Hello everyone. I'll be modeling the ATSF in the mid 90's, and I'll be modeling Lomax, IL on part of the layout. There's a junction in Lomax with the TP&W, but I dont know a whole lot about them. I'm mainly curious about their roster in '92-'93. It seems they got several hand-me-down GP20's from the ATSF, and they got one Kodachrome GP20 that lasted to 08. What interesting motive power did they have in this era? Any commercially available models in a TPW scheme? Thank you for your help.
The TP&W was mergered into the ATSF in 1983. The ATSF operated the TP&W till a large section was sold off to RailAmerica in 1989,which again called it the TP&W, and thats probably how they got the secondhand power in the early 90's from that deal. It has since been resold to another shortline holding company but still retains the TP&W name today. Hope that helps!
I typed faster then I researched....LOL It was originally sold to a different shortline holding company in 1983, and then it went to RailAmerica, which operates it now.
http://rrpicturearchives.net/locoList.aspx?id=TPW I believe that it was Delaware Otsego, former owner of susie-Q, that acquired the line. It was sold to RA after the death of DO's founder and owner.
Cool. Looks like most of the power heading to and from Galesburg in my era were the GP20's. Doing the ex-SF will be pretty easy (it'll hurt my feelings to do that to SF Gp20's tho) but the NYC and Susie Q versions will be a challenge. I would like to do a couple GP35's with the old Alco RS3 trucks, but they were handed over to SF on takeover. But it'll help my wallet and paintshop to just do some 20's. I found their roster wasn't all that impressive in my era. Wont be too prototypical to run the train all the way to my Mendon, MO scene, but at least it'll pass through Lomax.
Microscale does make decals for the TP&W/NYC scheme (including stripes) and the NYSW basic scheme is straightforward but finding a font match is tricky. A couple of the DO ex-TPW GP20's are sitting around here in Binghamton NY, sans TP&W markings. Jerry, it's my understanding that DO still owns and operates the NYSW, but that RA controls DO. RA is 40% controled by NS, 40% by CSX and 20% by DO. The NYSW dispatcher is still in Cooperstown.
That Kodachrome ended up on the California Northern for a few years before it was put out to pasture.
Don't forget the most beautiful of their engines... TP&W 1500 http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=131180
