"F"-units still in action.

[Peirce]

This was taken late last year. It is one of only two, so far as I know. F-10s still in revenue service.
http://www.railimages.com/albums/peircebehrendt/aab.jpg

This shot was taken just outside the Danbury Railway Museum, where Metro North parks their equipment between runs on the Danbury Branch.

[Alan]

Thanks Pierce. Good to see those wonderful long-lived machines still in action smile.gif

[Peirce]

Here is an FL-9, still at work. This one is owned by the State of Connecticut and operated by Metro North.
http://www.railimages.com/albums/peircebehrendt/abt.jpg

The same is true of the coach in this picture.

[Tompm]

Great picture. I would love to see them still in action.

[Peirce]

We don't see these guys as often as we used to, but they still come around occasionally. They might show up anywhere on Metro North. On the tracks adjacent to the DRM is a good place to see them standing still long enough to get a few shots.

[rush2ny]

Peirce, great pics! You have me hankering for a return trip to Dnabury!

Russ

[Johnny Trains]

Last summer a couple of local TB members were treated to a wonderful tour of the DRM by Peirce. There is some nice Metro North stuff that ties over next to the museum.
Perice is a great host and anyone nearby the DRM should stop by for a real New Haven RR treat!

[BoxcabE50]

How many FL9 units are left? Will they remain in service much longer? Thought I'd heard something with this past year of impending retirement?

:D

Boxcab E50

[Peirce]

I will have to check on the number of FL-9s still active. There are not many, but those that remain just keep on going. Yes, there has been talk of retirement for all of them, but no one knows when that will actually happen. The same can be said of the two remaining MN F-10s.

Two of the FL-9s, 2013 and 2006, are "retired" and in the DRM yard. However, both have relatively minor things wrong with them, so Metro North could put them back in service without much notice.

[E-8]

I think the Branson Scenic Railway still uses F units: http://www.bransontrain.com/

Charlie

[Gats]

Lake Superior Railroad Museum has an ex-Soo FP7 in pristine condition used on excursion trains and, according to their site, is expecting to receive a donated F9 from Erie Mining.

http://www.lsrm.org/

[BoxcabE50]

Pierce-

Thanks. So there is no time line for phasing out the FL9? Weren't they all completely overhauled in the 1990's? Seems to me that if it ain't broke, don't fix it....... Why not keep on using them?

F units in service- Seems to me there are a bunch on tourist trains. There are a couple in Colorado on the outfit runs toward Royal Gorge. And a couple down in Arizona (?) that are used on a train over ex-SD&AE tracks. Believe that the Conway Scenic has at least one. And there are a couple of other operations that have ex-Milw engines in tourist or dinner train operations. One in Ohio? Westerm Maryland Scenic? Illinois RR Museum had an ex-Milw unit in operation.

:D

Boxcab E50

[CP&E 3207]

http://www.mountainrail.com/New%20Tygart%20Flyer.htm The Tygart Flyer from Belington,WV to Elkins or almost to Cass. I think that have an F-Unit #67 the link shows all of their locomotives other than the N&W T-1 if they haven't returned it yet.

[BoxcabE50]

Pat-

Saw on PBS a couple weekends ago, this very line. It was a two part series strictly on tourist trains. There were operations I'd never heard about. Some great video work. Hmmmm... I wonder if available on CD?

:D

Boxcab E50

[Peirce]

Here is a pair of F-7s owned and operated by the Verde Canyon Railroad. The originally were owned by the Alaska Railroad. I believe that, before arriving in Arizona, they were owned for a while by the Montana Rail Link.
http://images2.fotki.com/v2/photos/4/41513/85050/003_VERDE_CANYON_RAILROAD-vi.jpg

This is one of my favorite paint schemes.

[BoxcabE50]

Peirce-

As far as I am aware, MRL never rostered an F unit. Those may be units once intended for a dinner train on the Washington Central, or an associated operation.

:D

Boxcab E50

[Peirce]

That could be. The info from VCRR seemed to indicate that MRL did not keep these units for very long. Could they have brokered the deal?

[Peirce]

Here are two units owned by the North Carolina Transportation Museum. The are not very active, but they do get used on occasion.
http://images2.fotki.com/v23/photos/4/41513/224636/SR6133-vi.jpg
http://images2.fotki.com/v23/photos/4/41513/224636/SR6900-vi.jpg

[BoxcabE50]

Originally posted by Peirce:
That could be. The info from VCRR seemed to indicate that MRL did not keep these units for very long. Could they have brokered the deal? I suppose that it's possible. I'm going to e-mail a friend who works in the MRL HQ. See if he can find out.

:D

Boxcab E50

[BoxcabE50]

Peirce-

Received an answer this morning. This fellow should know. It's part of his job to keep track of similar information.

"MRL has never owned F-units. We owned an old MILW E unit in '89 or so with hopes of using it for Denny's business train, but Livingston found it in such bad shape that it was scrapped. Later they bought the F45s and have used them for biz trains."

:D

Boxcab E50

[Peirce]

Always good to get first-hand information. Appreciate that. So, we are sure of the two ends of the story. They were originally owned by the Alaska RR and ended up with the Verde Canyon RR.

[BoxcabE50]

Peirce-

From your photo- That lead VC unit is numbered 1510. The ARR units that I saw years ago, after being brought down, were numbered in that series. Am fairly certain of that heritage.

I keep thinking that there is a web site somewhere that has "short line" units listed. Along with their heritage. But cannot think of where I may have seen this?

:D

Boxcab E50

[Peirce]

If I remember correctly they are 1510 and 1512. VCRR preserved the original ARR numbers.

[Peirce]

I just found this on John Comb's Alaska RR site:

"...1510 (and 1512) were sold to the Wyoming and Colorado and today they survive on the Verde Canyon Railroad."

For those interested in what I believe to be one one of the best sites devoted to the ARR, here is the link:

http://www.alaskarails.org/

[F7ph2]

THere are quite a few more F's in tourist service. ADRR in Utica NY has an ex ARR. B&LE, & an ex MN FP10 + 4 or 5 FL9's (used for parts). GB RR in Gettysburg Pa. use an ex B&LE & CNW on their train. They recently got 2 FP9's & an F9b (ex CN - AC) that will be used later on. Ohio Ctl has 2 ex CN FP9's in use + 2 ex Milw. F's ( last I heard, not in good shape). The TVRR museum has a # of ex B&LE units & the Potomac Eagle in WV has an active B&LE (ex 720). Their are 2 in service in Virginia on another tourist RR (name escapes me ). SSRNJ also has 2 ex B&LE F's -727/728 that may still be in freight service. Conway Scenic has 2 active ex CN FP9's + 2 ex B&M F's 1 of which is active. There are 2 active ex MN FL9's that have been recently reptd - can't recall the RR - M&E?. They were used in freight service for a short time a few mos. ago. The Carrizo Gorge in Cal. has 2 or 3 ex B&LE F's that came from a RR in Wash. that are supposed to see service. There are more but thats all I can recall for now. There's also a # of E's in service as well. Bennett Levins 2 ex CR come to mind as well as 1 in Lorain Oh. Another out in Missouri & some at the TVRR museum altho some of them may not be in use at present
Don

[BoxcabE50]

That is a nice web site. I've had contact with him via eBay. Didn't know who he was....

:D

Boxcab E50

[BoxcabE50]

Originally posted by F7ph2:
The Carrizo Gorge in Cal. has 2 or 3 ex B&LE F's that came from a RR in Wash. that are supposed to see service. Don-

Thanks for the long list!

Those as quoted above, are probably the units I was thinking about, when I mentioned the dinner train in Washington State. If they have/had red paint with white and a little black, and anything concerning "Spirit of Washington." Either used on BN tracks in western Washington, or the former Washington Central RR in eastern Washington.

Aside from the Two mentioned on Ohio Central, weren't there also a couple of other Milw F units in the Indiana-Ohio vicinity? Or perhaps Ohio Central acquired them?

Isn't there an ex-Milw F unit on the Western Maryland Scenic?

:D

Boxcab E50

[F7ph2]

They are the ex. Washington state dinner train units now based in Campo Cal. Last pic I saw they were still in red /white pt. They're ex B&LE 723/24/A & 712B. WV Central - Bellington WV- has 2 F'7s, an A & B + an FA2 (ex WM) in tourist service. The other 2 F's you mentioned were probably OC 1000/01, ex Milw. , Dakota rail, GBRR who sold them to OC. A lot of the F's in service are ex B&LE & CN. Must be they took pretty good care of them. I know the CN shops in Ft. Erie was quite fussy about not only their own power but N&W's F's as well. There are also Erie Mining Co' F9's in Hoyt Lakes Mn. that are now idle but I'd be willing to bet it would'nt take much to get them operational.

Don