Roster Review: D&H RS3s in 1984

#4103 in Colonie Yard (March 1984)

As part of continuing research on the D&H's roster in 1984, I thought I would focus on the Alco RS3 class next. While the Baldwin Sharks and Alco PAs are more iconic of the D&H in the 1970s, the RS2 and RS3 engines were the backbone of the fleet in the 1950s and 1960s and went everywhere on the system. Though they were similar, all RS2s were gone from the D&H by 1973. Purchased primarily new from Alco in early 1950s, the RS3 fleet was once 104 engines strong. Sometimes coupled up three or four at a time to move heavy tonnage, they soldiered on for the D&H into the mid-1980s and I believe at least one (#4068) still regularly operates today on the Delaware Lackawanna Railroad.

#4103 (July 1984)

They were delivered in the all black with yellow stripe scheme, but they were then repainted into the lightning stripe scheme. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, a few were given the solid blue dip paint scheme. By 1984 only three or four true RS3 engines remained. Those were #4075, #4099, #4103, and #4118. If you are wondering why I listed four numbers but said "three or four" remained, it is because there is very little data to confirm which engines were on the roster in May of 1984. The Bridge Line Historical Society's page on RS3s has lots of details, but it conflicts with other sources. There isn't a lot of photographic evidence for three of them (except for #4075), which is odd because they would have been some of the last operating RS3s to work on Class 1 railroads.

#4084 (August 21, 1977)

Some odd things happened with their RS3s during the 1970s. Six were leased to the Providence and Worchester Railroad for their start-up operations, and there they received an orange, black and white repaint known as the "Popsicle scheme." When they came back, a D&H shield was added to the cab. Two more were leased to the Vermont Railway. A pair were swapped with the Boston and Maine for some RS-3 engines with steam heaters for pulling The Adirondack passenger train. Finally, eight units were selected for rebuilding into RS3m units and they will be the focus of a separate blog post. In general, though, most just stayed with the D&H until they were sold or scrapped.

#4099 (1981)

I believe that two RS3s kept the lightning stripe scheme through at least 1984. There is a picture of #4103 but it is absolutely filthy. It is impossible to tell if it originally had large numbers or not, as only ghost images of the words "Delaware and Hudson" are visible on the side. Per the BLHS, it was with the D&H through 1986 before being sold. The #4099 had been more elusive.  I finally have a photo of it in Colonie in July of 1984, with large numbers on the side, but I can't see if it had small numbers. I know it ended up on the Cuyahoga Valley Railroad in Ohio, and they kept it in the D&H scheme at least through the 1980s. It currently works there on their scenic train.

#4075 in Colonie Shops (April 12, 1984)

Probably the most photographed of all of their RS3 engines was blue-dip #4075. This engine was actually the second D&H RS-3 numbered #4075, as the first one was swapped to the B&M for a similar engine with steam generators for heating passenger coaches. They received in trade B&M #1508, which was renumbered #4075. Its heritage is easy to spot as it has number boards on all four upper corners of the body, something which the B&M had (but not the D&H). They were never removed. The BLHS has the engine being purged in 8/1982, which doesn't jive with my other research.

#4118 in East Greenville, PA (October 30, 1983)

Also to receive the solid blue scheme was #4118. This engine has been more problematic to track down its history. Some sources have said the D&H rostered it until sometime in 1984, when it was sold to the shortline Octoraro Railroad in Pennsylvania. I have slides labeled fall of 1983 showing it working in East Greenville, PA, There, it was leased to the Octoraro RR's and was working on the old Reading branch (the old Wilmington and Northern Railroad). Not knowing anything about the area, I made a call for help online. Did the D&H loan it to the Octoraro RR to test before selling it to them? Was it sold before 1984? If it wasn't operating on the D&H in 1984 then I don't want a model of it.

#4177 - Note the window insert (pre-April 1974)

As it turns out, I don't own a single RS3 model. Nearly every manufacturer has made one either ready to run or as a kits and various online forums have debated which one is more accurate: see here for one. I am not concerned about counting rivets, the correct number of headlights, whether the exhaust stacks are parallel or perpendicular with the body, etc. But I do want the model to run well, be easy to convert to DCC, and have it painted in the correct D&H paint scheme for 1984. Several have been released but none with the correct road numbers. Admittedly, the blue dip would be pretty simple to custom paint. And, if the lightning stripe engines didn't have large numbers (or they wore off) then it would be simple to take another one and just renumber it on the corner number boxes.

Only four engines (or less?), and I will eventually acquire models of some of them, but until I know more I will play the waiting game.