The NKP Heritage Unit

That's so nice......it is PURTY!

1. Very nice, but a little puzzling, as most of the speculative artwork had the NKP unit in the passenger scheme.   Would be interesting to camp along a former NKP line and see how many non-fans notice the loco in service.  Older folks might, but the younger ones are not likely to, anymore than they notice Warbonnets or Belles.  Will an attempt be made to use 8100 with 765 this Summer?

Non-fans do not know or care anything about this. It's just another black diesel to them.

Yes...the 765 and the 8100 will get together somewhere this summer. I don't know where or when, but it will happen.

Jim Tighe,

Except for the NKP Alco PA units, how many passenger diesels did the NKP actually have? 

I went to college via the DL&W and NKP to Chicago, then Santa Fe to Oklahoma, back in 1959 - 1961 and can plainly remember the NKP "Blue Bird" Alco PA units handling our passenger trains. But I didn't see any other passenger type diesels on the NKP.

Sorry, Rich.  It's ugly!

The side striping and the colors are beautiful.  I really like it.  BUT.  The uplifting front striping gives the loco a snotty appearance.  I would much prefer the striping to be horizontal all over the loco.  The more I look at it the less I like it, just because of the front treatment.

Just my opinion.

Tony

???The more I look at it the less I like it, just because of the front treatment<<

I like it but that front end.. Well..maybe its the camera angle but it kinda looks like it hit a wall at speed..

Joe

Uh...fellas...all NKP diesels had that slanted striping design on the nose. That's what makes it a "Heritage" unit.

If the stripes were straight across the nose, it would just be another paint job.

It kinda..................... GLOWS!!

But I like it.

I think it will look good being PULLED behind the 765.

Rich said "Yes...the 765 and the 8100 will get together somewhere this summer. I don't know where or when, but it will happen."

Now, that's nice!

Ed Mullan

PS I think it's the night time lighting that makes the engine seem to glow.

Classic NKP freight paint...looks great.  The 765 and the 8100 will make for a real treat....Can't wait to see it. 

WOW!! That is one good looking locomotive! For those that do not like it, then do not look at it!

...keep the rails polished...

Gorgeous!  But isn't THIS a #8100?

Jon

Its amazing what a comparatively simple  paint scheme can do when applied in the right places and that a little style goes a long way to making basic two colors more than memorable. A note to Class 1's (especially the monochromatic CSX ), this is how you decorate a locomotive to distinguish your identity.A  "Go Team!" and kudos to NS that is very well deserved for recognizing and preserving the role of history..

Jack, NKP had just 11 PA's, all in the "Bluebird" scheme: 2 for each of the 4 Chicago trains, and 2 for the single-unit St. Louis jobs, with the 11th as a spare.  There were also some dual-service Geeps and RS's, but they wore the freight colors, and took over the remaining varnish in the early '60's.

I mentioned the PA scheme  because that is the only one I saw on the sites showing the new paint jobs, before the 1st Heritage unit was released.  If the freight colors were shown also, somehow I missed it.  The freight scheme is certainly the one most folks associate with the NKP.

To be honest, this wasn't one of the heritage units that I was terribly excited about, but I think it's stunning. I sure hope Lionel and MTH are unsuccesful at capturing the real beauty of these units or I may be broke for years to come.

Not being an fan of the Newer Motive Power in the current era, i guess i will purchase one when they come out in O Gauge, at least i will have an model that looks good pulling my MTH Modern Auto Rack Train, now i need too find more of them too make an Unit train.

Here is a shot in the light of day...WOW!

Very cool!

Peter

The livery as done by NS is the scheme I remember most - though, only due to my familiarity with the NKP #514 at Steamtown.  I'm glad NS elected to go with the freight scheme as it seems the route the NKP may have followed.  (Utilizing that logic, however, the PRR engine should be painted a less flattering black).

Now... one alternate scheme could've been this (glad it wasn't, but flashier perhaps):

What's the story on this scheme for those not very familiar with the history of the NKP?

/Mitch

Mitch:

That's the livery of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis - an entirely different railroad.

Bob

Whoops - thanks. 

I popped over to RP curious to see previous liveries of the NKP and this engine showed up several times under a search "Nickel Plate", ironically, even for this photo by NS photographer, Casey Thomason:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=62780

Was this an oversight from a 2004 Casey or is this engine of NKP heritage, perhaps?

/Mitch

I think it's just an honest mistake as there's no NKP in the 710's family tree. The locomotive was actually delivered as the NC&STL 710 so the livery is historically accurate for it. NC&STL was subsequently absorbed by the L&N so this would represent an excellent heritage scheme for CSX should that carrier decide to launch a similar program at some future time.

Bob  

Heck railpictures.net does not even have the NKP listed under the fallen flags section....

Well in text viewing, it's amazing how "NYC&StL" can be misread as "NC&StL"

Suppossedly the NP Heritage is at the Conway Yard outside Pittsburgh and may be on the move Sunday.  Which direction is anyone's guess.

John

Nice photos'...

too bad it is no an ALCO, but great looking.

That engine really looks good!!!

If it was an Alco, it would be back in the shop for repairs already. 

WOW!

It's still just another d--n GE . . .

EdKing

Why is everyone down on the GE units? I don't work for the rr so I don't know. Is it just because they may not be reliable like the EMD's? From a railfan perspective for me, it's about looks. The older EMD's ( GP7-60, SD40-2, etc ) definitely looks better than the old GE stuff but to me, the wide cab GE's look a whole lot better than today's EMD's. EMD may still be more reliable but they sure don't look as good as they used to.

CofG

"The Right Way"

But ALCO's have that "pull everything in the yard including the rails" look.  But they did tend to go into Gomez Addams mode!

Rich, that's why i said from a railfan's perspective. I know the rr could give a rat's --- about the looks when it comes to reliability. Because I'm not a railroader, I was just wondering why all the engineers hated GE so much. Now I know. Still though, performance aside, the modern GE's look better to me than the current EMD's. Too bad we can't put EMD guts in a GE. I mean hey, people do put Chevy motors in Fords

CofG

"The Right Way"

Thanks man nice to get some positive feed back on my photo's

Even though it isn't NKP, it is an alternate paint scheme of another road that was folded into CSX via L&N.  NC&StL, which painted its better-known F3, F7, and FP7 road units in a tasteful grey and medium blue scheme with a "bow wave" on the nose, used this attractive dark red and yellow scheme on switchers and geeps.

Why was the "NYC&StL" in small letters not added to the 8100?

Back in the late '50's, I was talking to an NKP engineman about the occasional presence of an RS-3 between two Geeps on the LE&W District main thru Muncie.  Could always tell from blocks away when such a trio was coming, by the shrill t-charger and chug-chug noises that pretty well drowned out the music of the 567's in the Geeps.  Told him I found such a set interesting.  His reply was "Don't need none of them **** ALCO's on this end of the r.r.  Keep 'em back East."

I am not a diesel kind of train guy, but I must say the NKP heritage paint scheme on the 8100 is dramatic, and it makes the unit different from all of the other rectangular boxes on trucks.

The upward stripes give the 8100 attitude!