Here is an over-a-half-century-old favorite. After picking up some cars, Erie Lackawanna Alco C424 No. 2407 is pulling its eastbound train out of McCoy Street Yard in Akron. The image was made in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Note that it is passing the EL’s Akron passenger station.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
It is the late 1960s/early 1970s in Akron where Erie Lackawanna C424 No. 2409 is westbound long hood forward with a train underneath the pedestrian bridge where Wilbeth Road once crossed the tracks. The signal in the foreground belongs to the Baltimore & Ohio. You may notice the signal has a letter “P” on a plate on the signal mast. That means “proceed,” which tells the crew of a train that if it gets a red signal indication here it can proceed at restricted speed to the next signal. It does not have to stop here.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
There’s another Wabash heritage unit on the rails.
The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad has given am Alco C424 Wabash Railroad markings
The Scranton, Pennsylvania-based short line railroad noted that locomotive No. 2409 was built in 1964 as part of a cancelled order of seven units for the National Railways of Mexico.
The Wabash purchased the units shortly before it was merged by lease into the Norfolk & Western system.
The unit operated for N&W until the late 1970s when it was sold to an industry in the Midwest.
The D-L recently acquired No. 2409 and applied “Wabash” lettering to the blue-painted unit.
However, the Wabash look is temporary. D-L plans to repaint it eventually into its “Corporate White” livery.
Here’s a combination that used to be common but would be rare today. On the lead of this westbound Erie Lackawanna train in Kent is GE U25B No. 2512. Trailing the U boat is Alco C424 No. 2404. It’s enough to make to you say, “gee, look at that.”
Courtesy of the wayback machine we’ve been transported back a few decades to another time when the Erie Lackawanna was still a vibrant railroad.
In the top image, a westbound EL freight is in Akron in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Notice the interesting signal mast.
In the next image, EL Alco C424 No. 2408 is in the yard in Kent in the late 1960s. Trailing in the motive power consist is GE U25B No. 2515.
Below that we see four EL E8A locomotives in Kent in the late 1960s/early 1970s.
Finally in the bottom image the photographer is standing beneath the overhand of the Kent passenger station to capture an eastbound train.
The Tri-State Railway Historical Society has acquired Morristown & Erie Alco C424 No. 19.
Built in 1964 for the Toledo, Peoria, & Western, it and sister locomotive No. 18 went to the M&E in 1983.
Working primarily in New Jersey, both Alcos wore a red livery and have pulled railfan excursions in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
“M&E No. 19 checks off so many boxes for us,” said Tri-State Vice President Kevin Phalon. “It is historically relevant to New Jersey, it is familiar to most railroaders and railfans in New Jersey, and it will come to us running.”
No. 19 was removed from active service in 2016 due to a flat spot on one of its wheel sets. The M&E subsequently retired the engine.
On my way to the Akron Railroad Club picnic I stopped by Akron Northside station on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to catch the morning scenic.
I was in for quite the surprise. CVSR No. 4241, an Alco C424 engine, came in heavily smoking. Now Alco locomotives are known for putting out more smoke than other engines, thus garnering the title “honorary steam engine.”
However, the 4241 was putting out much more smoke than normal until I realized that it was on fire!
The generator had an electrical flashover fire. After a few bursts of a fire extinguisher the fire was under control. The crew decided to shut down the engine and tow it back to Fitzwater shops where they would set it out.
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