The current issue of the ACL/SAL Railroad Historical Society's fine publication Lines South just arrived, 1Q2009, vol26, no1. It contains an interesting article about run-throughs from the Frisco at Birmingham onto the SCL, "On the Hotshot - 35 Years Ago". Nice article. The author describes receiving the train from the Frisco at Birmingham and running it to Manchester, Georgia. He claims the power consist included a Frisco U28B. I think not! And a Frisco GP38. He described that train as having some difficulty maintaining speed as it was underpowered because of the GP38, being 1000 HP short of the power the Frisco normally supplied. The article includes two action pics of SLSF/SCL run-throughs, one showing SLSF 862, Frisco's last U30B, in the consist. The other picture is a neat one. It shows three Frisco U30Bs up on a bridge, SLSF 856, SLSF 854 and SLSF 850 crossing the Coosa River in Alabama. This last picture raised a question in my mind about rear number boards on the SLSF U30Bs. This picture shows SLSF 856 had no rear number boards, but SLSF 854 did. It looks to be factory applied, black with white numbers. The rear of SLSF 850 is not visible in the picture. A quick check in Lou Marre's Frisco Diesel Power shows a picture of SLSF 859 with yet another variety, painted-on rear number boards, black letters on a white background. Does anyone know what the logic was with the Frisco's U30B rear number boards? What units had them and what units did not? Those that did, were they factory applied like SLSF 854 or painted on like SLSF 859? Ken
Ken, I am afraid it really does not get to the core of your question, but I am thinking I read somewhere, probably Frisco in Color, that the black number white background number boards were used to distinguish units that were rebuilt by ICG's Paducah, KY shops. Does this sound right? As for rear or sans-rear number boards and how they were applied, I am curious to see information others might have to offer. It is almost as if the wonderful lack of motive power consistency that West Springfield applied on steam power found its way onto diesels! Best Regards,
Ken, Thanks for the "heads up" on the Lines South article! While in the military stationed in North Carolina in the late 1970s, I frequented Hamlet, Raleigh and Rocky Mount to take in the SCL action. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I caught a trio of Frisco U30Bs sitting on the ready track at Rocky Mount. I was a homesick 19 year old and seeing the Mandarin orange and white sure made me feel at home. It was not unusual to see SLSF and L&N run-through power on the SCL's, ex-ACL, mainline all the way up to Richmond, VA. Frisco GEs were commonly interchanged to the SCL, but I spotted SD45s, GP38ACs and GP-35s as well. Steve Roberts Fayetteville, AR
Chris, Amen on the lack of consistency! The Frisco was not unique, I think all railroads were this way, except perhaps for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). I maintain they did it to drive modelers crazy. A concern I had was for my model of SLSF 835, which I did back in the early 1980s using the Athearn shell. No rear number boards on it, so I must have had some idea that was correct then, but I do not remember. It won a few awards back then, but is certainly showing its age and vintage right now! I was surprised to see the numbers on the rear of SLSF 854 in that article, as I could clearly see SLSF 835 sitting on the layout sans rear number boards. Gulp! I think the Frisco B30-7s had numbers on the rear. At least the Atlas model does. Does anybody have any pictures showing the rear ends of the Frisco U30Bs and B30-7s? Ken
Ken. Mike Condren's web page shows a photograph of what I think is an unidentified B30-7 trailing SLSF 864 in Little Rock, AR. I am way out of my comfort zone! Leased to the MOP? www.condrenrails.com/Frisco Catalog/B30-7s.htm Thar she blows, cap'n. Blank number boards. Maybe someone can zoom the photo or will have better eyesight than mine.
Yep! They are the GE factory applied number boards on the B30-7, but the numbers have been removed for sure! Thanks. Now, what to do with the Atlas B30-7? My one is sitting on the workbench. the shops, waiting to be finished and put into service. Lots of stuff sitting in "the shops"! Ken
