Saturday, July 1, 2023

Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad Alco-GE R-2 Boxcab electric locomotives

 

These was built in 1931 for the New York Central as C-C class R-2 for the West Side (NYC) freight electrification. When the NYC dieselized that line, the R-2's became surplus, and the South Shore purchased 10 of the units, overhauled and rewired eight of them. They were converted from NYC's 600 volt DC to the South Shore's 1500 volt DC system and became road numbers 700-707. This unit was put into service in 1955, weighed 140 tons, and developed 3000 hp. The pantographs, compressors, motor blowers, and series-parallel switches were from former Cleveland Union Terminal 700 class locomotives, also built by Alco-GE for the NYC. The South Shore's 700 series locomotives were all retired in 1975. (American Rails)

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