Eastern Railroad Discussion > Southern hi-hood GP35's

In doing research regarding the Great Lakes Central I have found reports that the GLC's predessor, the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay had purchased 4, not 3 ex-Sou GP35's. I have been able to track the identity of 3 of the units. Ex-Southern 2648 and 2681 remained on the TSBY until they met their demise in 2018 in Owosso, home of the Great Lakes Central. 2646 made its way to the Eastern Idaho Railroad and is still on the roster of WATCO, having been renumbered as WAMX 3518. 

The question is if a 4th unit ever was sold to the TSBY and is so, where did it go following its time on the TSBY (where to my knowledge it never actually would have run). 

Also, does anyone have a list of the disposition of all the ex-Southern GP-35's? 

And the answer is: 2674.  We stopped in at Owosso on a family vacation in the early 90's.  The attached photos were taken with my first point and shoot camera so not the best quality but it's the photo proof you're looking for!  Looks like 2674 was in the dead line then, so perhaps it was purchased for parts and scrapped by the TSBY?  Just an assumption.  2648 was in the shop.  We didn't see 2646 or 2681 so they must have been out on the road.  I included a photo of 1977 just for fun.

Rob Smith
Hamilton, ON

---

---

---

Thank you, and with photo evidence to boot. Nice.

Posted from Android

What year would this trip have been? TSBY purchased 4 ex-Sou units in late 1992 or early 1993. I don't recall them working early on, so I think they were all rebuilt by TSBY crews. 

2648 was the first unit to see action on the TSBY, and the only unit to be repainted into TSBY colors. 2681 sat for a significant period of time before working for about a decade on the railroad. It never recieved a paint job and always wore black with small TSBY lettering. 

When you were there did you see the back track by the river. This track had the carcas of Ex-AA 387. Some photos show another unit in the back, so it was likely either 2681 (which I don't think was ever repainted for NS), or 2648 (I don't know if it was repainted for NS. 2646 had received an NS paint scheme before being sold off to the TSBY. The picture I've seen of the unit shows it in the shop with the horse head on the end painted out, but otherwise it is clearly an NS paint scheme. 

I'll admit I was a little torqued when 2681 was leading this train on a visit in 2005, as I wanted something painted.  It didn't take me long to get over it, though.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/133436477@N08/27346420428/in/dateposted-public/

Having grown up in South Carolina, the ex Southern high nose geeps do have a bit of a soft spot in my heart.  Great thread!

Mike Derrick
 

It was a summer vacation so if they bought them late 1992 then my guess is the photos were taken in 1993.  That means I was 11 at the time, so my note taking was sub-par.  There was a primer-painted ex. AA GP35 there also, so most likely the 387 that sat there for years.

Rob Smith
Hamilton, ON

That would have been 387. 

I can't tell you where all Southern GP35s went, or even how many there were, without doing research but a significant number of them went to the Wheeling & Lake Erie and at least some of those may still be active. Chris Toth's W&LE roster is usually pretty current so I'd recommend checking there for that section of the puzzle.
 

chapmaja Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When you were there did you see the back track by
> the river. This track had the carcas of Ex-AA 387.
> Some photos show another unit in the back, so it
> was likely either 2681 (which I don't think was
> ever repainted for NS), or 2648 (I don't know if
> it was repainted for NS. 2646 had received an NS
> paint scheme before being sold off to the TSBY.
> The picture I've seen of the unit shows it in the
> shop with the horse head on the end painted out,
> but otherwise it is clearly an NS paint scheme.

I believe that was the locomotive in question, 2674, given this picture on Railpictures. https://railpictures.net/photo/55870/