The PA that Doyle Mc Cormick is restoring was DH18, origionally ATSF 62L.
DH17 and DH19 are in preserved in Mexico. These units were in operating condition when they went to the museum. The people at Emplame shops would say they were stolen. When the DH19 went to the museum the Empalme shops forces were very unhappy, and that led to the restoration of DH17 in the Daylight paint scheme to make up for the loss of DH19. This unit too was taken to the museum.
Empalme shop then painted the former FCP 501, an RS11, into a unique green and white paint sheme. They pretty much kept this unit locked up in the shop for fear that it too would be taken south to the museum. This unit was unfortunately scrapped when no buyer could be found for it.
The people at Empalme loved their old Alcos, and the PA's were locos that they took a great amount of pride in being able to operate. Everyone at Empalme knew that the PA's were the last of their kind, and quietly DH18 was in the initial stages of being restored to operating condition, This unit was in a fully stripped down state, when The FNM was broken up into privately operated concessions, and at that time Empalme shops were closed.
DH16 was involved in a very bad wreck. It rolled down an embankment, and has signifigant body damage.
Empalme shop was also working on an Alco RS1 when it was closed down. They were sent the former NdeM 5654. This unit had been repowered by NdeM with 12-567 engine, and Alex replaced the EMD engine with a 6 cyl 251 engine from a retired S6. This unit was almost completed when the shop was closed and now resides at a railroad museum Merida, Yucatan. When you first look at this engine it takes a second to catch on that the stack is on the wrong end. Empalme people were serious about their Alcos!!!