More razor blades (FL-9)

Yesterday the 411-101 were seen to pull FL9's 2003 and 2005 from New Haven to Harmon.
Presumably to go into East yard for scrapping. the two units were stored in New Haven for years.

DutchRailnut wrote:Yesterday the 411-101 were seen to pull FL9's 2003 and 2005 from New Haven to Harmon.
Presumably to go into East yard for scrapping. the two units were stored in New Haven for years.

That's a shame. Do you know if the Danbury Museum is going to be getting any of the retired equipment (old diesles, ACMUs, or even M1s when they start retiring them)?

I guess ACMUs and especially M1s would be a stretch; do you know if the work necessary to convert them to be effectively diesel trailors would be worth it for an organization like the museum, or even within their ability?

Tourist lines wouldnt find ACMU cars too useful for short runs- sealed windows, closed-system toilets, and incompatible ligthing and heating systems (never mind A/C systems)...

Danbury already has two FL9's, RMNE has one, and CT Eastern has one too.

-otto-

RMNE has three 2002 and 2019 and 2033.
DRM has 2013 ande 2006
CT Eastern has 2023
Adirondac scenic has 2007 - 2018- 2031 20?? and 412
A museum near cooperstown got 3 of them.
I think MTA is done with donating, with steel at highest value you may try to buy one.

Cooperstown & Charlotteville (CACV) has 2028 and 2010.

-otto-

morristown and erie has 2 also.

oddball wrote:morristown and erie has 2 also.

More than two. Maybe five or six former Amtrak in all, of which 488/489 are operational

Good Lord how sad that these great looking icons of the 20th century are being smelted into oblivion. I know it's not feasible to save them all but man oh man, when they are gone, we'll miss 'em

really, we shouldnt complain....there is at least around 15 fl9's preserved. thats 1/4 of the total production, which is really alot compaired to some other beloved locomotives. think of the beautiful new york central hudsons, none saved at all! we should be happy so many are still alive, and not only alive, but a few will still run for places like morristown and erie....but i do agree, ill miss seeing them pull into danbury as im not too fond of the toasters (genesis)..

The fact that 15 of these "clunkers" have been saved is nothing short of
amazing. They ran for a long time but they were not really that much of
a success.
Due to the weight arrangement and wheel arrangement, almost any
diesel of 1500 HP to 1800 HP would outperform and outrun them and they
had their share of troubles from time to time.
The main reason that these engines lasted as long as they did was not
because they were such a great engine but rather because there was
nothing designed or built for a long time to replace them.
Take heart, the relative high price for scrap has hastened the departure
of many different locomotives.
Noel Weaver

oddball wrote:really, we shouldnt complain....there is at least around 15 fl9's preserved. thats 1/4 of the total production, which is really alot compaired to some other beloved locomotives. think of the beautiful new york central hudsons, ..

or Niagara 4-8-4 engines, either. I think many of them went to the torch before they turned 15 years old.

Yes they were being towed to the eastyard. RMNE has Three (2033)

Man now I'm mad!!! This is the time when these loocs should be saved. There should be more active efforts to save stuff like this. No way in hell would anyone allow a 67 Chevy or a 32 Thunderbird to meet this fate but it's perfectly ok to allow this ugly fate to happen to a work horse like an FL-9. I know I'm going to be old and even more miserable when they do this to the GP-40s. I really love those even more considering that I literally grew up with seeing them run by from my home in Dover. Seeing them, riding on them and even comming up close and touching one gives you a great experience.

The AEM-7s aren't bad but they are a hell of a lot better then the crap coming out now that NJT is getting or the Genises box Amtrak and Metro North calls a locomotive. I hope that the AEM-7s, F-40s and GP-40s will outlive the FL-9s in terms of revenue Passenger service. Being here in Kentucky and away from NJ I really miss those machines. I can't wait to go home and see them. Bad enough I'm here and they are there but to have the FL-9s and GP-40s completely gone to the scrapper is an injustice.

NJTRailfan what are you talking about? There already *are* units saved, at museums, in operating condition (read above). What else do you want? You cant save them all.

Sir, why not save all of them as much as we can. You wouldn't allow vintage cars or priceless works of art to fall into disrepair and go into the trash, so why allow the same thing to happen in this day and age?