railroad somehow skipped acquiring a particularly tasty locomotive model? What's your vote? Here's mine:

Apparently in the 1950's the Illinois Central had hosted the Fairbanks-Morse Trainmaster demonstrators and were very impressed and all set to go big on them - something like 50 or 60 units in the original order. Just about the time they were going to order, a proxy fight erupted at F-M and the ultra-conservative IC backed away. Funny that they settled on 1500 hp B-B GP 7s instead of the 2,400 hp C-C Trainmasters. Too bad for F-M also, as getting a big order like this might have sustained their locomotive business for a while longer.

Anyway, imagine what these beasts would have looked like lugging coal out of Kentucky or wheeling the meat trains from Iowa to Chicago. I think they woulda looked nice in either the classic black w/green diamond or orange & white schemes.

If that isn't enough, now just think what a Paducah-rebuilt Trainmaster would have looked like. Chopped nose and frog eyes, anyone? Dynacell air filter yoke? Boggles the mind.

So what's your dreamed of but not delivered candidate? What paint scheme(s)? Used in what service?

- Norm

BL2's in either RF&P Blue and Grey or ACL Purple and silver

Here's one other one that almost happened:

I understand that Ann Arbor had serioulsy considered acquiring FM C Liners instead of the Alco FA-2's. Now, that would have been different with the same Wabash style paint scheme.

Penn Central SD40-2's

Ordered,but canceled.

Factual: NKP actually ordered four EMD BL1s in 1947, but the order was cancelled about two months after it was placed.

Rumored: Clinchfield and Western Pacific were both seriously considering the Alco C636 when Schenectady closed down.

Personal fantasy: NKP would have been the surviving corporate entity after 10/16/64, and bumblebee-striped SD70Ms and C44-9Ws would be flying across northern Indiana in 2001...with Mars lights, of course!

RF&P GP60s would have been nice at one time the RF&P was considering buying some. The big bully CSX kinda changed that idea

PAs in the Great Northern Empire Builder scheme.

In early 1963 or so, Alco proposed Century 620's, a model as it turned out was never produced, for the Western Maryland Railway for coal service on the Thomas subdivision. Alco also proposed Century 420's for the main line between Rutherford and Rook.

If the N&W had went into Chessie with B&O/C&O, High hooded SD45's in the Chessie scheme running long hood forward like God and Norfolk and Western intended!!!!

If N&W had got the bugs out of the Jawn Henry. Several railroad looked at it.
Steve

Well lets see

1. Clinchfield SD40T-2/SD45T-2 Ordered... but changed to SD40-2 when Family Lines was formed

2. MILW SD50. Bankrupcy a few years before the SD50 release killed that.

3. Chessie(C&O)SD60/M. another RR didnt make it to see it incident (gawd how strange 3 windowed Chessie units would have looked) This can also be blamed on the CSX/GM SD50 warrenty disaster

4. SP SD70MAC. SP wanted SD70MAC, but due to a power sortage and a long (15-20 months) waiting period it became GE AC4400CW

5. WC AC units. Pleased with the proformance of the CSX 80s but not intrested in buying the them WC was going to look at new AC power. This CN deal seemed to have killed that.

6. EL GP38-2. Bankruptcy and CR killed that one

I know theres lots more out there.

B&O F39's. Supposedly they were on order in the late 1960's but were changed to straight GP40's.

Actually - a C44-9 in EL would be sharp, too.

EL high-hood GP30's and if CSX would have kept the Chessie System paint scheme that would have been cool too and kept the headlights above the cab.
-Happy Fanning!

1.Milwaukee Road Alco road units any of them. Although a huge Alco switcher supporter they never had any of the Century series or how about PA's in the early grey & orange scheme.

2.Pere Marquette BL-2 blue with the red & yelow stripes. They ordered them but were delivered after C&O merger and never wore PM colors or lettering.

3.Delaware & Hudson F units although the PA's & sharks were nice a F would have been neat.

CNR PA's! These were demonstrated in a nifty rendition of the green
and gold scheme (no CN herald, IIRC - replaced with a GE logo). They
would have looked so cool in VIA blue & yellow *sigh*

B-Dubya