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  • N&W SD45 #1776

  • Discussion related to the Norfolk & Western, up to 1982. Also includes discussion of the Virginian Railway (1959); Wabash; Nickel Plate; Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway; Akron, Canton & Youngstown Raiload (all 1964); and the Illinois Terminal (1981).
Discussion related to the Norfolk & Western, up to 1982. Also includes discussion of the Virginian Railway (1959); Wabash; Nickel Plate; Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway; Akron, Canton & Youngstown Raiload (all 1964); and the Illinois Terminal (1981).
 #1010459  by MEC407
 
From The Roanoke Times:
The Roanoke Times wrote:The Virginia Museum of Transportation's red, white and blue "1776" locomotive is riding the rails again.

The diesel-electric locomotive was pulled Monday from the museum's west side beneath the Fifth Street bridge to the railroad shops at Shaffers Crossing. There, the 250,000-pound, 3,600-horsepower engine will be made "rail ready" in preparation for a pilgrimage to Norfolk Southern Corp.'s paint shop in Chattanooga, Tenn., where it will receive a new red, white and blue coat.
Read more at: http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/303886
 #1014054  by Allen Hazen
 
I think N&W 1776 was the second locomotive painted in a "Bicentennial" scheme (in 1974,according to the news story linked-- the idea of painting a locomotive specially to celebrate the 1976 bicentennial became increasingly popular after it was done), after SCL 1776. My recollection (of a story in a N&W employee magazine that the public library where I lived at the time got) is that the repainting was done in response to an employee suggestion: the employee had seen the publicity about SCL's unit and suggested that, since one of N&W's biggest and most powerful locomotives was also numbered 1776, they could do something similar. The paint-scheme applied was simpler (and doubtless cheaper) than the one SCL had GE's Erie works apply to their commemorative unit.
--
(Is it out of place for me as a fan of GE locomotives to say that I wish SCL's 1776 had been preserved instead of N&W's?)
 #1014082  by MEC407
 
Allen Hazen wrote: (Is it out of place for me as a fan of GE locomotives to say that I wish SCL's 1776 had been preserved instead of N&W's?)
Not at all, and this GE fan will note for the rest of the audience that little Maine Central had not one but TEN locomotives commemorating the bicentennial... and they weren't EMDs or Alcos. :wink:

Boston & Maine's bicentennial paint scheme will always be my favorite, even though it was applied to a boring GP38-2. :wink:

Regardless, it's nice that N&W 1776 is getting some cosmetic TLC -- performed by NS no less! They are very capable of doing a great job.
 #1029249  by MEC407
 
BEAUTIFUL job by NS Chattanooga Shops! http://nsrayman.rrpicturearchives.net/s ... id=2952129
 #1031640  by Tadman
 
Looks fantastic! What strikes me is that RailAmerica could use this paint scheme and it would look far better than the one they have now, but retain their "America" feel.