Q Motors

[Jersey_Mike]

I seem to recall that Metro North was using New York Central era Q Motors for Grand Central switching duties up until the not to distant past (maybe 2001 or 2002). Is this true? If so what happened to them after they were retired? Are there any photos of them in Metro North livery?

[DutchRailnut]

Maybe Conrail, as Metro North was created January 1st 1983, at that time only motors left were the 3 Niagra switchers in GCT.

[Jersey_Mike]

Thanks, that cleared it up. The Niagara Junction Railroad ordered ten E10 units from GE in 1952, three of which eventually wound up on Metro-North. The NJ had been operating some NYC Q Motors and someone once said they were the ones left switching GCT.

[pbass]

Q motors were NY Central motors that did not make into Penn Central.What carried over into the PC merger were the S,T and P.The last T motor went to Sunnyside yard about 1972 for wire train service,the last P motor 4625 burned up at SS OW in September 1974 and all remaining P motors were withdrawn from service immediately and sent to Ohio for scrapping in early 1976,the service covered exclusively by FL-9.The S motors remained in servce until 1981 replaced by the E10B Niagara motors.The S motors were around for so long almost every NYC,PC and Conrail engineer operated them at least once.The last S motor I operated was built in 1907 and donot remember the number.

[Otto Vondrak]

I seem to recall that Metro North was using New York Central era Q Motors for Grand Central switching duties up until the not to distant past (maybe 2001 or 2002). Is this true? If so what happened to them after they were retired? Are there any photos of them in Metro North livery?

You're thinking of GE E10-B's, they were imported from the old Niagara Junction Ry. when Conrail shut down electric operation up there in 1979. The E10-B's replaced the last of the S-motors as switchers in GCT. They were designed to operate off of 600v trolley wire, they were modified to operate off third rail. All were scrapped, only one remains up in Buffalo area, having never made the trip south.

Niagara Junction E10-B:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/6314/NJ15-1.jpg

In Metro-North paint, on dead line at Croton East Yard:
http://imagestorage.nerail.org/photos/2 ... 210294.jpg

[pbass]

they remained in black paint with big MTA letters on the flanks showing new ownership.

[Tadman]

Guys, thanks for posting some rare traction info. Electric railroads are so cool.