Dear all,

I would like to know if anyone has disposition information for any or all of the SCL E8 locomotives (where they came from, and what Amtrak did with them). Also, were the SCL units in good shape going to Amtrak, or were they pretty shot?

Also, in a picture in Trains magazine issue from 1975, I believe; there was a picture of a locomotive deadline at Wildwood, FL that contained SCL and RF&P E units apparently then owned by Amtrak. Does anyone know what became of them, and what units were there?

TIA,

Phil ELRRco@AOL.com

-- Phillip Bell (ELRRco@AOL.com), April 19, 2001

Answers

We call Naparano "Scraparano" around these parts (North Jersey)!

-- John V. Pasquariello (GRIZZLETOAD@AOL.COM), May 02, 2001.

A side note to Mike's observation about the "newer" power being available to Amtrak after its 1971 assuption of passenger service. Most of the freight railroads were quick to re-gear to lower speeds and remove the steam generators from SDP35s so as to classify them as "freight" units, making them unavailable to Amtrak. I found this out in the late 1970s when the SDP40Fs began derailing and became suspect, having their speed reduced, and even being barred completely from a couple of roads. A friend of mine in operations at Amtrak was attempting to identify any and all units (even steam generator equipped GP7 or 9s) which Amtrak might locate, lease, and press into service. You'll remember Southern even contributed a few FP7s that powered the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle over BN. They didn't have to worry about the Family Lines SDP35s though. They were neutered [possibly before or] soon after May 1, 1971. Stangely, the Santa Fe traded Amtrak switchers and hybrid geeps to get their hands on the SDP40Fs, which they used (without incident) along side their own F45s and FP45s until almost all were scrapped in recent years.

-- Doug Riddell (railroaddoug@erols.com), April 26, 2001.

To answer Tom's question: The GP38-2s starting arriving new from EMD in 1972-73, a year or two after Amtrak took over. (The D&S units where added to the roster in 1974.) By that time, the lowere numbered slant nosed E units and a good many of their E7 sisters had me the torch, so the newcomers were numbered in the lower 500 series with the D&S units (non-dynaic brake equipped oddballs) getting 550 numbers. Since the five E7s were leased to Amtrak in 1974, it's difficult to say whether the reason for renumbering was to avoid conflict with their own GP38-2s or Amtrak's SDP40Fs. I tend to think the former. I know that these days we often operate Amtrak engines with idential numbers to those owned by several freight railroads, and except for ocassionally confusing the train dispatcher, there seems to be no conflict. As a footnote, the 500-series GP38-2s had a "2" inserted in front of their original road number when locomotives were renumbered after the CSX merger. As I passed Acca Yard on the Passenger Main at the throttel of No. 80 one day about two years ago, something odd caught my eye: a GP38-2 in fresh CSX paint minus dynamic brakes, coupled to a slug, switching the south yard. It was the former D&S "bicentennial" unit.

-- Doug Riddell (railroaddoug@erols.com), April 26, 2001.

A follow up to Joe's comments about the E7s. Those five units had been recently overhauled by SCL just before the Amtrak take-over. SCL offered them along with the E8s, but Amtrak wanted nothing to do with E7s and older. This was unfortunate, as within a year, many of the ragged E8s and E9s from all over the country were breaking down with alarming frequency, so in comes the 5 SCL E7s to the rescue! Like Joe said, they were given an extra "5" ahead of their old number to avoid conflicts with the 500 series Amtrak SDP40F. Question: were SCL's 500-series GP38's on the property at that time? Perhaps another reason for the 5550 series on the E7s. I have a photo or two of SCL piggybacks between Atlanta and Hamlet behind all 5 of these E7s - they truly went out in style!

-- Tom Alderman (Topa12283@aol.com), April 25, 2001.

Yes-NIM is Naparano Iron and Metal-they do bad things to locomotives and passenger cars. They are located right outside of Newark, NJ on the Garden state Parkway and I remember seeing various SCL locomotives in the scrap piles during the mid 1970's and then subsequently, the various AMTRAK units.

As for the condition, SCL maintenance was significantly better than some of the roads which contributed power for AMTRAK. Penn Central comes to mind as does SP. Remember-in 1971, most of the E-8 units were around 20 years old-at a time when useful locomotive life was considered to be 15 years. You will note that none of the railroads made available their second generation passenger power (as an example the ex SAL(plus one lonesome ACL) SDP 35's)to AMTRAK except under a lease. No one was sure that AMTRAK would last then and therefore, AMTRAK had to make do with E units.

-- Michael W. Savchak (Savchak @MNR.org), April 25, 2001.

NIM is Naparano Iron & Metal, a scrapper in New Jersey.

-- Larry Goolsby (LGoolsby@aphsa.org), April 24, 2001.

There was no SCL 500 at Amtrak time,it was wrecked in 1953 and rebuilt as SCL(ACL)574. SCL E8's are as follows,

AMT SCL dispo 230 524 to NIM 7/75* 231 532 " * 232 574 nee 500 2nd " 233 575 re# to 444 234 576 to NIM 7/75 235 577 " 236 578 re# to 445 237-245 579-587 to NIM 7/75 246 589 ? 247 590 ? 248 591 to NIM 7/75 249 592 re# to 446 250-254 593-598 to NIM 7/75

SCL 501 never carried an Amtrak number. SCL E7's 543,549,554,557 and 558 were leased to Amtrak in 1974 and had a "5" prefix number to not conflict with the new SDP40F's

* SCL 532 was rebuilt from E7 to E8 using same number. * SCL 524 is ex FW&D

I don't know who/what NIM is.

-- J.Oates (jlosal@mindspring.com), April 23, 2001.

Engine number 501 is based at the North Carolina Transportion Museum in Spencer NC.

-- Gordon McCabe (GMc101050@aol.com), April 22, 2001.

All E6 and E7's were scrapped prior or soon after Amtrak, with them remaining in SCL ownership, strangely SCL 500 and 501 (E3A's, ex-ACL) survived into Amtrak and recieved Amtrak numbers, E8A 580-587 went to Amtrak (numbers 238-245) E8A 594-596, 598 became AMTK 251-254. SCL E8A's 588-593 and 597 and the sole E9A (599) never became part of amtrak. None of the B units or FP7's went to Amtrak either. I have no idea what units were in the Wildwood deadline, although i remember a similiar deadline in St. Pete in the 22nd street yard shared by SCL and Amtrak around that time

-- troy nolen (kirkwood@gdn.net), April 21, 2001.

test

-- Tom Stallings (TomStallings@coastalnet.com), April 20, 2001.