ALCO FA news

Former LIRR 602 moved under its own power at SMS, in south Jersey, on Saturday! 601 goes in for repairs next.

616 has been donated for the Port Jervis Railway Museum.

All wonderful news!

Is it possible to reactivate 616, or is it inoperable?

I thought none of them had traction motors.

RGlueck wrote: ↑Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:23 pm Former LIRR 602 moved under its own power at SMS, in south Jersey, on Saturday! 601 goes in for repairs next.616 has been donated for the Port Jervis Railway Museum.All wonderful news!

Good. What is SMS?

nyandw wrote: ↑Mon Oct 05, 2020 9:37 pm

RGlueck wrote: ↑Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:23 pm Former LIRR 602 moved under its own power at SMS, in south Jersey, on Saturday! 601 goes in for repairs next.616 has been donated for the Port Jervis Railway Museum.All wonderful news!

Good. What is SMS?

SMS is a shortline company which owns numerous branch lines and industrial sidings in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and is known for running rare Baldwin Diesel locomotives. They have restored and run numerous Baldwins, GE U-Boats, and even an Ex-US Army ALCO 0-6-0 steam locomotive! (#9, which was also on the New Hope and Ivyland at one point.) That steam locomotive along with 602 are the only ALCOs on the railwayś roster and both are nearing completion of restoration. Great to hear!

SMS is a shortline company which owns numerous branch lines and industrial sidings in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and is known for running rare Baldwin Diesel locomotives. They have restored and run numerous Baldwins, GE U-Boats, and even an Ex-US Army ALCO 0-6-0 steam locomotive! (#9, which was also on the New Hope and Ivyland at one point.) That steam locomotive along with 602 are the only ALCOs on the railwayś roster and both are nearing completion of restoration. Great to hear!
[/quote]

Thank you! Here's the list so far: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrFA/lirrFA.htm at the page bottom. Any correction/additions please let me/us know!

600 is part of the Western New York RHS(?)
601, 611 and 614 are being restored by their owners, in New Jersey, possibly by the Winchester and Western
602 Moved under power at SMS Rail Lines, NJ 10/03/2020
603 is stored (and hopefully restored[?]) in the Delaware Lackawanna yard in Scranton
604 is restoring as FA L&N 314 at the Illinois Railway Museum
605 is preserved in Nashville, TN
606 was scrapped due to a wreck(?)
607 is now WM 303 and is currently sitting in Barton, MD
608 became power unit 3100 and is now scrapped
609 was scrapped due to a wreck
610 is now at the West Virginia Central(?)
612 was scrapped due to a wreck
613 is preserved in Portland, OR
615 was sold to SEPTA as a work unit
616 Stored in Passaic, NJ as part of the New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad before being moved there. Donated for the Port Jervis Railway Museum. 10/2020
617 is preserved in Danbury
618 is preserved in Thomaston, CT(?)

616 is shell, and remains rigged up as a power car. It will require extensive rebuilding to make it a functional ALCO FA1 locomotive once again, not to mention a donor loco for a prime mover. If interested parties cared to study the car body, it might be cosmetically restored to original appearance, but that's not for me to say.

602 and sister 601 are not the property of SMS, but owned privately by Bobb Losse, who has leased secured space on the SMS short line to fix up and store these two classics. Bobb also owns FA1's 611 and 614, which are gutted, but in fair shape. 601 is about to go in and get the full makeover before joining her running sister 602.

Bobb has a Facebook page which shows 602 doing what ALCO's do best, this past weekend. No, I don't have the link.

Supposedly, another is being restored at the Illinois Railway Museum, and another at D&L shops. A few museums began to restore their historically important FA's, then more or less dropped the projects while their attention turned elsewhere.
Restoring an FA is a daunting challenge, not to mention expensive, and made all the harder by drug addicts and vandals who seem to feel they are part of the process.

Great, thank you! Here's the Bobb Losse Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/9234836 ... 7210580986

This is awesome news.

606 was indeed scrapped. 608/3100 was still sitting in the scrapyard last fall but I will bet a nickel it was cut up sometime last winter.

Steve: #606 was wrecked in the 1988 Park Avenue, Huntington grade crossing accident when it struck
a backhoe on a trailer that bottomed out on the crossing...MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote: ↑Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:23 pm Steve: #606 was wrecked in the 1988 Park Avenue, Huntington grade crossing accident when it strucka backhoe on a trailer that bottomed out on the crossing...MACTRAXX

Noted. Thank you! I cross referenced against the wrecks page 70% down: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrwr ... wrecks.htm

Here it is:
On Aug. 26, 1988, a westbound LIRR train derailed after it struck a flatbed trailer at the Park Avenue crossing in Huntington, injuring 18 people aboard. LIRR officials blamed the crash on the driver of the flatbed, which got stuck straddling the tracks. Photo Credit: Newsday/ Dick Kraus

Both 606 and 612 were historically important locomotives, one I believe was an ALCO demonstrator at one time, and one an ex-Great Northern locomotive. I may have that screwed up, but the losses were significant. 612 could have had the car body salvaged, but for the MTA it was merely junk. 608's conversion was costly and pointless, as it was a temporary solution to an experimental train. My opinion is, they might have repainted it, but kept the cab with controls and simply placed it at the rear of the train. They didn't ask me, and so it goes!

Wasn't there a FA cab at the 1964 Worlds Fair LIRR exhibit?

ajp wrote: Wasn't there a FA cab at the 1964 Worlds Fair LIRR exhibit?

Yes, the same FA cab seen here at Tanglewood Preserve.

(October 1980) Photo: Bill Mangahas

I posted these photos before so if anyone hasn't seen them, here they are.

Norristown, PA (Oct 26, 1988) Photos: Bill Mangahas