This was an AMTK unit when bought by W&W in 1985, when AMTK sold off all the RS-3s. The NH RS-3s (517-561) did not use the "0" in the numbers; the RS-3s did (0500-0516).
NH 527 was at Wilmington, DE when AMTK sold it, and was missing the fuel tank. W&W bought it primarily for the trucks, to use them under one of W&W's RS-11s. The W&W Master Mechanic (Porter Collins) was showing ther newbies at W&W the ancient 244 engine and telling them why they were considered maintenance headaches, when he realized 527 was actually in very good shape. After a 55-gallon drum of fuel was piped to the fuel pump, 527 was started and deemed to be worthy of some work to put it on the road hauling sand trains.
RMNE obtained the cab signal box from 527 about 1986 and restored it for use on NH 529 (now the only extant NH RS-3).
A few years later, about 1992, W&W contacted RMNE to ask if there was interest in W&W 527 as a donation-- it had broken the crankshaft and was now out of service. RMNE did tell W&W that there was serious interest in the donation of 527, but W&W decided to sell it for scrap a few weeks later.
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need."
