Re: PC: ex-CR GP38-2 -Reply

["Gerhard A. Stuebben" <stuebben@xxxxxxxxx>]

Robert Holzweiss wrote:
> 
> Gene.Fusco -AT- Symbios.com> wrote:
> 
> Can anyone help me determine the history of a locomotive I saw
> yesterday?
> 
> The loco in question is EMD leasing GP38-2 #781.  It's obviously an
> ex-CR loco, but I don't know what the CR cab number was. (That part
> was the only well painted over section of the entire engine.)  The
> builder's plate was missing, so I can't supply a date of manufacture
> either.
> 
> Any help would be appreciated.
> 
> Gene
>      ex CR 7981, exx PC 7981 - returned to EMD after expiration of 15
> year lease 07/15/87.  This was unexpected refusal to renew the lease
> on 100 GP-38-2's forced CR to remove many older first generation geeps
> from storage to take up the slack.  EMD simply dropped the digit in the
> hundreds place from the number so the EMD GP38-2's 740-839 are
> former PC / CR 7940-8039.  Hope this helps.
> 
> Bob Holzweiss
> "Robert.Holzweiss -AT- bush.nara.gov"
> 


Bob Holzweiss is absolutely correct.  According to
http://membrane.com/~elmer/rail/build/gmlg.html
all 100 of EMD's lease fleet in the 740-839 series are ex-CR GP38-2s.  

According to the PC Railroader's "Penn Central System Bi-Annual," PC had
a total of 493 GP-38s or GP-38-2s.  Numbers 7675 - 7939 were GP-38s,
while 8940 - 8162 were GP-38-2s (numbers 2010 - 2014 were leased to
PRSL, but the photos I have of #2010, 2012, and 2014 have only PC on the
nose, and no PRSL markings). 

Most significant is the fact that numbers 7940-8039 (builder numbers
7354:1 - 7354:100) were manufactured in 5-9/72, meaning their 15 year
leases would have expired in 1987. I have approximately 400 different
PC/CR GP-38/GP-38-2s shots in my photo collection, but the last one I
took in this number series was #7940 in Columbus, Ohio (Buckeye Yard) in
March 1987.  This was about the time CR ws pulling a host of first
generation power out of storage, including (at Buckeye) CR 7462 (GP-9,
blue), CR 8893 (SW-7, blue), CR 7481 (GP-9, Erie Lackawanna paint), CR
7366 (GP-9, PC black paint), and CR 2267 (GP-35, full PC paint with
lettering).  

All the ex-CR blue "GP-38" leasers that I have seen in San Antonio have
been GP-38-2s from this number series. One engine which came to town in
Apr 1997, EMD 773, had the number 7973 clearly showing on the cab side.

Gary Stuebben
San Antonio, TX