Doyle McCormack's 1948 Alco built Nickel Plate PA-1 No. 190 poses for photos by the Bob Julian Roundhouse during the NCTM's "Streamliners" event. The locomotive was originally built for the Santa Fe and delivered in the famous red and silver War Bonnet livery and numbered as #62L. It is one of two Alco PA-1's to be repatriated to the United States from Mexico in 2000. This, thanks to the efforts of William Withuhn of the Smithsonian Institution and Doyle McCormack, a noted railway preservationist based in Oregon. Through an agreement with the SI, #62L was cosmetically restored to a Nickel Plate Road livery, a childhood favorite of Mr. McCormack. Work continues on a restoration to operation with a transplanted prime mover built by MLW acquired from BC Rail.
The second locomotive, #59L, was to have become part of the Smithsonian Institute's collection but plans changed and the badly damaged locomotive sat in a rail yard near Portland, OR for almost 10 years. The Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, TX expressed interest in acquiring and restoring the locomotive which was then donated in 2011. No. 59L can be seen here, still wearing the
D&H's borrowed livery, albeit, gray and blue. Plans are to cosmetically restore #59L to Santa Fe's well loved livery. If deemed possible, work will then continue on to restore the unit to operation.
