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GB&W Century 424 #311, built by by Alco in 1963.
Locomotive #311 was Green Bay & Western's first Alco "Century" unit. It was delivered in the fall of 1963 after display at a Chicago railroad show. This is an early version of the C-424 locomotive with intercooler access side panels and projecting rear number boards. It was the first of four such units purchased by the railroad over the next two years. These locomotives were the mainstay of the Green Bay Route's power during the next twenty years. The units were typically run in groups of three on the trans-Wisconsin time freights. GB&W's FA-1 #507 was traded in to Alco as part of the purchase. The Green Bay Route was able to save about a third on the cost of the new engine by dismantling the FA-1 in their own shops. Number 311 holds a place of honor among Green Bay Route locos -- it hauled the last train ever on Saturday August 28, 1993. It was then sold to Minnesota Commercial Railroad where it worked as #311 until it was wrecked in 1996. It is interesting to note that the builders photo does not show the Scotchlite checkerboard striping along the running board, nor a Green Bay Route herald on the nose. Since it was a display unit for Alco, the company wanted a clean appearance for the loco so they left the front herald and the frame stripes off so the unit. They were applied after the engine arrived at the Norwood Yard shops. Other Builders Photos: |
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From the collection of Scott Janz.
