| Posted by on February 29, 2012 | |
What a fantastic catch!
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Excellent, David !
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Those SDP-35s were the two of the four lead units for the Louisville & Nashville's attempt at running coal trains with mid train radio receiver cars and associated units. The "Steam Generator compartment" located at the rear of these units housed the radio transmitters and the extra antennas were located above these compartments. The Four SDP-35s were never used in passenger train service, and came from E.M.D. with freight gear ratios. The radio receiver cars were sealed-up former B-unit car bodies, three of them being Alco FBs and the fourth an E.M.D. F7-B. The coal trains ran from Hazard, Ky. to Decoursey Yard near Newport, Ky. I was able to see these trains passing through Winchester, Ky. on several occasions but could not photograph them as they ran after dark. The SDP-35s were always easy to spot in any consist because of their Rear Marker Lights which were different from any others on the L & N. Just as with Southern Railway "radio receiver cars" and mid-train locomotives. I always thought it felt a bit strange to hear the mid-train units pass by with no lights or any other sign of life on them.
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