Rock Island in N

[BNSF7173]

Just a few photo's of my latest custom paint. I did these for a customer and good friend who models the last years of the Rock. Both are the GP38-2's the Rock got from EMD in 1976. The first is the "Rock Islander" #4300 and the 2nd is "City of Silvis" #4328. Both are Atlas engines painted with Polly Scale Acrylic paint and Microscale Decals. I wish this road was still here, this scheme would have looked great on a C44-9CW. http://www.railimages.com/albums/jimwiggin/aab.jpg http://www.railimages.com/albums/jimwiggin/aac.jpg

[rush2ny]

Very nice! Job well done! You are right about that scheme on a C44. Would have looked nice!

Russ

[Alan]

A C44 in that scheme I would like to see - it would look superb! A good candidate for a "might-have-been" model paint job ;)

[wig-wag-trains.com]

Ahhh but now we get into the discussion of would the Rock have bought C anything. I think not. It didn't fit with their prior history and would have required a huge investment in infrasructure.

[AFN]

The Rock Island did own high horsepower six axle units in the 70's. They purchased SD-40-2's and U-30-C's in 1973. They were used on the mainlines system wide but seemed more common on the spine between St. Paul and Houston based on most of the photgraphs I have seen of them.

[wig-wag-trains.com]

But the Rock was co-erced into buying them. The SP was trying to merge/buy them. The equipment trusts were not held by the Rock. Many were used on pool trains to Omaha and into CO.

[Triplex]

I remember discussing this a long time ago.

If the Rock were still around, they would have 6-axle power, since there's a lack of modern 4-axle freight power. They would probably have tried to stick with 4 axles and standard cabs as long as they could. I'd hazard a guess that their fleet would include standard-cab GP60s, B40-8s and SD70s. After that... you tell me.

[HemiAdda2d]

Would the big 2 (EMD & GE) catalog 4-axle road units for only one or 2 major roads? I don't think it's likely. Granted, other roads may buyt hem, as SF was a 4-axle power buyer for its hottest trains, but not everyone wanted 4-axle power.
I didn't know that SP coerced RI into buying 6-motor units...

[BNSF7173]

But the Rock was co-erced into buying them. The SP was trying to merge/buy them. The equipment trusts were not held by the Rock. Many were used on pool trains to Omaha and into CO.

Correct! In 1973 the Rock did indeed purchase 18 U30C's and 10 SD40-2's under the hopes of a merger with either UP or SP, hence the numbering system on both sets of units were chosen to help out in the eventual intergration of one of the above mentioned roads. Of coarse that never happened, and as a result the six axle locomotives were hard on the already deterorated track of the Rock.

Now if the Rock were to have survived past March of 1980, would it have six axle units? It all depends on what management would have done with money. If today it was still a scrappy little line, then I would bet it would be using hand me downs from UP, BNSF, NS etc such as B23-7's, GP60's and GP40-2's. Funny you guys bring this up as the same customers stuff is in my shop and I have all 10 SD40-2's to get done in N scale for him for Galesburg RR Days!