How long did the F3s last with "Chicken Wire" grills before they swapped out some stainless Farr grills from some new freight F7s?
I don't know--probably sometime in the early-mid 1950s. There were some 200 series freight F7s that had chicken wire rather than the stainless steel grills--somewhere around the 260 range--a quick google search turned up photos of 262 and 263C with chicken wire. An article I read speculated that the stainless grills on these freight F7s had been switched out for the chicken wire from the passenger F3s. Unfortunately, there appears to be no shop paperwork, photos or witnesses that can prove or disprove that. Rick
Note that, in this item of publicity material, the 20th Century Limited is shown with an A-B-A set of E7 locos: http://ctr.trains.com/~/media/image...ine/2013/130515/gl130515-1.jpg?mw=1000&mh=800
Makes me wish i still had the Con Cor NYC Hudson. Kato could dust off the blueprints and go right to work!
I seem to recall that the NYC typically ran three E-units on major trains. While two were capable of hauling the train, three were preferred for better acceleration. I will see if I can find a reference.
I've debated picking one of these up. I am REALLY surprised at the lack of NYC steam in N scale. Sadly, when someone (BLI, probably) gets around to it, they will probably do the Niagara instead of a much longer lived and more numerically important type, like a J1 Hudson or a L1 or L2 Mohawk. I'd love to see one of their big K5 Pacifics too!
I have a special fondness for the NYC even though I don't model it. My Grandfather was a "Section Foreman" as the rest of the family describes him. His name was John Henry Garrett. He came down out of his office in the local tower in Ansonia, Ohio one morning and went out to help the track gang work on the tracks. He was in his 50's at the time. When the day was coming to an end he went back to his office in the tower, laid his head down on his desk and died from a massive heart attack. I was only 3 so I don't have any 1st hand knowledge. Only what family tells me. I guess somehow the "HIGH IRON GENE" got into my system.
Ohio is very much the heart of NYC country, and normal working folks like your grandpa are why. I bet he had some amazing stories! My grandfather worked in the Collinwood shops for a number of years when he arrived from Croatia. I'm from Ashtabula originally, and there was quite a rivalry between PRR and NYC employees there. I wonder if it was the same all across the System?
I didn't find the reference for which I was looking, but I found these: [New York Central System Gone But Not Forgotten, by H. F. Cavanaugh, p. 55] “One of the few trains to be assigned three big passenger diesel units was the Twentieth Century Limited, Train Number 25, to help assure on-time performance on its 16-hour schedule between New York City and Chicago. In August 1960 two E-8s and an E-7b unit accelerate Number 25 out of the sharp curve at Peekskill.” [from Yahoo Passenger Car List Group message 62821, 2 October 2009] 1948 Century (Trains 25 and 26 in railroad parlance) were regularly pulled by an A+B set of E7 diesels. A third unit was used when needed for extra steam heat capacity. This would be another A-unit. [H.T. Guillaume]
At one time, the New England States was powered by an A-B-A set of F3 locos: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/nyc/nyc3501s.jpg http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/nyc/nyc3502s.jpg
Those are interesting photos, taken when the locomotives were new. They have the partial lightning stripe and passenger pilots with coupler covers. There were two of these 3-unit sets. Later they received the full lightning stripe. Later still, they were converted to freight-only use, steam generators were removed, ballast added and had freight pilots applied. They lasted a long time in freight service.
Did they mention the motive power to be used for their TCL consist??? Dreyfrus Hudson or E7's??? Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk