Passenger Trains > 3 Pictures of ACL Locomotive 501

The ACL 501 Used to lead the Champion . Today it is Stored @ the North Carolinian Transportion Museum. Hope someday it will return to Active Service

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Did this Locomotive ever run on Passenger trains ? Whats the top speed of this locomotive ? Looks Recently Rebuilt and Looks to be Freshly repainted !



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/17 10:07 by UP844.

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As I understand it, ACL 501 is one of the few, if not the only, EMD trade-ins to escape scrapping and be re-sold.

UP844 Wrote:
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> Did this Locomotive ever run on Passenger trains ?
> Whats the top speed of this locomotive ? Looks
> Recently Rebuilt and Looks to be Freshly repainted
> !
Yes, as a CSX unit it hauled various excursions along with two sister engines on the former B&O and C&O. Now it hauls passenger trains on the Potomac Eagle excursion train operated over the South Branch Valley R.R. in West Virginia.
John

ACL 501 was on display at Washington Union Station on Oct 5, 2008.

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ClubCar Wrote:
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> UP844 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Did this Locomotive ever run on Passenger trains
> ?
> > Whats the top speed of this locomotive ? Looks
> > Recently Rebuilt and Looks to be Freshly
> repainted
> > !
> Yes, as a CSX unit it hauled various excursions
> along with two sister engines on the former B&O
> and C&O. Now it hauls passenger trains on the
> Potomac Eagle excursion train operated over the
> South Branch Valley R.R. in West Virginia.
> John

It was originally an F3 on the Clinchfield, so not likely a passsenger hauler before its CSX days.

Dave

Was the ACL 501 traded to ElectroMotive, or bought by Glenn Monhart directly from
Seaboard Coast Line?

I saw her long ago...1974 at Denver Union Station in SCL black.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/17 12:04 by GenePoon.

I don't understand why someone has jumped in here and
hijacked the original poster.
And the replies were mixed with answers for both posts.
My head is spinning.
Yes,the ACL unit did run 100MPH while pulling passenger
trains.

Uncle Joe
Seffner,Fl.

DavidP Wrote:
> It was originally an F3 on the Clinchfield, so not
> likely a passsenger hauler before its CSX days.
>
> Dave

Another source says it was built in November 1939 as E3A ACL 501 and was wreck-rebuilt as E6A.

I believe the E3 to E6 statement is correct. As an E3 it would have had Winton engines, as
an E6, a pair of 567 Electro Motive prime movers. If I recall correctly, the 501 has 567s.
As I recall, Glen purchased the unit from EMD (he was an employee) after the trade in from
ACL. Hope this helps. Oh yes, that unit was capable of up to 117mph as built.

chuchubob Wrote:
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> DavidP Wrote:
> > It was originally an F3 on the Clinchfield, so
> not
> > likely a passsenger hauler before its CSX days.
> >
> > Dave
>
> Another source says it was built in November 1939
> as E3A ACL 501 and was wreck-rebuilt as E6A.

I was referring to the F unit painted as C&O 8016, not the E6A.

Dave

> that unit was capable of up to 117mph as built.

In the days before radar, maybe it did run that fast on occasion. Eventually the maximum speed on the ACL/SCL settled down to 90 and finally 79. By that time enforcement of speed limits was becoming more strict.

I don't know whether 501 still has 52:25 gearing. Aside from historical accuracy, 52:25 could actually be detrimental if the locomotive were ever used in revenue service.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/17 07:14 by ctillnc.

CPR_4000 Wrote:
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> As I understand it, ACL 501 is one of the few, if
> not the only, EMD trade-ins to escape scrapping
> and be re-sold.

CBQ 9911a E5A "Silver Pilot" is the one to escape EMD after being traded in.

Posted from Android

OK, let me clear-up some of the misconceptions/statements relative to ACL 501.

1) She was indeed built as an E3A, along with sister E3A 500. The 501 was never "wrecked", however her sister, #500 was seriously wrecked & almost destroyed, and subsequently returned to EMD and rebuilt into something else (can't remember those details).

2) E3 series units did NOT come with Winton prime movers! Original equipment were two 567 12 cylinder engines.

3) #501 was "up-graded to E6 electrical configuration, which was essentially a simple "up-grade modification" per and EMC/EMD service bulletin. It thus did NOT have anything to do with the carbody.

4) #501 was NEVER "traded-in" to EMD. The SCL Superintendent of Motive Power, deliberately kept her "in service", in order to have her become the oldest & highest mileage EMC/EMD main line road locomotive, STILL IN SERVICE, in the world. Once the KCS E3A, which was built/delivered one month prior to ACL 501, was removed from service, and scrapped, the ACL 501 became the oldest, highest mileage EMD locomotive, still serviceable, in the world. She still is!!!!

5) In approximately early 1972, EMD was working on a locomotive sales quotation with SCL for some Dash-2 units, and part of the traded in units was to be the #501, including a big ceremony. However, the
deal" fell through, and SCL purchased GE units, and #501 was "traded-in" to GE. Subsequently a dentist out in Denver, CO purchased the 501 as "scrap" and had it moved to Denver, where he paid to have it stored in the Denver Union Station. His "plan" was to use the 501 as a Dental Practice Office, however, once the unit arrived in Denver, he and/or his "contractors" quickly discovered that the 501 was NOT just an "empty shell", but a totally complete diesel unit!!! Thus, the dental office plan died.

6) The late Glenn F. Monhart subsequently purchased the 501 from the dentist (for under $10,000), and had it moved by the C&NW to a roundhouse in Janesville, Wise. With assistance from some of his fellow EMD Service Dept. employee friends (me included), he got the unit running again, and had the high voltage ground inside one of the main generators repaired WITHOUT removing the generator! At which point, the units was totally serviceable, as well as FRA Blue Card compliant.

7) the next step was to repair or replace those carbody side panels that were eaten through, then repaint the 501 back to her original ACL "Champion" styling. The EMD Engineering records & drawing department was VERY helpful, and even one of the EMD Painters from the Paint Shop, came up to Janesville for the work.

8) In October 1998, Glenn died as a result of a single car crash, and his mother & brother asked me to liquidate all his business assets, including ACL 501. The State of North Carolina purchased ACL 501, and the unit was moved under her own power to Chicago for interchange with CSX, who had agreed to move the unit to Waycross Shops, for a complete servicing and 24 month air brake inspection, prior to using her on a business car special to Spencer, NC. I remember discussing the move details with a manager in CSX Headquarters, in Jacksonville, FL, and after we had mailed all the necessary drawings to CSX, he wanted to know what sort of "speed restriction" should be placed on 501, as lead power on a freight consist. I told the gentleman that 501 still had her original 52:25 passenger gearing, and thus should be limited to about 117 MPH. The man was speechless! Eventually, clearer heads prevailed in Jacksonville, and the unit was NOT placed in the lead, but used as a trailing unit in-case of a grade crossing accident.

To my knowledge, ACL 501 should STILL be fully functional, assuming the North Carolina Transportation Museum has kept up her FRA Blue Cards, and maintenance.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/17 13:22 by HotWater.

I wonder how many units that can move still have 52:25.

ctillnc Wrote:
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> I wonder how many units that can move still have
> 52:25.

None, to my knowledge.