GM&O repaints of Alco FA's..A-B-B-A set.. Screen shot
Started by GMOF3A9 posts8 min read
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RE: GM&O repaints of Alco FA's..A-B-B-A set.. Screen sh
Hi, Paul -I was snooping around your site earlier this evening, happened to see your new Alco repaint of Don's baby and grabbed it! Proudest scoop I've had since I was up late surfing about a month ago and nabbed NALW's Big Boy. I've downloaded some of your other equipment, too, notably an EMD F3 trio and your collection of 40' boxes. This gives me an opportunity to ask you some questions: Kelly Ellision recently pointed out to me the dearth of carbody diesel traction on the IC in the 50's; one reference book I have attributes this to the excellent condition of the IC's postwar steam power. I was looking at Tom Parker's IC site and did notice twenty-some ex-GM&O F3's and a couple of F7's were on the post-merger roster - GM&O numbers 8XX range becoming ICG numbers 16XX range. Tom's site has pix of a couple of the ICG ex-GM&O F-units in the orange and gray scheme, and one or two are available here in the downloads section. Question is, were all the GM&O's EMD's repainted before retirement, and over what time span - i.e., about how long did they remain in GM&O colors? Did they run system-wide throughout the ICG while being shopped? And I think I saw a photo of an ICG F3 mu'd with an EMD B-unit still in GM&O paint; how common was this?Thanks for the good-looking models.
RE: GM&O repaints of Alco FA's..A-B-B-A set.. Screen sh
LAST EDITED ON Aug-07-02 AT 01:05 PM (EDT)
Hello Bud.Thanks for your kind words.On the F unit issue, GM&O was the first Class 1 to completely dieselize, Placing the first order in late 1945 to my understanding, and ran those F units into the ground (and they still plowed dirt when they did! lol) all the way into ICG in the mid '70's. A million miles or more on them.I never saw any other ICG repaints of GM&O locos except F-3 phase 2 810A (repainted to ICG 1610), F-3 phase 1 806A (repainted to ICG 1615) FP-3 phase 2 (with steam generator) (repainted to ICG 1620)The rest were used "as is" until sent to the IC Paduka Shops (later VMV) and the better locomotives rebuilt into FP10's for "T". (some are still around on other commuter railroads)Several were canibalized to rebuild the FP10 fleet. The two I know of were GM&O 811A, and the 880B. I think there were more.I could be wrong on the number of F unit repaints...someone like Kelley Ellison or David Klemm can tell you more on that, I think.ICG had planned (but never did, I think) on repainting the GM&O F fleet into these numbers respectivly:F-3's 800A to 809B -to- ICG 1600-1604, 1606-1609 and 1611-1612 F-3 811A -to- ICG 1605 F-7 811B -to- ICG 1613 F-7 812A -to- ICG 1614 FP-3's 880A to 884A -to- ICG 1616-1619 (2 are missing according to my records)The (to be repainted) re-number info is from the 1974 ICG locomotive diagram book. (there were several versions printed over ICG's time)Hope this shed's some light into the re-painting.As far as running F units..until ICG sent them to Paduka shops in the mid 70's, they on occasion were found system wide...but mostly on the west end.As far as I know...durring the GM&O era, the GM&O F fleet was maintained at Bloomington, Ill. and Venice Shops (STL) and never fully re-built..just maintained.In later ICG days...some of the F units had an MU hole "tourched" out beside the headlight and traction motors re-built..but that's about all that I know of. They had to run them in the lead because of manual transition..or the Geeps and SD's would "drag" them down the main. If you saw them any where else in the consist..they were "dead"..so I'm told. I was also told by the west end Master Mechanic.. that the F's could pull and keep pulling..He said they just never hardly "laid down"..the best locomotive "that" railroad ever had. I think one reason there was no rebuilds done was the time element and trouble it was to dis-assemble the carbody...there was no room to work and pull major parts..like the prime mover..so it got maintained the best it could "in place". This according to my old buddy "Shuffles" (retired)....a car wacker at Roodhouse (and Bloomington at times) on the GM&O into ICG. (he watched as an F unit roled off into the Turntable pit at Roodhouse..not his doing..someone else forgot to set the handbrake..so when the air bled off... ...lol.)Just FYI..The GM&O Springfield, Ill. version of the GM&O route is comming along...it's taking a long time as it looks like I'm the only one working on it right now....but I will make it available to anyone who wants it when the first installment is finished. It incorporates the started route from Lawrence Kelley, 3 versions of Hank's signals, Brian's crossing signals and alot of RR clutter along the right of way..so it will need a hi-end card to run it.Hope this helps a little.Thanks again.
RE: GM&O repaints of Alco FA's..A-B-B-A set.. Screen sh
Wow! Thanks a million; this sheds a lot of light on the post-merger traction situation, to say the least. The train sim hobby is lucky to have guys like you with deep historical perspectives to go with outstanding modelling/repainting skills.
RE: GM&O repaints of Alco FA's..A-B-B-A set.. Screen sh
...I just realized A mis-quote I made...the F units were around until the late 70's instead of the mid-70's.All GM&O GEEPS were eventually re-painted into ICG or sold, or rebuilt and sold at Paduka Shops...Sorry about my mis-information.
RE: GM&O repaints of Alco FA's..A-B-B-A set.. Screen sh
Thanks again, Paul - One more question, should have asked earlier: what eventually happened to the Alco F's? Were they still on the GM&O roster at the time of the merger?Plus - There's a lot of info about IC on the net, but can you suggest a few good print sources, too?I appreciate the great repaints and the info!
RE: GM&O repaints of Alco FA's..A-B-B-A set.. Screen sh
Hi again Bud.The FA's and PA's dis-appeared before the merger as far as I know....I'm not home right now to research this..but if I can find out anything else, I'll let you know. Maybe someone else here may know this answer. The GM&O Historical Society is also another source to check at www.gmohs.org .The PA's and FA's were mostly limited to the south end of the GM&O, that being south of and including STL.IC print sources..I refer you to David Klemm. He is an IC Historical Society member and is a great resource for older IC. Hope this helps...
RE: GM&O repaints of Alco FA's..A-B-B-A set.. Screen sh
Hi Paul,You bet, and thanks a lot.I'll be watching your site for developments. Will you be releasing your GM&O route here, or on your own site? If the latter, I hope you'll remember to post an announcement!
RE: GM&O repaints of Alco FA's..A-B-B-A set.. Screen sh
Hi Bud.If the interest in the GM&O route is here..then I'll post it here..and on my site. If no interest on this site...it will still be on mine...but that's a ways off yet...it will be in segments as David and Trouble's IC routes additions are.
