PICTURE: Chevron Switch Engine... What Is It?

NIWX 2581 is a SW1500 built by EMD in January, 1970.

from: http://www.nilwirailway.com/

Scot

Huh.. thought it might be something else. Fuel tank looks alot shorter and smaller then the old SW1500's i use to run as a contractor.

It could have been modified, UPRR engineer. You would know better than I, but at quick glance even to me it looked a little off.

This is exx-Cotton Belt #2581. You can tell its heritage by the number boards above the cab. Cotton Belt Locomotives gives a February 1970 date for this locomotive which is most likely when it was received by Cotton Belt.

I do not note a difference in the fuel tank. I am comparing the 2581 in the photo above with a photo of Cotton Belt #2580 in Cotton Belt Locmotives by Joe Strapac. These were sister engines from the same order. The fuel tank appears to be the 1100 gallon tank these units were built with. I do note the exhaust stacks appear lower and spark arrestors have been installed. The extra Espee light sets are gone. The headlight is still offset to the left as was original on Espee/Cotton Belt of this time.

UPRR engineer wrote:Huh.. thought it might be something else. Fuel tank looks alot shorter and smaller then the old SW1500's i use to run as a contractor.

I do not note a difference in the fuel tank. I am comparing the 2581 in the photo above with a photo of Cotton Belt #2580 in Cotton Belt Locmotives by Joe Strapac. These were sister engines from the same order. The fuel tank appears to be the 1100 gallon tank these units were built with. I do note the exhaust stacks appear lower and spark arrestors have been installed. The extra Espee light sets are gone. The headlight is still offset to the left as was original on Espee/Cotton Belt of this time.

UPRR engineer wrote:Huh.. thought it might be something else. Fuel tank looks alot shorter and smaller then the old SW1500's i use to run as a contractor.

Thanks for the info, SSW. Looking at the picture again, it's probably just the shadows that make it look a bit different.

The thing that struck me as "different" is the coop or housing on the running board just ahead of the cab. It's hard to be sure with the resolution of the photo but it's certainly not stock to most SW1500s. Since the loco is in private switching service I suspect it could be for a Hotstart (although that is not the normal place for them). Or was that something SSW added?