Ten years earlier when young these units worked through trains out of Roseville but their unreliability soon made them heavy switch engines with transition and dynamic brakes deactivated. Before long most would return west and spend time around West Colton before being parked dead in the Bull Ring Yard.
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| Posted by on March 3, 2014 | |
Saw these in Chicago while leased to to a power short L&N. They used them (along with their OWN big Centuries, occasionally) on a joint coal unit train with PC between Cinncy or Louisville and Chicago somewhere. L&N on the former C&EI, Monon lines generally ran B-B GM, GE power; the big Alcos were a treat.
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On the day of the photo, the two C630s seemed to be in some sort of local/transfer service. A couple hours after I took this photo on the north/east side of the river (wish I had made some notes - I just remember that it was not far from the approaches to HPL Bridge), I saw them coming down from HPL Bridge on the west/south side of the river with a short train.
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Heard claims for years that big SP Alcos had been used through Montgomery, Alabama on both the L&N and the West Point Route. It's certainly possible, but no proof was ever offered.
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I read that these were used in thew early 1970s on transfer runs over the Huey P. Long bridge from SP's yard in Avondale to the L&N, ICG and Southern railroads. They were gone by 1977 or so.
This pic is at the SP's transfer yard by Central Ave, at the foot of the Huey P's eastern approach. The track in the background belongs to the ICG. The NOPB is behind and to the left of the photographer's spot.
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Thanks, Paul. Always hoped someone would fill in some details about the location.
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