P&LE types, get in here...

[asciibaron]

i'm modeling the WM around Connellsville, PA.  what kind of power would have been typical for trains heading to the WM in 1967?  the U28B's were around, as were the GP38's.

[Chris333]

GP7's?

http://ohiorr.railfan.net/images/nyc5684.jpg
http://www.kahndog.com/Photogallery/11-2007/A-348-b&w.jpg
http://www.kahndog.com/Photogallery/02-2007/BNC053CabHopper.jpg
http://www.atlasrr.com/Images/HOLocomotives/hogp7/1107/20000228_TQ.jpg

I have a book on the P&LE so I could look it up (GP7 is a guess)

[Chris333]

More
GP7
RS3
S2
S4
NW2
H10-44
SW9
PA1
PA2


Their U28's were all built in 1966 from 2-02 thru  3-22. The listing calls them U28-P's

[Chris333]

GP38-2  in 1977
SW1500  in  1971
MP15  in  1975

[asciibaron]

GP38-2  in 1977
SW1500  in  1971
MP15  in  1975

ok, so U28B is the most modern power for my era.  i guess i can do a pair of GP7's as well.

[wm3798]

Well, if you're doing Connellsville proper, the WM trains would have originated at Dickerson Run, about 5 miles down river, so there wouldn't be any PLE power on them.  They didn't have a run-through agreement like they did with the Reading on the east end.  PLE transfers would run down from Dickerson Run to their little yard there, not sure what else might have showed up.

PWV and later NW power would slip over the river to Bowest, though.  After 1971, N&W established run through rights from Connellsville all the way to Hagerstown.  Toward the end, as Chessie started gutting WM's schedules, the NW used the line almost as much, if not more than the WM.

Lee

[inkaneer]

Well, if you're doing Connellsville proper, the WM trains would have originated at Dickerson Run, about 5 miles down river, so there wouldn't be any PLE power on them.  They didn't have a run-through agreement like they did with the Reading on the east end.  PLE transfers would run down from Dickerson Run to their little yard there, not sure what else might have showed up.

PWV and later NW power would slip over the river to Bowest, though.  After 1971, N&W established run through rights from Connellsville all the way to Hagerstown.  Toward the end, as Chessie started gutting WM's schedules, the NW used the line almost as much, if not more than the WM.

Lee

I always wondered why the N&W did not take over the WM.  On the surface it would seem like a good move.  It certainly would have helped the old P&WV line and maybe the P&LE.   As it was with the WM going to the Chessie the P&LE from Connellsville to McKeesport withered on the vine.   Chessie did get a better route over the P&LE to Ohio than the old B&O route. 

[asciibaron]

i'm with you Lee - i'm kind of doing an a la carte of operations between 1966 and 1974 and calling it 1967 - my yard will represent Greenwood and Bowest as a single point on the railroad - this gives me the B&O, N&W, P&LE, and PRR interchange and thru traffic.  Dickerson Run is closed and the P&LE is sending trains to the WM via transfers from West Connellsville.  N&W is doing the same from Rook with transfer runs - N&W and WM power is on AJ's in each direction and can be swapped at the yard or run to Rook or Hagerstown - depends on availability of power in Connellsville.

the PRR comes into the yard with transfer runs.  there is an industry right before the interchange that is switched by PRR and the cars delivered to the WM.  the B&O Fairmont line leaves the yard and heads south.  WM has trackage rights to the mine and farm products siding.  the yard is a pretty busy place with five railroads represented.

[Ian MacMillan]

The more and more I poke around the sites about the WM, the more I like it.

[wm3798]

Bwahahaha!  Time to stop drinking that blue Kool Aid!

[Bob Bufkin]

Steve

I've got both the Morning Sun P&LE books if you want to borrow them.  Let me know.

[brokemoto]

The FM switchers were P&LE's first diseasel acquisitions.  It was these that convinced P&LE that it did not want the A-2a s then under construction in Schenectady/Lima.   Parent NYC quickly appropriated P&LE's FM switchers; they saw very little service on the P&LE.  NYC did return them to McKee's Rocks when it was time to retire them.

There were very few ALCo s left on the P&LE in 1967.  Most of them left in 1966 during what P&LE fans refer to as the 'Great ALCo Cleanout'.  All six of the RS-3s went as did most of the switchers.  It is instructive to recall that beginning in 1966, NYCS renumbered many of its units and changed class designations to conform to PRR class designations.  This was, of course, done in preparation for PC.  There were also some retirements of off-brand units that still had some service life in them, no doubt due to both New York's and Philadelphia's beliefs that these off brands would have no place on PC.  Further, there were realignments of motive power assignments.

The PAs were gone by 1962.

You would see mostly GP-7s as well as the U-boats and the more  modern switchers.   

Many of the U-boats did go off the P&LE proper to PC after 1968.  PC put its 'Worms in Love' heralds on many of them.  When they returned to McKees Rocks, they went Forward and Right and Promptly to the Paint shop to have the PC heralds removed.  PC was not popular on the P&LE.

[conrail98]

The more and more I poke around the sites about the WM, the more I like it.

I've always thought about bending history and having the WM be a part of Conrail. This way I could model through Cumberland without going into CSX territory (I always liked Chessie, so modeling it wouldn't bother me). This way, when there is retro night on the layout, Ed could run this:

[wm3798]

I think the BL-2 is about the only locomotive that Conrail DIDN'T inherit!  I like the looks of that, by the way.  Great layout, too! ;D

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I think you're right Lee. I know they even got some RS1s too (which quickly went away).