Eastern Railroad Discussion > CSX's A-B-A Units

Whatever happened to CSX's A-B-A set of F7 units, used in Cumberland's 1991 Railfest celebration?

Matthew

Cumberland Wrote:
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> Whatever happened to CSX's A-B-A set of F7 units,
> used in Cumberland's 1991 Railfest celebration?
>
There actually were four - two A's and two B's.

One of them, the former CSXT116, was restored recently as Clinchfield 800.

Two others - 117 and 118 - went to the West Virginia Central. I do not know their current status or that of the 119. The odd-numbered ones were the B's.

Interesting, I never knew that CSX had two sets of them! What is the story behind them?

Do any still have the Line's original paint scheme?

Matthew

toledopatch Wrote:
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> Cumberland Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Whatever happened to CSX's A-B-A set of F7
> units,
> > used in Cumberland's 1991 Railfest celebration?
> >
> There actually were four - two A's and two B's.
>
> One of them, the former CSXT116, was restored
> recently as Clinchfield 800.
>
> Two others - 117 and 118 - went to the West
> Virginia Central. I do not know their current
> status or that of the 119. The odd-numbered ones
> were the B's.

119 went to the Tennessee Valley Railway Museum and was renumbered as 919. It is rusting away behind the Soule Shops in East Chattanooga, still in CSX YN2 colors.

I don't know if it was ever a restoration candidate or was simply bought for parts.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4574756

Mike Derrick

Posted from Android

Former CSXT F-Units:

#116 F3A - Restored to Clinchfield #800 original colors - at SOUTHERN APPALACHIA RAILWAY MUSEUM in Oak Ridge, TN

#117 F7B - Painted as Western Maryland #415 in speed lettering - at West Virginia Central operated by Durbin & Greenbrier Valley RR in Belington, WV

#118 FP7 - Painted as Western Maryland #67 in speed lettering - at West Virginia Central operated by Durbin & Greenbrier Valley RR in Belington, WV

#119 F7B – in CSX paint stored - at TennesseValleyRailroadMuseum in Chattanooga TN

ALLEN

Here are three of the units (116, 117 & 118) on a westbound excursion train at Mance, PA on 11/7/1992.  The trailing three units and passenger cars are MARC.  I believe this train came out of Baltimore.

A "trailer jet" was following the excursion with an interesting  mix of power and deadheading passenger cars.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/20 06:44 by cinder.

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cinder Wrote:
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> Here are three of the units (116, 117 & 118) on a
> westbound excursion train at Mance, PA on
> 11/7/1992.  The trailing three units and
> passenger cars are MARC.  I believe this train
> came out of Baltimore.
>
> A "trailer jet" was following the excursion with
> an interesting  mix of power and deadheading
> passenger cars.

Thanks for posting this.

I received a flyer for this excursion and stupidly passed on it because it did not involve new trackage for me (Amtrak's Capitol Limited operates on the same route).  I don't recall the flyer mentioning the F-units and did not know until now that the excursion was pulled by the CSX F-units. 

Two years later, I rode an excursion from Cumberland to Oakland, MD to collect some new mileage.  It was a nice trip, but the MARC locomotives were used.

Both the 1992 and 1994 excursions were operated as part of the Western Maryland Railfest.

There are exceptions but in general a B-unit won't get much love. 

Also used on MARC trains through summer 1992, returned to CSX by November of that year (July 1992 pic at Brunswick,MD.)
Potomac Eagle used 16-117 in the mid-1990s (pic at Romney, WV)
Warren W. Jenkins photos

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Awsome images, Cinder and Bigsavage! Thanks for sharing.

I was first introduced to the Sand Patch and West End largely through watching Pentrex's "Into the Allegheny Range" documentaries in the mid-1990s, when I was a child. In Volume IV, where they tour the Sand Patch Grade, a of the hand full of recordings of the 1992 Railfest Special train are featured. In one of them, it is exiting the west portal of Sand Patch Tunnel. In this clip it looks SOOOO much more like a model railroad than the real thing to me. Is there anybody else here, who knows the clip I am alluding to, who would agree with me? I have never been able to figure out WHAT exactly makes it look this way [to me] but I would love to know!

Matthew

cinder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here are three of the units (116, 117 & 118) on a
> westbound excursion train at Mance, PA on
> 11/7/1992.  The trailing three units and
> passenger cars are MARC.  I believe this train
> came out of Baltimore.
>
> A "trailer jet" was following the excursion with
> an interesting  mix of power and deadheading
> passenger cars.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/20 09:23 by Cumberland.

Here's CSXT 116 and 119, along with MARC F9PH 85, hauling an Autumn Glory Special (CSX P945) westbound on the OML just east of St. Denis on 10/19/1991.
/Ted 

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Im supprised no one has brought up the probably coolest assignment of the CSX F units, and probably any F outside of passenger service. They were assigned to 2 roadrailer trains, an A and B on each train as in the beautiful Tom Sink photo.

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No location is given for the the great Tom Sink photo above but I'll bet it is in East Tennessee near Jellico on the Cincinnati to Atlanta line.  That was a neat use of the F units.  Almost as nice as the Oneida and Western diesels and caboose once used on coal trains!

Jim

At first I thought that it was a photo of the Western Maryland's Knobley Tunnel, south of Cumberland.

Matthew

Jimbo Wrote:
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> No location is given for the the great Tom Sink
> photo above but I'll bet it is in East Tennessee
> near Jellico on the Cincinnati to Atlanta line.
>  That was a neat use of the F units.  Almost as
> nice as the Oneida and Western diesels and caboose
> once used on coal trains!
>
> Jim

Just to clarify: Former CSX #119 is stored at (not owned by) the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.

DGVR takes very good care of former CSXT 117.....

ctillnc Wrote:
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> There are exceptions but in general a B-unit won't
> get much love.