Former Texas South-Eastern No. 301 in R.J. Corman colors in Diboll, Texas, on Monday, April 4.
Mike Harbour
Texas’ Mike Harbour heard rumors that R.J. Corman was about to do a nice thing for a member of an older generation. Turns out, he heard right and arranged to meet up with a vintage Baldwin formerly of the Texas South-Eastern which the shortline operating and holding company painted fire-engine … um … R.J. Corman-red. The Baldwin belonged to the East Texas short line which Corman bought in 2014. The Baldwin DS4-4-750, class of 1950, serves as backup power to an EMD SW1500 repainted shortly afterward. Non-operable sister Baldwin No. 1007, a VO-1000 that remains in original Texas South-Eastern green paint and lettering, is for sale. No. 301 posed for photos in Diboll, Texas.
Well, Mr. Corman once said that “You can’t be good if you don’t look good.” I’m surprised one of their Gensets didn’t wind up down there, but this is an interesting touch to say the least.
Corman’s Baldwin #1007 is a VO1000 originally built for the Cotton Belt in August 1944. It is the last remaining Cotton Belt Baldwin diesel and worthy of preservation.
Actually Mr Hays, 3 stacks are not rare at all. Starting with late production DS4-4-660, and all DS4-4-750 and S8 models, 3 exhaust stacks was the Baldwin factory standard for six cylinder non turbocharged locomotives. A number of those locos were later modified with six stacks by their owners. Regarding previous models, VO660s were originally built with one stack, then some had two, later on some had four stacks as did early DS4-4-660s.
Rara avis, no? I can’t remember ever seeing a DS4-4 with 3 exhaust stacks.
Wish this old shortline could have kept its name and its paint.