The EMD BL-2

The EMD BL-2 is a diesel engine with a B-B type wheel configuration manufactured by General Motors Electro-Motive Division often shortened to EMD. Mostly know as the Ugly Duckling among other EMD diesels this train set the stage for the GP locomotives. Original owners included: Bangor and Aroostook, the Boston and Main Railroad, the Chesapeake and Ohio (or C&O) Railroad, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad, the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway (later the Monon Railroad), and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, the Electro-Motive Division owned a demonstrator locomotive built as a BL-1 but later changed it to a BL-2, the Florida East Coast Railway, the Missouri Pacific Railroad, and The Western Maryland Railway.

 

 

 

Image 1: Janesville & Southeastern #52 at National Railroad Museum, Green Bay, April 26, 2004
Link: http://bit.ly/1NhRq6M
Picture by: Sean Lamb

Image 2:  Bangor and Aroostook #54 at Northern Maine Junction, Maine, August 23, 1978
Link: http://bit.ly/1Dy7Cku
Picture by: William Rogerson

Image 3: Western Maryland #81 winged paint scheme at B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore, Maryland June 27, 2007
Link: http://bit.ly/1IPvKuF
Picture by: John Gray

Image 4: Monon #32 at Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven, Kentucky, July 13, 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/1DDbvo4
Picture by: James Hinman

Image 5: Western Maryland #81 lightning paint scheme at Hagerstown, Maryland, August 18, 1975
Link: http://bit.ly/1KXDpO5
Picture by: Kim Piersol

The Amtrack GG-1/2

This locomotive is well known, but not much about it is known. I was looking at GG-1s the other day and I was surprised when I happened upon one which was black and cut in half. It was number 4846, an ex-Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 that had wrecked after hitting track equipment, rendering only half of the train reusable. The train was scrapped in March 1967 and promptly bought by Amtrak. The train was cut in two and the wrecked half sent to a scrap yard while the good half was used as a switcher and a snow blower. On the back you might notice the exhaust vent for the jet to melt the snow and ice off of the tracks. The train also had a conventional snowplow on the front which was later changed out for another one. The train sat in front of the Wilmington shops and was scrapped in 1983. The train was in the April 1971 issue of Trains magazine and the book The Remarkable GG-1. 


Below are pictures I've found online of this amazing train and all rights go to their original owners.

The train to the left in the top picture is a New York Central P-Motor electric passenger locomotive of which only twenty two were made. Manufactured by ALCO-GE the P-Motor was more powerful than it's predecessors bearing a more advanced design and the same wheel configuration as the PRR GG-1 (2-C+C-2). This wheel configuration was also used on the New Haven EP3s. The P-Motor also sported nose suspended traction motors. They were originally built and owned by many railroads for the large scale Cleveland Union Terminal. The majority of the locomotives, though, were owned by New York Central, who later bought the rest in the 1950's after the terminal's electrification was scrapped in favor of diesels. They were remade as P-2s and remaining twenty one were sent to the New York electric zone. Whilst there they would supplement the T-Motors which were in use since as early as 1913. They then played out the main part of their career working passenger trains.

Below is a P-Motor I found online working for Amtrak in faded ex-Pennsy RR livery.

Photo 1: #4846 after acquisition of Amtrak at Amtrak's Wilmington Shops, Wilmington, Delaware, April 12, 1980
Link: http://bit.ly/1Tfk1vi
Photo by: Joe Osciak

Photo 2: #4846 before the wreck and conversion, unknown location, unknown date
Link: http://bit.ly/1HxUCpQ (Link is to the full size picture here, it has disappeared from the internet since I first uploaded it)
Photo by: Unknown

Photo 3: ex-Penn Central P1 #4625 at Croton-Harmon, New York, June 09, 1974
Link: http://bit.ly/1DyovLX
Photo by: George W. Hamlin

First Post

Hello and welcome to the Just Another Railfan blog! I will try to find the history on and track down trains and the history of trains that might not be well known, or trains that I just think are cool. I will try to get a post in every week so be sure to check in regularly.