SCRANTON, Pa. — The Steamtown National Historic Site has received what it terms as “a generous donation” from the estate of rail enthusiast Eric J. Yankovich to help fund the restoration of SW1 locomotive No. 1901, an Atlantic Coast Line diesel switcher build by Electro-Motive Corp. in 1939.
Steamtown is one of six railroad museums to receive funds from the Yankovich estate.
“On behalf of the National Park Service, I would like to thank the family of Mr. Yankovich for his generosity and support of these treasured and historic places,” Steamtown Superintendent Cherie Shepherd said in a press release. “I’d also like to thank the Iron Horse Society for helping fulfill Mr. Yankovich’s wishes and facilitating the transfer of funds to the park for this important restoration work.”
Yankovich, who graduated from Drexel University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, went on to an engineering position with the U.S. Navy, continuing his studies and receiving a master’s degree in engineering and becoming a licensed professional engineer. He eventually left the Navy and formed a structural analytics consulting firm that he managed until retirement.
McHugh Locomotive & Equipment has received a contract for the restoration, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2025. The locomotive will be used for switching at the historic site and may be used for short-distance passenger rides at Steamtown’s rail yard.
The Iron Horse Society, the park’s philanthropic partner, has selected a Lehigh Valley Railroad paint scheme for the project.
To answer Mr. Pins’ question. https://www.odyssey.pm/contributors/gunturk-ustun-7/
Thank you for that information, I really thought that it was an AI Bot. I guess he just doesn’t check his posts after posting to see if anyone has commented.
The EMD SW1 is a 600-horsepower (450 kW) diesel-electric switcher locomotive built by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Corporation (later Division) between December 1938 and November 1953. Final assembly was at EMD’s plant at LaGrange (McCook) Illinois. 661 locomotives of this design were built, with a gap in production between March 1943 and September 1945 due to World War II.
The SW1 was the start of a long line of SW series switchers produced by EMD. It was complemented by the SW7 in 1949 and the SW8 in 1950. SW1 production ceased in November 1953, with its replacement, the equally powerful SW600, starting production in February 1954.
EMD arrived at the name SW1 based on the locomotive’s power (S for 600 hp) and frame design (W for welded), and the number 1 was added to distinguish the new design from the previous EMD SW. As new and more powerful SW designs emerged in the 1950s, the SW name evolved to instead stand for “switcher.”
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Dr. Ustun – I will assume you are a real person, with the name you set forth. I have no idea what discipline your stated doctorate comes from. This is a sincere response to your now voluminous posts on this website. Part of success in writing or speaking is considering who you are writing or speaking to, and tailoring your written or spoken words accordingly. The folks who read newswire and post to it are, in my estimation, an extraordinarily informed crowd on all aspects of railroading, either as a lifetime avocation, or because they have had a career in the industry. You post as if you are instructing a bunch of clueless children. Over and over and over. We all know what’s going on, and we all have access to Google, as I think you do. I wish you would consider these remarks seriously.
Actually, the SW series at EMC represented SIX hundred horsepower, WELDED frame. There was also a 600 HP SC with a CAST frame. These each had an inline 8-cylinder Winton 201A diesel.
The SW1 followed with a V8 567 diesel also rated at 600 HP.
The other EMC units also had model numbers reflecting their horsepower
Thank You George for your comments. You have written what’s been on my mind for a while.
Mr. Pins, You have a gift for understatement. Once my subscription is over, I’m likely going elsewhere.
Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on 62.48 acres (25.3 ha) in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is built around a working turntable and a roundhouse that are largely replications of the original DL&W facilities; the roundhouse, for example, was reconstructed from remnants of a 1932 structure. The site also features several original outbuildings dated between 1899 and 1902. All the buildings on the site are listed with the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün