I've been reading "Diesels of the Southern Railway" and have gotten the impression that the Southern RR began desielization after the SAL. I think the SAL had some early E and FT models running through North Carolina in the early 1940's on their passenger and freight service. Did the Southern have any E or FT units running on its lines in North Carolina during that time? The book seems to imply that the first diesels for the SRR's NC activities were in the form of RS units.

-- John Bynum Hill (clanhill@mindspring.com), November 22, 2002

Answers

John, Southern Railway introduced The Southerner in March 1941, running single E-6s (2800-2802) Between New Orleans and Washington, and dieselized The Crescent in April/May 1941 with E-6 A-B sets (2902A&B, 2903A&B) These trains ran through North Carolina, of course. Alco S- 1 2006 was assigned to Greensboro in September 1941, and EMC NW-2s 2206&2207 asgned there in October 1941,later replaced by Alco S-2 2208-2210 in April & June 1944. FT units on a regular basis ran between Monroe and Spencer in February 1944. The Washington Division between Potomac Yard and Monroe had four, four unit FT sets, and the Danville Division between Monroe and Spencer mostly ran two and three unit sets. The first F3s with boilers started running on the Carolina Specical in 1947 and in November 1947 was extened between Greensboro and Goldsboro after fueling and water facilities were built. The first diesel freight units between Spencer and Selma began in June 1949, but left in late 49 or early 50 because of a coal miner's strike. Diesels reumed on that line with GP-7s in May 1951 with two unit sets on freights between Spencer and Selma, and GP-7s with boilers pooled the passenger and freights between Greensboro and Goldsboro. In February 1952 Alco RS-3s came to Greensboro and replaced the GP-7s and also dieselized the A&Y and North Wilkesboro line. The last steam switcher on the NC Line left on January 21, 1953 from Burlington and was replaced by S-2 2211 on January 22. Then, of course, in that year the Southern became completely dieselized.

I hopes this helps. Most sources are from Southern Railway, the rest from my own experiences living on the NC Line.

J. Marvin Black

-- J. Marvin Black (sr6100diesel@bigfoot.com), November 22, 2002.