PC: Re: Power Pools

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From:          Hoyle Stephen J <SHOYLE -AT- MSHA.gov>
To:            "'el'" <erielack -AT- internexus.net>
Subject:       (erielack) Power Pools
Date:          Tue, 17 Nov 1998 10:00:00 -0500

I picked this up off the EL list page and I am forwarding it to the 
PC list readers who will find it of interest.
Bob Stafford

 Gentle Readers:

I lived in New England back in the days of PC (has it been gone since
1976?), and power pooling was not all that common in that region.

PC had a pool arrangement with the Boston and Maine to handle coal trains to
the Bow, New Hampshire generating plant.  Every time I saw this train it was
a mix of B&M and PC power such as RS27s or GP40s.  The B&M used GP7s and 9s
on that train.  The coal ran from Consol properties in WV and was handled in
Consol bathtub gons.

The big freights on the B&M were NE-84 and NE-87 which handled lots of paper
products from the frozen north to western points, and a lot of empties from
the west heading home to the Bangor and Aroostook and Maine Central.  These
had B&M power - generally the "newest" they had available.  These trains
were handed to PC, but I never saw pool power on them. (Note this is 
not correct, the trains moved on a B&M-D&H-LV-RDG-B&O route in 
competation with the PC. These trains had the power pool of Alco 
C-628 units on the D&H and LV between Allentown and Mechanicsville)

The PC had a fair amount of traffic in and out of Boston, and especially
west of Springfield which is where the 6-axle stuff operated.  BC-1 was the
big afternoon train out of Boston which carried a lot of refrigerator cars
and insulated boxcars.  They'd leave Boston with a pretty short train and
fill out at Framingham.  Auto racks were handled at Westboro.  Power on this
was always PC.  Engines used were EMD or GE - never saw any Alcos on that
one.

Yard switching and local freight was handled by SW1200s (ex NH) or SW1500s.
GM was still going in Framingham, so there was a fair amount of traffic.

PC operated a pretty extensive commuter service west of Boston.  Power was
E8s or GP9s (ex PRR E's and ex NH GP9s).

On the south side (ex NH territory), what freight there was was handled by
GP9s or U25Bs; again all PC.  Local stuff was handled by pairs of SW1500s.
Passenger service (non-Amtrak) was RDCs, and trains of ex NH or PRR coaches
pulled by GP9s and E8s.

GP30s were extremely rare on the New England side of the PC.  I remember
seeing a few, but not too many.

The dam "busted" right after Conrail began which is when we were inundated
with "marvelous beasties" from the EL and Reading; still in original paint.
I kept Kodak in business during the transition.  If anyone's interested, I
can dig up my notes and consist records and let you know what was where
when.  IOW, I never throw anything away.

BTW, Amtrak power back then was E8s and E9s, F40's and the SDP40s.

Maybe some of the other memebers can contribute some more information and we
can get a picture of what ran where.

Hope this helps.

work safe

Steve Hoyle