I've never modeled in N scale and never modeled the diesel era so I've ordered a Proto Frisco RS-2 #500. I will build a diorama set along the Hoxie Sub somewhere between Delta and Advance maybe early '60s. I hope this RS-2 is appropriate to be seen in that area pulling a short string of cars. Can anyone shed light on the accuracy of my plans so for and the operating years for these locos? Thanks diesel guys.
The Frisco's RS-2's were numbered 550-554. The 500 was a GP7 The Rs-2's came on board in October of 1949. They were repowered by EMD and GP 7 hoods attached in 1959 and 1960. The 552 was retired in Dec. 1969 and the rest lasted until 4/1972. Hope this is of some help. Bob Wintle
You're right, Bob. I mis-typed. I'm getting #551, not 500 and yes your info is always helpful. I've read a lot but never actually worked with diesel models.
They were mixed with regular GP-7's or run by themselves and they still ran long hood forward after rebuilding. So 1959 and earlier would be the correct era for those units. I have both numbers of the N scale LL/Walthers/Proto RS-2. Good looking and running models, nice paint and they run well together. Tom
And something to remember. If you really like it you can buy an Atlas GP7 that's coming out in september.
On page 36 of Marre/Harper's Frisco Diesel Power the caption on the top of the page states "During their short careers as straight ALCo units, the RS-2s were elusive beasts as far as photographs are concerned. The relative scarcity of RS-2 photos is partly due to the fact that they did not multiple with GP-7s, and seem rarely to have done so with one another. Their principal use was as local road-switchers based in Springfield, normally as single units." Rich
The Frisco RS-2 repowerings at EMD were done with the 567C engine, housed in the equivalent of a GP18 long hood. It had the large diameter cooling fans. The 567C engine, normally 1750HP, was then down-rated to 1500HP to match the Alco RS-2 electrical gear and so the repowered RS-2's would mate with the Frisco GP7 fleet. So, if one were to modify a RS-2 model into one of the rebuilt units, you need to put a GP18 long hood on it. Ken
I enjoyed watching the east local out of Springfield switch Dixon in the mid afternoons on M/W/F in the mid and late 1950's. The power was almost always a GP-7. Only once did I see an RS-2 on the job. I mostly heard it. The sound was SO different.
So is it too far fetched to have seen an RS-2 along the Hoxie Sub? I'm not into freelancing at all but this loco appeals to me. I've seen a photo of the last train to leave Advance in 1966 and it looks like an RS-something. Maybe I should stick to the teens and twenties. Sorry 'bout my diesel era ignorance.
With in my experience, the RS-1 was typical power on the Hoxie Sub, and on occasion the train would leave Chaffee with a two-RS-1 consist. GP-7's were used to a lesser degree. Without a doubt, a RS-2 would be right at home transversing the Bootheel delta-country on its way to Poplar Bluff and Hoxie.
Thanks Karl, I feel better about it. The only RS-1 I found costs $80, forget that for now. I'm just shooting for a diorama anyhow but I try to be as accurate as possible. Sometimes my intentions outrun my abilities.
Jim, looking forward to seeing your diorama of an area that screams to be modeled. I definitely concur with Karl's comment, vis-a-vis RS-1s. In one of the early FMIG newsletters, Ken McElreath notes that many of the RS-1s were serviced at the Chaffee Roundhouse in the early 1960s. Regardless, the RS-2 would look right at home on the Hoxie Sub. A late engineer with whom I went to church as a kid got his start on the old Hoxie Sub right before it was abandoned. I wish I'd thought to ask him a lot of questions about the Frisco back then as to motive power and the like. Best Regards,
Hoxie Sub? RS-1, RS-2 whatever it takes... LOL Primarily the RS-1s were found on the Hoxie Sub according to everything I've seen thus far, but there were some RS-2s floating around...
Two things we know about RS-1's and RS-2's on the Hoxie sub ..... - The RS-1's ran fine. They always ran fine - a good locomotive - The RS-2's, if they were used on the sub, probably had engine trouble when on the sub (until they were repowered by EMD). And I'm an Alco lover! But also I'm an Alco realist! I still remember the late Lee Buffington just shaking his head whenever the topic of anything powered by an Alco 244 engine came up in our conversations. Ken
I hate to hear that. Maybe I could model one or two long hood louvered doors open or removed to reflect some mechanical mayhem. Perhaps a toolbox sitting nearby the opened door. Wish I had found a $39 Frisco RS-1. Hmmmm, I hope N scale isn't too small for my HO abilities.
The 244 problem would require more than a toolbox - a scorched, simmering, smoke belching Alco 244 air-cooled turbo up top. The 244 didn't run well until Alco replaced the air-cooled turbo with a water-cooled retro-fit. Then, burned pistons and valves, and broken cranks, came into being. Alco had a great deal of engineering capability, and it is a real shame they are gone. The problem with their 244 engine (FA's, PA's, RS's) is that they rushed it into production in order to compete with EMD post WW2. The proven EMD 567 was sitting there waiting. Ken (the 244 indicates it was a 1944 design)
Wow. I'm not used to this much good info on my usual modeling era. Thanks for the replies. Now I need to pick a place to model like maybe the bridge just west of Delta. By the way, they have very recently demolished the east end of this concrete bridge abutment. The west side is still intact as of today. I hate to see the traces disappear. : ( The bluffs west of Arbor would also be a good diorama along with the "potato storage" building just west of Arbor. That is a rare, still standing, railroad structure along this area. Does anyone know of any other lineside structures still standing between Nash and Puxico? That's my neck of the woods.
Jim, the last time I was along the entire (Cape Girardeau & Southwestern)Hoxie sub line from Cape to Poplar Bluff was August 2009. The only two standing original structures along the entire line are the potato storage shed at Arbor and the Puxico depot (although it is not in its original location as far as I know). (I forgot to include the Poplar Bluff depot). The area from Delta to Arbor is very scenic due to the backdrop of the hills on the north side of the tracks. For those who don't know the area, I submit the following pictures and link to another thread: http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/cape-girardeau-to-poplar-bluff.1749/#post-10347
Where's that UPS truck? If they could've shipped it on the Frisco it would've been here by now. Now a question for you N-scalers. What's the most realistic flex track for my diorama? What code is the most accurate?
For those who have not seen it, Keith has provided an excellent write-up of this area in the latest issue of The Meteor e-zine. Also found here: http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/cape-girardeau-to-poplar-bluff.1749/#post-10347 Delta, MO would be a great locale for anyone not only wanting to model a less-travelled Frisco branch but also wanting to model interchange as an industry (Cotton Belt and MoP). Best Regards,
