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No, the other 611: a former Lehigh & New England ALCO S2 that has faithfully served railroading since the mid-1940s.
Kermit Geary Jr., with the Lehigh New England Preservation Society tells Trains News Wire that the now-orange-painted locomotive will return east to Pennsylvania and the Allentown & Auburn Railroad, a shortline railroad based in Kutztown, Pa. Once there, the railroad will work with the preservation society and the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society to restore the locomotive’s mechanicals and to its original L&NE paint scheme.
Geary says No. 611 was among the first diesel locomotives for the L&NE, but is unsure of the build date. He is certain it is the last remaining example of that railroad’s diesel power, anywhere, however. He says after the Lehigh & New England applied for abandonment in the 1960s, No. 611 went to Ford Motor Co.’s River Rouge steel mill complex in Michigan; then to the Toledo, Lake Erie & Western Railway and Museum before ending up at the former Emporia Grain mill in Emporia.
“They used it until about six years ago,” Geary says of Emporia Grain. “The people who were there had an affinity for it. Every six months they started it up to turn it over.”
High winds and storms in Indiana prevented crane operators from hoisting the locomotive onto a flat car until late Wednesday afternoon. Though the locomotive is tied down and appears ready to move, it has no set schedule to arrive in eastern Pennsylvania. Geary says the routing is likely via CSX Transportation via Anderson, Ind., and Cleveland where he expects it to interchange with Norfolk Southern and head east, likely through NS’ Conway Yard near Pittsburgh.
It's tough to find any physical vestige of the L&NE right-of-way. Parking lots, Wendy's, and Sports Authority store have had their way with the route. It is fitting that a locomotive survive. Best wishes to those involved in the preservation effort!
The BNSF GP-9 is owned by the grain mill and is the replacement for the ALCO S-2.
Great article. As a steam fan, I seldom get excited about saving diesels, but I'll make an exception with 611. It will be great to have her tuned up and in original livery back home in Pennsylvania.
Great article, I just want to know what the Santa Fe loco is doing in the background. I don't believe BNSF goes through Indiana at all.
Thanks very much for mentioning 611's trip home! As worded, the article implies that S2 611 is the last surviving L&NE engine. 611 is the only L&NE diesel to escape the torch. There is an external combustion survivor as well. Happily, 0-6-0 207 lives on at the Illinois Railway Museum.