Rock Island's "AB6"

[Otto Vondrak]

An AB6 had an E6B carbody modified with a single 1000 h.p. engine, windows and controls at one end, baggage compartment, and steam generator. Only two were built by EMD in June 1940 for the Rock Island (#s 750 and 751) for the Rocky Mountain Rocket (Google it). The train would run from Chicago to Limon, CO with an EA-unit on the front and an AB6 second. The train was split at Limon with the AB6 taking a few cars to Colorado Springs and the other unit taking the rest of the cars to Denver. The reverse happened on the trip to Chicago. Of course over the years there were variations on this theme. The six pictures I am posting are about how the EA6s lived out there lives in commuter service in Northeastern, Illinois. A second diesel was added in the baggage compartment making each a full E-unit.

http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=267691&nseq=20

[Tadman]

I saw the same photo, Otto. I've heard the part about the AB6 being a part of the standard Rocky Mtn Rocket consist, and the part about the AB6 leading the Colorado Springs section. I've never before heard that the AB6 only had one engine and a baggage compartment. The pictures of the AB6 fleet are pretty easy to find, as the Rock followed their standard commuter motive power policy of roping anything wierd, old, or broke into commuter service in the 1960's and 1970's. You'll find the EMD Jet Rocket, BL2's, E's, AB6's, and a passenger fleet of Jesse James car, single-level pseudo-gallery cars, and gallery cars of stainless and carbon steel.

Marty Bernard's pics are great. You'll find some good material on some of my favorite topics, including CRIP, ICG, and CSS.

Also, I cannot understand why there was a Colorado Springs section of the Rocket. It seems CRIP was good at having trains that went to insignificant places. The Denver section reached Denver in standard CRIP practice - over another road's tracks. Many times the Rock used UP to access downtown. It happened in KC, Denver, and Topeka.