D&H "Grey Ghost"

[TB Diamond]

Looking for information on the D&H GE unit nicknamed the Grey Ghost.

Was this unit ever fully painted to D&H colors?

What is the present status of the unit?

Photographed this locomotive at East Binghamton back in October 1981 but never observed it again.

Thanks for any information.

[scottychaos]

That was D&H U23B No. 2311

http://www.bridge-line.org/blhs/images/ ... hl2311.jpg

This page: http://www.joshuakblay.com/dhsurvivors.html
doesnt list her as a survivor..odds are she is scrapped..

She became MEC 290 with Guilford:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locopi ... x?id=81689
Photos show still in Grey in 1987..cant find anything after that..

Was this unit ever fully painted to D&H colors?

yes, *before* it was the grey ghost! before 1981 it was in the standard D&H lightning stripe scheme..
Legend says two theorys for the grey scheme:
1. an experimental "economy" scheme the D&H tried on purpose, but didnt repeat.
2. simply the result of "a surplus of grey paint laying around, need to use it up." and grey ghost was the result..

She likely went to her grave in grey..

Scot

[oibu]

Allegedly was done to help use up surplus stock of unused gray paint after several years of all-blue Altschul-era paint schemes.
Later D&H went back to using the lightning stripe scheme for a bit in the early '80s before Guilford. 2311/290 stayed in the gray ghost scheme when it went to MEC, just relettered and with the shield replaced by an MEC pine tree circle. I believe it survived long enough to see Guilford paint.

[kilroy]

Here's my not so great shot of 2311 at Bingo.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2717088

[KevinD]

It was one of the roughly three dozen units "mortgaged" to Midwest Steel & Alloy in 1988, probably as payment for junkyard shop parts acquired over the years. It made it out to Ohio for scrapping still wearing the grey.

http://www.bridge-line.org/blhs/dhphotos3.html

[Steve Wagner]

In case you're interested in modeling the "Grey Ghost", either in its unique D&H livery or as modified by the MEC, Highball Decals ( www.mgdecals.com ) has sets for the D&H unit in both HO and O scales and one in HO only for the restenciling done by the MEC (enough to do up to nine units).