What was 1st C-C freight locomotive to regularly run on B&M?

[johnpbarlow]

After seeing Ron DeFilippo's posting of an excellent photo of a lone EL SD45 leading a westbound (I think) B&M/EL pool pig train at Belmont MA (see attached link), I'm wondering, given B&M had nothing but B-B freight locomotives, what RR and model of C-C freight locomotive first ran in regular service on B&M's comparatively light rail? Was it EL SD45s or U33Cs running on PB-99/PB-100 in the '60s? Or did Penn Central deploy SDs/U-Boats/Centuries before that on the Bow/Mt Tom coal trains? I think D&H C628s may have shown up on B&M as well but I'm guessing that was post Conrail in the late '70s? Thanks.

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... rder=new99

[TomNelligan]

Yes, in terms of regular appearances, it would have been the EL SD45s and occasional U33Cs that ran through to Boston on PB-99/PB-100 in the late 1960s. The PC power on the Bow coal trains was normally B-B, anything from GP40s to F7s. I don't remember ever seeing any six-motor PC power on that train back then. D&H power also covered PB-99 and PB-100 roughly once a week. I don't remember ever seeing a D&H C628 or U30C on the B&M but it might have happened. D&H U23Bs were most common.

Here's another shot of EL SD45s on the B&M: https://www.railpictures.net/photo/626021/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And an EL U33C at Boston Engine Terminal: https://www.railpictures.net/photo/674144/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[b&m 1566]

Of topic but curious to know if the PC coal trains orginally came and went via the Framingham and Lowell Branch?

[TomNelligan]

No, the Bow (NH) coal trains came off Penn Central/Conrail at Rotterdam Junction and always ran on the B&M via Ayer and North Chelmsford.

[Spike1724]

There was a period of time in the 1990s when PODH/DhPO was about the only train on the west end. At that time I went camping along the B&A. The Bow trains happened to come through. Therefore they did run coal via the B&A to Worcester for a while.

[jbvb]

While the Bow coal trains were using the B&A, they were subject to a Conrail length limitation requiring that ~5 cars be removed from the normal consist and forwarded in another train. This inconvenience was a major motivation for rehabbing the Fitchburg enough that the Bow trains could use it again.

[SSW921]

While living in New Hampshire I saw the Bow unit coal train numerous times between March 1970 and September 1975. I spotted one PC SD45 #6227 on that train in early October 1973. The remainder of the PC units I saw were all B-B to include: a GP30, 9 GP35s, 15 GP40s, 3 GP38s, 3 U30Bs, 4 U25Bs, 2 RS-27s, 4 U33Bs, 6 GP38-2s, 2 U23Bs, a GP9, an F7B, and a C425.

Ed in Kentucky