Going, Going But Not Yet Gone

In recent years, I’ve made it a point to photograph Norfolk Southern high-hood locomotives when I see them.

Show above is my most recent sighting of a high-hood. It was the third of three units on a train departing Bellevue.

Because it was placed behind two massive Union Pacific units, the GP38-2 looked a little out of place.

NS plans to auction off 50 GP38-2 locomotives this month although that doesn’t mean that we’ve seen the last of them in revenue service.

In a recent column posted on the Trains magazine website, Jim Wrinn, the magazine’s editor in chief, noted that he grew up seeing the high hoods in North Carolina as an everyday occurrence.

Of course, that was when they worked for the Southern Railway. Jim ended his column saying he didn’t think he would see another GP38-2 in NS paint.

But a poster said in response that this is not the beginning of the end for the GP38-2 on NS. That poster noted that NS has 68 GP38-2 units in storage, which includes the 50 it plans to sell.

That leaves about 150 of them in revenue service. Some might be rebuilt, but receive a short hood in the process.

I don’t know if No. 5114 is slated to be auctioned off, placed in storage or to continue in revenue service.

But high hood locomotives on Class 1 railroads aren’t what they use to be. So when I see one, I’ll do more than watch it pass by.

Article and Photograph by Craig Sanders

NS Southern H Unit to Accompany N&W 611

The Southern Railway heritage locomotive of Norfolk Southern will accompany Norfolk & Western J-Class No. 611 on its excursions this month.

NS 8099 arrived this week at the North Carolina Transportation Museum and will supplement the 4-8-4 on trips on April 9 and 10.

Those trips will depart from Spencer, North Carolina, and travel to Asheville, North Carolina, and Lynchburg, Virginia.

A museum spokesperson told Trains magazine that one of the museum’s diesels may also accompany the 611 on its travels. Both trips out of Spencer will be traverse original Southern rails.

The museum has not said which of its locomotives might be on the excursion train, but one of the diesels in the museum’s collection is former Southern FP7 No. 6133, which is painted in the Southern green and aluminum passenger livery.

Also in the collection is former Southern E8A No. 6900, which also still wears its Southern passenger livery.

I’ve Got Southern Motive Power on My Mind

Chasing the restored Southern Railway SD40 No. 3170 last weekend and during its ferry move to Bellevue last week reminded me of some other images that I have.

One of those is SD40-2 No. 3239 at Marion in August or September 1987. It was leading a light engine move but this is one of my favorite photos from that era.

Another black and white image is from Maumee, Ohio, taken around 1990.

SD40 No. 3184 was one of five ex-Southern Railway SD40s that were assigned to local and transfer duty in the Toledo area. I used to see them all the time but have very few pictures of them.

I’ll close with a couple shots of No. 3170 north of Attica being delivered for last week’s special run.

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon