1935 EMC Passenger Diesel

Actually your title should read "1935 EMC Passenger Diesel", as the company was the Electro-Motive CORPORATION in the 1930s, and didn't become a full DIVISION of General Motors until about 1940 or 1941 (going from memory).

Thanks..correction made. I completely forgot that bit of history.

That's actually the B&O's attempt to not have the locomotive look like the "box it came in."

Here's how it originally looked:

I believe the "streamlining" occured when it ran on the Chicago & Alton, when the B&O controlled the C&A. (Don't have my books handy...)

Rusty

The blurb reads.."Baltimore & Ohio No. 50, one of five box-cab passenger diesels built by Electro-Motive Corp. in 1935, handles the Abraham Lincoln of B&O subsidiary Alton Railroad at Bloomington, Ill., in 1939. Paul Stringham photos.". Anyone know anything about the coaches in tow? That would make for an eye catching consist in Alton colors.

I think that was B&O #50 originally built in 1935 with a 201A Winton diesel engine and was double ended as originally built.  It was rebuilt several times, went over to the Alton when it was finally merged with the GM&O.  As shown here it has the "shovel nose" appearance of about 1937.

While I haven't seen it there, I understand that the engine is still in existence at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis.  I don't think that there are any examples of Winton engines still operational. 

Even the Flying Yankee, now in New Hampshire being restored, will have a 567 type EMD engine powering it when (if) it ever gets operating again.

Would be on my "bucket list" to finally hear and see one of those old engines running in a restored locomotive, some day.

Paul Fischer

I found this but it seems to have lost it's chop nose unless its on the other end. Its marked as the first non articulated, stand alone diesel passenger engine..learn something new every day..

Here's the B&O 50 at EMD's 50th anniversary open house in 1972.  The slant nose is long gone:

Rusty

Number 51 was EMC first diesel demonstrator and the next 2 ended up as ATSF 1 and 1A, also called Amos and Andy, and were used to pull the first heavyweight Super Chief.   Because of stuff happening 1A and number 51 ended up pulling the first streamlined Super Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles a few months later.

On some of the pre revenue runs 1 and 1A got up to almost 125MPH.

They were amazing beasts.

The 511 and 512 were the 2nd and 3rd locomotives and acted as demonstrators.

Santa Fe's 1 and 1A were the 4th and 5th locomotives. While the bodies were built by St. Louis Car Company, internally, they were the same as the 50, 511 and 512.

Rusty

Great photos..the air intake cowl on the SF unit is outrageous. . Looks like the inside of a green pepper. It would have been great to see a color shot of that scheme applied to add some pizzazz to it's passenger role and these photos seem to underscore how the early diesels have slipped under the radar when you compare the interest there is in steam. Its a shame the Winton engine could not have been used in the Flying Yankee..that's one on my bucket list none the less. Not much crash protection in those designs for the crew.