Welcome to Edition 9 of Railroading in America Magazine! Note from the President
Edition 9 is a great move forward for us and is a milestone, as it marks the end of our Volume 2 publications. I would like to deeply thank all of our readers and partners for their support during two years! I personally am very humbled by this experience and am grateful for all of the opportunities to work with amazing people along the way. I can’t stress enough the fact that the magazine sta f should be getting recognized for our success, not me. I could not have done it alone, and I am fortunate to call them all my closest friends. With Edition 9 closing out our Volume 2 series, I would like to make some announcements that can be seen in this publication and future publications… A ter a recent survey, Railroading in America Magazine was rated at a 4.89/5 stars by previous customers - and we were awarded the Honorable Mention MTH Electric Trains Blue Comet Award for 2018! We are very proud of what we have been able to accomplish. On top of publishing our ninth magazine, we have also released a subscription service! This service starts out with our ninth edition. By subscribing, each edition of RIAM, a bimonthly publication, will be either mailed right to your door, or an email with the digital download will be automatically sent to you! To go with your digital subscription, an exclusive page with bonus content is available only to subscribers. Digital subscriptions start at just $8.99!! We are all proud of this huge step we are taking towards producing a more professional publication and would like to thank our readers for their continued support and feedback. So… what are you waiting for? Subscribe at www.railroadinginamerica.com/subscribe today!!
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Evan Cihlar RIAM President and CEO
Railroading in America Magazine is a newly founded magazine written by and run by the next generation of railroaders. We pride ourselves on taking a di ferent and more lighthearted perspective than our competitors, and take extra steps to ensure we are reporting on quality and factual news.
Table of Contents
Page 1............................................................... The History of the EMD F40
Page 3........................ Interlocking Towers: The Past, Present, and Future Page 4............................. History of the Southern 4501 Steam Locomotive Page 7............................ A Legend of an Engine: The Milwaukee Road 261 Page 9.......... A Dollar, a Fireman, and a Passion: Santa Fe 2926's Revival Page 12..................... The N&W 611 and The Citizens of Roanoke, Virgina
Page 15.................................................... MOW on the Cumbres and Toltec
Page 17.................................................................... Steam in the Valley 2018 Page 19........................................................... Lionel Santa Fe SD40 Review
Page 22... Lionel 21" Broadway Limited Soundstations Diner Car Review Page 25......................................................... MTH New Haven EF-3 Review Page 28................................. Custom Painting and Detailing a SP GP38-2
Page 30............................................................... Super-Detailing a SP GP60 Page 32.............................................. Scratchbuilding an AEM-7 in S Scale
Page 35........................................................................... The Laughing Stock
Page 36...................................................................................... Photo Corner
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The History of the EMD F40 Walker Wood
In the mid-1970’s, Amtrak was looking for a new engine to replace their unreliable leet of EMD SDP40F and GE P30CH diesels, as well as their aging secondhand units from a hodgepodge of railroads, ranging from the earliest F-units to the latest E-units. Amtrak desperately needed a new engine, and once again turned to EMD for a solution. In 1975, EMD rolled out the F40PH, the passenger equivalent to the very successful GP40-2. The two shared the same V16 645E3 prime mover, developing 3,000 horsepower at 893 RPMs. The F40PH’s prime mover constantly ran at this speed to provide head-end power to the train, making them noticeably louder than most other diesel engines. This led to many railroads and railfans dubbing the engines "Screamers". 30 of these engines were initially ordered by Amtrak for short and medium-distance intercity passenger trains. As more problems mounted on the SDP40F, and an unusually harsh winter hit the United States, Amtrak decided that the F40PH was their longterm solution for their shortage of reliable diesel power. Soon a ter, 40 SDP40Fs were traded back to EMD to be rebuilt as F40PHRs. They included a bigger fuel tank and a more powerful HEP generator, which had become standard on the F40PH. By the 1990’s, Amtrak owned over 200 F40PH locomotives, which were the standard motive power for almost every Amtrak train at the Picture on top of page: A northbound pair of F40's pass B. & P. Junction as the train slows into Penn Station at Baltimore, MD. April 1981. Photo by George Pitz. 1
time. The F40PH model was so successful that many commuter railroads purchased them, including Chicago’s Regional Transit Authority (later METRA), Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, and CalTrain. By the time production of the F40PH and subsequent variants ended in 1992, EMD had produced 475 of these iconic engines. Morrison-Knudsen, and later successor Motive Power Industries, built 31 F40PH variants for commuter agencies such as MBTA, Coaster, and Caltrain between 1988 and 1998. Today, many F40s can still be seen in revenue service on almost all of the commuter railroads that initially purchased them. Amtrak has retired their entire leet as motive power, however a number have been rebuilt into non-powered control units (NPCUs). All of the engines that were part of this rebuild program had their prime movers and traction motors removed, the fuel tank filled with concrete, and a roll-up door installed to carry baggage. NPCU 406 maintains its original carbody, and was repainted into the Phase 3
From the cab of one F40 to another. An eastbound Amtrak from Pittsburg passes a westbound around Lancaster PA. May 1985. Photo by George Pitz.
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paint scheme to celebrate Amtrak’s 40th anniversary to pull the now defunct Exhibit Train. Two other Amtrak NPCUs, 90208 and 90221, are painted in an "Honoring Veterans" scheme. Additionally, CSX
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owns four ex-Amtrak F40PHs (rebuilt as F40PH-2s) for use on its o fice car special. These iconic locomotives continue to serve railroads just as they did when they first rolled out of EMD's shops in the 90's.
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The 2018 CSX Santa Train departs Dante Yard in Virgina, with three F40s for power. Photo by Todd Sayers.
METX #1311 arrives LaGrange Road station at LaGrange, Illinois with F40PH-3 #182 and F40PH-3 #119 as power. Photo by Larry Amaloo.
Amtrak #336 heads south through Northbrook, Illinois with Veterans NPCU #90221 leading. Photo by Larry Amaloo. 2