Youngstown Steel Heritage's project to acquire, preserve and restore the former EL/Conrail SDP45 diesel locomotive is moving right along. Next month we will present a check for $12,500 to Virginia Museum of Transportation to pay off the balance owed (we gave them a $2,500 down payment a year ago). We have also made an arrangement with the NRHS Roanoke Chapter to store the locomotive at their 9th Street yard while we do mechanical and cosmetic repairs needed to move the locomotive north.

The 6670 is still located in the NS yard and due to crew shortages has not yet been able to move it to 9th Street. However in the mean time we are gathering up parts and components needed to make the 6670 roadworthy again. As part of our agreement with the Chapter, we will be assisting in the installation of a switch at 9th street which will give them more track space.

Now that we have reached our initial $15,000 goal, we are seeking to raise another $10,000 needed to refurbish the brake system as well as pay the NS to move the 6670 north. Of that goal, 40% has already been pledged.

The SDP45 will be repainted in its Conrail scheme at Roanoke and will remain as the 6670 for an undetermined period of time. We intend a full operational restoration of the locomotive and will devote our resources to making that happen before worrying about cosmetics. The eventual goal is a blue carded SDP45 professionally repainted as EL 3639, but how long it takes to get there is yet to be seen.

The ultimate home base for the locomotive will be at the Marter Yard Railroad Museum in Youngstown, OH. While the Youngstown area once boasted five mainline railroads and a plethora of rail activity, no significant pieces of equipment representing the area's railroads have been preserved. The SDP45 was acquired to help remedy that oversight.

The 6670 still retains its 20 cylinder prime mover, however it is missing the main generator, traction motors and air compressor. Most all other components are still intact. The locomotive only operated for about 15 years out of its fifty year existence, the rest of the time it sat in Roanoke under VMT ownership.

To follow our efforts please visit http://www.extra3639north.org

Good news indeed. Though some may argue, I think it's great that a 2nd generation diesel is getting attention in preservationland. The number of units still out there is dwindling.

Rick's message contains a tremendous amount of information about why preservation and restoration effort with which he is associated, bear fruit. Setting small, reachable goals, then meeting them, being fiscally responsible, giving them time to accomplish the goals, and getting personal skin in the game.
It works.

The 6670 as she appears in Roanoke currently, surrounded by stored NS locomotives


Thanks to Jason Tarasenko from J&L Consulting who donated the oil cooler that we need for the 6670.


Thanks to ebay we now have a barring over tool

All 320 photos that I took of the 6670 are on in a flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/33523379@N03/albums/72157710876444872

Referencing the linked photos, the unit still has the late 1960s OTP (Oregon Technical Products) SEARCH machine harness installed in the main electrical cabinet. That is a rare artifact today.

The "X" brace in the long hood was a railroad modification installed at the direction of Charlie Dillon, Master Mechanic of the Marion Diesel Shop (Ohio) around 1973. They had trouble with the cooling system pipe couplings loosening and leaking due to hood movement, prior to the addition of the brace.

PC

Two stands. I imagine you will keep both. Non- tight lock couplers. Was it getting ready to be scrapped before donated to VMT? So much stuff missing. Have you asked George and Spiro at LTE if they'd help with some of the cosmetic stuff? Nice guys, they might.
At least you know how you're going to be spending the next 5-10 years of your spare time. I once blue carded two ex-N&W GP-9's that had been sitting for around 5 years w/o any prep. They were rusty ugly and dirty, but were a lot more complete than your SD.
But hey, good luck!
Ned

I assume that the dual control stands is the "as built" arrangement for this locomotive? I'm just curious, why would the E-L have required dual control stands for these locomotives?

Thanks for the information! Those little tidbits certainly add to the history of this particular unit.

The first order had them as built

N&W influence probably played a part in the decision (EL's owners at the time and the company that financed them and leased them to the road), but I've never heard an explanation for the decision or even a theory.

I bet Preston Cook knows the reason behind why that and several other orders around that time had the feature (While at least one order, the second group of SDP45's, didn't). :)

The control stand arrangement depended on who provided the financing. The N&W/Dereco financed units had dual stands. The last SDP45 order, financed by Morgan Guaranty Trust, had single stands. The EL was in financial difficulty and there was concern about having financed units as readily usable/saleable as possible if they had to be turned back to the people who provided the financial backing.

PC

Yep its missing a lot of stuff but that's all part of the challenge. I think by now we have all of the cosmetic stuff that we need except for the one missing radiator fan shroud. Number boards, hoses, bell, horn, class lights, windows, doors etc. are all sitting here waiting to go back on. We also have a bunch of internal parts ready to go back in as well but we still lack the major electrical equipment.

Eventually it will move under its own power again, but there is no timetable as to when that will happen.

Rick: While you're at it could you bring that Ohio Locomotive Crane (built in Bucyrus, Ohio) back too !

Kevin K.