Ex-AA Alco Get New Coat of Paint

A former Ann Arbor Railroad Alco RS-1 has received a refresh to its Wabash passenger livery.

Railfan and Railroad magazine reported on its website that the paint on No. 20 had faded and rust was showing through.

The work was sponsored by the Shepherd Railroad Museum Association Depot Committee.

The repainting was done by Jeff Conner, an equipment painter based in Pennsylvania.

No. 20 was one of two Alcos with steam generators that the Wabash ordered in 1950 for passenger service on the Ann Arbor, which the Wabash owned at the time.

However, the passenger trains the two locomotives were intended to pull had been discontinued by the time the units arrived.

The Wabash scheme on No. 20 lasted until 1963 when it was repainted in orange.

It’s sister unit No. 21 is owned by the Southern Michigan Railroad Historical Society. It is undergoing a restoration into Wabash colors near Lenawee Junction.

Tags: Alco diesel locomotives, Alco RS-1 No. 20, Also RS-1, Ann Arbor Railroad, Shepherd Railroad Museum Association, Wabash Railroad