LV Alco 628s - HP/tonnage ratios

[BlockLine_4111]

Always been fascinated by these units and especially those in Bob Pennisi's softcover book.

Were they rated at 2800 hp or higher ? It seems they were always loaded with long, heavy trains (e.g. 2 units w/145 cars). You don't see such low HP/tonnage ratios today.

Were those units the cadillacs in the LV power pool ? How far did they get on Conrail ?

[lvrr 560]

The 628's had the highest horsepower of all LV engines.
They were also the shop queens of the LV

Tonnage as a general rule for ideal conditions for any locomotive
were one hp/ton. If you saw two 628's with 145 cars you most likely saw
a westbound from Coxton to Sayre. That train would drop 60 to 80
empty's at the Charmin Paper Plant.

All but two units retained the original B/W paint into Conrail.All others had been completly rebuildt and painted in Red / Yellow .

Conrail assigned most ( ALCO"S ) to Mingo Jct. where they
did not last long.

[msernak]

Which C628 paint scheme do you guys prefer? The white or the red? I prefer the white myself.

[lvrr 560]

I prefer the B & W because an LV engineer refered to the 628's
as big white Elephants, and that is what they were.

[BlockLine_4111]

The 628's had the highest horsepower of all LV engines.
They were also the shop queens of the LV. Conrail assigned most to Mingo Jct. where they did not last long.

What does "shop queens" mean ? Troublesome ?

Where is Mingo Jct. ? Why is this place significant ?

[metman499]

Mingo is in Ohio. They were used in drag service out there as Conrail consolidated its Alco fleet. The C-628s were rated, assuming they stayed as built, would have been rated at 2750 hp. I believe their LV class was AF-27 which leads me to believe they were either 2750, as built, or lowered even further to 2700.

[march hare]

The significance of Mingo Jct is that it became the last home for big Alcos on Conrail. The LV C628s were sent there, as were the ex-PC and ex-RDG C628s 630s and 430s shortly after the April Fools Day merger. Some of the PC units were already based there IIRC.

Mingo's located in the WV panhandle, on the Ohio River maybe an hour or so west of Pittsburgh. Very much steel mill country at the time, less so now. Most of that trackage has been spun off since then.

From an operational standpoint, it made sense--there was a lot of ore traffic from the Lake Erie docks down into the Pittsburgh area at the time, and that was the kind of slow, pull your guts out service that the Alcos did best. Likewise with coal and coke going into the mills.

The Mingo assignment was not exclusive, however. I saw at least one freight coming down the Mohawk (NYC main) in 1978 with a lashup of PC C630 and a C636. CR had serious power problems in its early years, and units could be found very far from their intended service areas.

BTW, am I misunderstanding a previous post that all but two LV C628s were still in the Black and white snowbird scheme until the merger? Not true, most were in Cornell Red (which I prefer). Might have only been two left that had NOT been repainted by then.

Gardiner Cross

[lvrr353]

Most references I have seen state that 4 units were in the Snowbird scheme for their entire LV careers, 626,632,634 and 636.

[Tamping Pick]

First,
MINGO Jct. is an old PRR yard in OHIO.
LOL, I worked there sparying weeds in the yard,(late 90's)and 1 day I wore a black T-shirt with a "BIRD" on it.
My pilot(about 50 y.o.) .
Said"I remember those, they tore up all the switches", not a word of a lie here!!
PICK

[BlockLine_4111]

It seems like the LV was able to squeeze more HP from these 628s than they were rated at. Yesterdays version of todays widecabs I suppose. Classical units.