SCRANTON, Pa. – Genesee Valley Transportation, the nation’s largest operator of six-motor Alco and Montreal Locomotive Works diesels, has almost doubled its fleet of the rare locomotives with the acquisition of four M636 units from regional railroad Western New York & Pennsylvania.
Rebuilt General Electric AC60CWs idled WNYP’s active fleet of six big MLWs in road service in 2019, and they have been stored since. The railroad recently offered them for sale to Genesee Valley Transportation, which relies on an all-Alco/MLW roster of 40 units to power its five railroads in Pennsylvania and New York. GVT selected and purchased four 3,600-hp M636s, all former Quebec Cartier units (two had been built for Canadian National). Those locomotives later worked for the New York, Susquehanna & Western before moving to WNYP through leasing companies.
Business has continued to grow on GVT’s Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad in eastern Pennsylvania, and the company relies on its four big engines (two MLW M630s, one MLW M636, and one Alco C636) to power heavy trains up the steep grades of its Pocono main line, according to president Michael Thomas.
The newly acquired units already have received DL reporting marks at Olean, N.Y., and soon will be en route to the system’s Scranton, Pa., shops, current home of DL Alco PA No. 190, also acquired this year. Thomas says the railroad has no immediate plans to place the new additions into service. He tells Trains News Wire that M636 Nos. 643, 685, and 637 are operable now: “If we did need an extra unit, we could just push the button.” The fourth unit, M636 No. 638, will be considered a parts source.
Although Alco fans should not expect to see the four units — still in their Quebec Cartier black and red — repainted or renumbered for Delaware-Lackawanna in the immediate future, they will serve in a vital standby role. “If we had a catastrophic failure of one of our current six-axle units, we probably would need to replace it with two four-axle locomotives,” Thomas says.
A ninth six-motor MLW, former Quebec Cartier M636 No. 41, has been on Genesee Valley Transportation since 2019. Purchased from a leasing company, the locomotive had resided on the WNYP for several years, occasionally used by that railroad. GVT purchased it initially as a parts source for its own MLWs, but it has remained intact. Thomas explains that the unit could be made operable, but electrical system modifications made during its Quebec Cartier days would need to be addressed for it to run acceptably on the Delaware-Lackawanna.
Meanwhile, Western New York & Pennsylvania’s roster of four-motor Alco road-switchers appears safe, continuing to serve in local and mainline service over the railroad. (WNYP affiliates Bath & Hammondsport, Ontario Midland, and Livonia, Avon & Lakeville also rely on all-Alco/MLW fleets). The future is less upbeat for the remaining four big MLWs stored on WNYP. One M636, plus two other long out-of service six-motors remain on the property. The oldest unit of the six-motor fleet, Western New York & Pennsylvania C630 No. 630 (built as Canadian Pacific No. 4500), has been donated to the French Creek Valley Railroad Historical Society of Meadville, Pa., according to WNYP Assistant Vice President/General Manager Kylie A. McLaughlin.
— Updated Aug. 21 at 1:35 p.m. with information on donation of Western New York & Pennsylvania No. 630 and other details.
The Canadian-built version of the ALCO Century 636 – the M636/MLW M636 – is a veteran rail giant and rarely disappoints.
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