Southern RR low nose motive power

Any historical questions can be posted here. Answers would certainly help as well :)
User avatar
kd_1014
Mike
Posts: 1044
Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2018 3:29 pm
Location: Creston, Grand Rapids

Southern RR low nose motive power

Unread post by kd_1014 »

Obviously other than the F and E units, Did the Southern Railway have any low nose locomotives? I just found out today that they had high-hood Dash-7s which I thought was pretty neat.

cr6903
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:47 pm

Re: Southern RR low nose motive power

Unread post by cr6903 »

The Southern Railway purchased nothing with a low hood, clear to the Norfolk Southern Merger. Their last new locomotives in Southern paint were the GP50's, I believe. Norfolk Southern purchased SD60's sublettered for the Southern, but they were delivered in NS paint.

When the Southern absorbed the original Norfolk Southern, the original NS rostered Baldwins (retired shortly after merger), GP38's and GP18's with factory low noses. When they got Southern paint, they also were high hooded!

The only "Southern" low nose unit was the Commemorative GP60, 4610.

While they didn't have a lot of GE's, they were all High hood as well.

User avatar
MQT1223
O Scale Railfanner
Posts: 4028
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2014 1:46 pm
Location: Grandville, Michigan
Contact:

Re: Southern RR low nose motive power

Unread post by MQT1223 »

I think it had something to do with the Unions and safety which kept the Southern ordering High Hood units long after most railroads abandoned them. Even the N&W had ordered their last batch of SD40-2's and an order of SD50's with low hoods, after being a predominantly high hood railroad.

Granted the N&W had units from the Wabash and NKP with Low Noses and High Noses.
1223 OUT! President and Founder of the Buck Creek Central, the Rolling River Route! (2012-2017) President and Founder of the Lamberton Valley Railroad, The Tin Plate Road! Proudly railfanning with Asperger's since 1996. :)

User avatar
DaveO
Read more, think more, post less
Posts: 1453
Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:57 pm
Location: Between here and there

Re: Southern RR low nose motive power

Unread post by DaveO »

MQT1223 wrote:I think it had something to do with the Unions and safety which kept the Southern ordering High Hood units long after most railroads abandoned them. Even the N&W had ordered their last batch of SD40-2's and an order of SD50's with low hoods, after being a predominantly high hood railroad.

Granted the N&W had units from the Wabash and NKP with Low Noses and High Noses.
The long hood was the front of the engine for Southern. What purpose would it have served to get a low nose on the back end of the locomotive :?:

User avatar
MQT1223
O Scale Railfanner
Posts: 4028
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2014 1:46 pm
Location: Grandville, Michigan
Contact:

Re: Southern RR low nose motive power

Unread post by MQT1223 »

DaveO wrote:
MQT1223 wrote:I think it had something to do with the Unions and safety which kept the Southern ordering High Hood units long after most railroads abandoned them. Even the N&W had ordered their last batch of SD40-2's and an order of SD50's with low hoods, after being a predominantly high hood railroad.

Granted the N&W had units from the Wabash and NKP with Low Noses and High Noses.
The long hood was the front of the engine for Southern. What purpose would it have served to get a low nose on the back end of the locomotive :?:
Some of the later engines had dual control stands.

Never said that the railroad had to make sense.
1223 OUT! President and Founder of the Buck Creek Central, the Rolling River Route! (2012-2017) President and Founder of the Lamberton Valley Railroad, The Tin Plate Road! Proudly railfanning with Asperger's since 1996. :)

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37905
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Southern RR low nose motive power

Unread post by AARR »

I read an article in Trains Mag that, along with safety, another reason for the long hood forward was because it was easier for the engineer to see going backward with the short hood.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

Post Reply