Thursday, October 2, 2014

First Diesel Electric Locomotives, Long Island Railroad

Ron Zeil, The Long Island Railroad in Early Photographs, Dover Publications, 1990

Locomotive #401 of the Long Island Railroad was the first diesel-electric locomotive to be placed in mainline service, breaking ground for internal combustion locomotives everywhere. Built by Alco and Ingersol Rand, it served the railway from 1925 till 1951, finishing out its career as a switcher. The Long Island Railroad was never good with history and the locomotive was not preserved. 
#402 below was a refined version, being much the same package in a body 6 feet shorter than #401. It too was scrapped in 1951.
 Locomotive #403 (bottom) consisted of two power units semi-permanently coupled together and numbered 403 A and 403 B. The railway separated them later in their career, and the little 4 wheel locomotives were nicknamed Ike and Mike by the crews that ran them. They were sold off in the late 40s. 

Ron Zeil, The Long Island Railroad in Early Photographs, Dover Publications, 1990

TRAIN SHED CYCLOPEDIA

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