PAR Locomotive Fleet - General Discussion

Interesting. I didn't realize we were down to only one, "G - 'Home Railroad'" painted engine. That was certainly an interesting era to say the least. At the time I think they had a realistic vision of becoming "the" Class I railroad of New England.

...and of the whole northeast (and maybe beyond), due to their hopes for the D&H, and possibly another road or two they had their eyes on. It could've been quite an empire if everything had worked out.

MEC407 wrote:...and of the whole northeast (and maybe beyond), due to their hopes for the D&H, and possibly another road or two they had their eyes on. It could've been quite an empire if everything had worked out.

The Mellon/Fink group had their eyes on a lot. Rumors/actual bids for acquisition of lines to Chicago, Toledo, East Saint Louis, the PL&E, and the Southern Pacific.

Can you imagine? Pan Am interchanging with Kansas City Southern, BNSF and Union Pacific directly?

Had such a vast empire fallen into place you would have to wonder if the whole property would look significantly different now. Can't run 10mph all the from Keag to Chicago, I wouldn't think.

KSmitty wrote:The Mellon/Fink group had their eyes on a lot. Rumors/actual bids for acquisition of lines to Chicago, Toledo, East Saint Louis, the PL&E, and the Southern Pacific.

And the Northeast Corridor.

KSmitty wrote:Can't run 10mph all the from Keag to Chicago, I wouldn't think.

Well, if any railroad would try such a thing, we know which railroad that would be...

There would have been a whole lot of sidings to park trains in ...

Phase I GTI reminds me of pre-ST. New England railroading would be a lot different today had the ST never happened...

newpylong wrote:Phase I GTI reminds me of pre-ST. New England railroading would be a lot different today had the ST never happened...

I'm not at all certain it was avoidable. But then again, we have absolutely no idea what kind of profits GTI was making at the time. Given that Maine paper mill traffic was much stronger at the time I think there might be reason to believe that GTI was in fact making very good money indeed and that management was merely pressing for more.

Of course it was avoidable. How many other railroads that downsized crews (ie all of them) needed a presidential order to go back to work after 2 strikes that absolutely decimated their traffic base? It was the way they went about doing it that caused it.

newpylong wrote:Of course it was avoidable. How many other railroads that downsized crews (ie all of them) needed a presidential order to go back to work after 2 strikes that absolutely decimated their traffic base? It was the way they went about doing it that caused it.

Well Amen to that. And thanks for reminding me of the perspective. I also hadn't realized that the strikes had done actual damage to the traffic base. Unsurprisingly that's not something that we discuss often.

gokeefe wrote:

newpylong wrote:Of course it was avoidable. How many other railroads that downsized crews (ie all of them) needed a presidential order to go back to work after 2 strikes that absolutely decimated their traffic base? It was the way they went about doing it that caused it.

Well Amen to that. And thanks for reminding me of the perspective. I also hadn't realized that the strikes had done actual damage to the traffic base. Unsurprisingly that's not something that we discuss often.

If you compared traffic levels in 1985 to post-strikes levels a few years later, the difference was absolutely astounding! Those strikes gutted the traffic base. Now, in all fairness, the traffic levels would have gradually dropped anyway, but certainly not as drastically or suddenly as they did. Also, crew sizes would eventually have gone down anyway, just like they did on every other railroad. As Newpy said, it was the way they went about forcing the change that was the problem.

Oddly enough I had a nearly identical discussion last night with a neighbor whose now-deceased husband worked for Maine Central before/during/after the strikes. She didn't mince words: "Guilford raped the Maine Central."

Lease agreement with GATX for MEC 345 and 507 was posted today on the STB website. Are those already down in KY?

http://stb.dot.gov/recordations.nsf/ecd ... /31577.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting that they're calling the 345 a GP40-2. So it sounds like either they will upgrade it at Paducah, or it's just a typo.

Both are in Paducah.

MEC 507 & 616 are now on the way back

Dave

Correction:

MEC 503 & 616 are now on the way back

Dave