The Pennsy was known to operate on its rails locomotives which it did not own. These inclued railroad test units, builder test units, demonstrators, and leased units.
Railroad Test Units
July and August, 1924: The PRR borrowed a 37-ton GE gas-electic at the piers in New York City.
1937: The PRR borrowed an EMC 600 hp switcher for potential use at the General Motors plant in Linden, New Jersey. The Pennsy purchased the unit afterwards -- Class ES6 #5911.
1947: The Pennsy tested an F-M H20-44 as a potential helper west of Altoona. They eventually went with EMD F3's for this purpose, in an A-B-A configuration.
Builder Test Units
1925: Baldwin tested a 1000 hp diesel (#58501) on Pennsy rails. It did not fare well.
1928: Baldwin tested a 1000 hp diesel (#61000) on Pennsy rails. It fared better than its predecessor.
Later times saw the testing of GE U25B demonstrators (#2501-2504) and U25C demonstrators (#8010-8011-8012; October 1963) on the line south of Erie, where General Electric had a plant.
Demonstrators
| The Pennsy was known to have run the following switcher demonstrators: | |
| October 1930: EMC #463, a 400 hp gaselectric. | |
| September 1930: Porter #7184, a 300 hp diesel. | |
| May 1932: Westinghouse #23, an 800 hp diesel. | |
| July 1935: EMC #518, a 900 hp diesel. | |
| February 1936: Westinghouse #18, a 1600 hp diesel. | |
| April 1937: EMC #647, a 900 hp diesel. | |
| January - February 1940: BLW #307, a 1000 hp diesel. | |
| March 1940: BLW #333, a 1000 hp diesel. | |
| The Pennsy was known to have run the following first generation demonstrators: | |
| March 3 - March 27, 1936: EMC #511 and 512, box cab 1800 hp units, in passenger service between Philadelpha and Chicago. | |
| April 1950: Fairbanks Morse C-Liners 2401-2402. (Photo in the East Wind, Autumn 2019.) | |
| May 1953: Fairbanks Morse Train Masters TM-1 and TM-2 tested on mail and express trains out of Pittsburgh. | |
| The Pennsy was known to have run the following second generation demonstrators: | |
| Alco RS-27 2400 hp B-B units. | |
| Alco Century 628 2750 hp C-C units. | |
| Alco Century 415 1500 hp B-B units. | |
| EMD SD24 2400 hp C-C units. | |
| EMD GP20 2000 hp B-B units. | |
| February 1962: GE U25B #'s 2501-2504. 2500 hp B-B units. | |
Leased Locomotives
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February 26, 1956 - June 30, 1957: GM 1000 (the AeroTrain) wan between New York and Pittsburgh. Con Cor has offered the AeroTrain: |
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| During a delay waiting for new diesels to arrive, compounded by an upturn in traffic, the PRR had to lease numerous locomotives in 1950, 1951, and 1956. Though the PRR had surplus steam locomotives in storage, the problem for the PRR was that too many of them needed expensive class repairs. It was less expensive to lease. | |
1950: PRR leases 12 steam locomotives from the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac, of which the PRR was a part-owner. They were used on the Susquehanna Division between Enola and Renovo. The leased units were:
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1950: The PRR leased five steam locomotives from the Bessemer & Lake Erie for use between Conway and Shire Oaks. The leased units were:
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1950: PRR leased five steam locomotives from the Norfolk & Western for use between Columbus and Sandusky. The leased units were:
Broadway Limited Imports offers this locomotive. It is worth noting that the PRR had previously purchased six 2-8-8-2 Y3 locomotives from the N&S in 1943 and re-classed them as HH-1's. For the remainder of World War II they ran between Enola and Hagerstown and were later sent to Columbus. |
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1951: PRR re-leased 12 steam locomotives from the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomacfor service on the Susquehanna Division between Enola and Renovo. The leased units were:
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1955: Some PRR steam returned to service; J1’s moved to Altoona for use as helpers. |
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April 27, 1956: PRR leases 12 Santa Fe 2-10-4's; they are used in coal drag service between Columbus and Sandusky. The units were #5012, 5013, 5014, 5016, 5018, 5020, 5022, 5026, 5028, 5032, 5034, and 5035. By early December 1956 all twelve had been sent back to the Santa Fe via Chicago. Bachmann offers this locomotive. |
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May 23 1956: PRR leases nine Reading T-1 4-8-4's, Nos. 2107, 2111-2115, 2119, and 2128, for an indefinite period. They operated mostly on the Susquehanna Division between Enola and Renovo, but were known to operate on the Shamokin and Elmira branches, as well as the Middle Division to Altoona. Broadway Limited Imports offers this locomotive. |
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| Units Leased by the Pennsylvania Railroad as of November 1957: | |||
| Owner | Model | Road Numbers | Notes |
| Washington Terminal |
Alco RS-1 | 46, 49 | February 1954-1963, then purchased by the PRR. First used at Columbus yard. Transferred to Conway yard in May 1958. |
| BAR | EMD GP7 | 66, 67, 68, 71, 73, 74, 75 |
1951-1968, PRR leased these units, Athearn Genesis, Bachmann, and Atlas offer these locomotives. |
| BAR | EMD GP9 | 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 | |
| Union | Alco RS-2 | 608, 611 | |
| Montour | EMD SW7 | 71, 72 | |
| Montour | EMD SW9 | 73 | |
| PC&Y | F-M H10-44 | 1 | |
| Wabash | EMD F7A | 1154, 1154A, 1165, 1165A, 1166, 1166A, 1168, 1168A, 1169, 1169A |
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| D&H | Alco RS-3 | 4041, 4042, 4044, 4046, 4047, 4048 | |
| DT&I | EMD GP7 | 964, 965, 966, 970, 972, 973 | |
| P&WV | BLH AS-616 | 40 | |
| Ill. Nor. | Alco S-4 | 34 | |
| C&O | EMD GP9 | 5907, 5932, 5936, 5937, 5938, 5940, 5944, 5948, 5950, 5952, 5954, 5955, 5956, 5958, 5960 |
Athearn Genesis and Life Like Proto 2000 have offered these locomotives. |
| Units Leased by the Pennsylvania Railroad as of October 1967: | |||
| Owner | Model | Road Numbers | Notes |
| Alco | Alco RS-27 | 900, 901, 902 | |
| DT&I | EMD GP7 | 955, 957, 958, 969 | |
| DT&I | EMD GP9 | 990, 992 | |
| Reading | Alco RS-3 | 500, 510, 514, 519, 520, 521, 523, 524 |
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| N&W | Alco RS-11 | 314, 316, 317, 320, 324, 327, 331, 337, 345, 346, 348, 352, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 360, 361, 362, 365, 368, 378, 388, 2573, 2575, 2576, 2577, 2850, 2851, 2852, 2853, 2854, 2855, 2856, 2857, 2858, 2859, 2860, 2862, 2863 |
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| N&W | Alco RS-36 | 2865, 3866, 2867, 2868, 2869, 2870, 2871, 2872, 2873 |
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Additional Information
Garner, Tim, "Leased Steam on the PRR", The East Wind, Vol. 14 No. 3, New England Chapter, Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society.
Hirsimaki, Eric, "Buying Time", The Keystone, Vol. 32 No. 3, Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society.
Sweetland, David, "Class FS25M Diesels", The Keystone, Vol. 40 No. 3, Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society.
