Utah's Heber Valley has a few pieces of equipment that they are deaccessioning. Not sure what it would take to replace 1813's radiators, but the locomotive was a very reliable runner in the past.

https://www.hebervalleyrr.org/ourtrain- ... equipment/

Hopefully that MRS1 can find a new home. Seems awfully wasteful to part out/scrap a fairly rare engine simply over a set of radiators.

It's not being offered for sale because it has a lack of radiators. It is excess to the railroad's needs. The description is being honest so potential purchasers can make their offers accordingly.

This is a very open and transparent way to dispose of equipment, with plenty of time to start negotiations.

The Erie coach shell would be very fitting for a number of Northeastern excursion operations if they are capable of doing the work. It would be a long-term project...

It's actually a DL&W "low roof" MU trailer.

MRS1s are becoming less common all the time. I don't think any are running now.
They were built for a potential large land ware in Europe in the post-Korean war era when the DoD knew new diesels would be needed. Once that wasn't likely to happen, they were released to run on stateside military railroads.
I've talked with someone who ran one in Alaska and he said it was a very 'durable' locomotive. He said it reminded him of the 2.5 ton GMC trucks the military also had.
Sure would be nice to see one running again in military markings...

Out of general interest since having to move locomotives from museums may be more common place in our current economic environment:

And Ignoring the whole question of moving this particular locomotive over the road to a rail terminal.

The MRS-1 appears to be a relatively smaller height locomotive (made to work in Europe where clearances are smaller probably played a large role in that). Rough specs that I have seen online: 120 ton, 13.5 ft. height.

The height and weight almost would allow it to fit on some flat cars and make clearances (but probably misses by 10 tons and <1 foot).

An alternative would be to place the engine on a heavy weight flat car for example:

1) Kasgro http://kasgro.com/car_sketch_revisions/ ... v.%20B.pdf
2) TTX https://www.ttx.com/about/equipment/ [scroll down to the set of 4 diesel engines on flat cars possibly headed to a foreign market]

The 8-axles probably would get the total axle load to ~25 tons/axle.
The overall height (flat + engine) almost fit into AAR Plate F (not at all knowledgeable on this topic) but is seems like they would fit a combination of Plate F and H at least for the MRS-1.

Questions for those who are expert on moving single cars by rail and have an interest in answering:
1) Would the 25 ton axle loading on an 8-axle flat car and conforming to a combination of Plate F and H be accepted on a double stack route by some/most Class 1 railroads or would this be a special shipment requiring lots of approvals anyway?

2) Would the cost of movement of an 8-axle flat car be automatically increased by extra fees/costs relative to a standard 4-axle flat car?

2a) Is movement by truck still likely to be less expensive at 120+ tons even if going >500 miles to another railroad on the national rail network.


The answers to the above questions may make the next two less relevant:

3) Recently Ozark had a listing (already gone so maybe sold?) for a set of former Kasgro 8-axle flat cars with possibly a design load limit around 225 tons each - has any museum or consortium of museums ever purchased or considered acquiring one of these heavy weight flat cars - or is it just not practical (the why may be most informative)?

4) Larger engines (random examples such as F7, E9, etc.) would likely not fit Plate H when on a heavyweight flat car due to width near the top of the engine. Does that width clearance issue make movement on a flat car basically impossible or highly unlikely?

Interested to hear about prior experience on this topic.

Thanks

Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, MO has an MRS-1 (B-2069) that is used for switching moves regularly. I don't think they have any other operational motive power that has the ability to do some of their switching that they need to do (I.e. rearranging the collection).

Four were actually used in Korea during the war years. Two EMD makes, USA 1810 and 1811, were sent over, as were two Alco/GE models. (I'd have to do some research to see which ones they were.) There were two railway operating battalions in Korea at the time, the 712th and 724th, and the two EMDs went to one battalion and the two Alco/GEs went to the other. Page 59 of the October 2020 issue of Railfan & Railroad has a small picture of the 1811, now preserved at the Transportation Museum Fort Eustis, in Korea. The 1810 was scrapped no later than 1994 at Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point near Southport, NC.

Thanks for the info, I'm glad to hear they have one running. I haven't been there since 2002...
Eustis is in Virginia, not Korea.
I can't recommend that museum enough to anyone in the area, it's near Norfolk. It doesn't have a massive train collection, but it does have a barn of RR equipment.

Personally, I thought the Hovercar took some beating !!

I assume it is still on display...

Certainly a Museum I'd like to visit again at some stage, though the USMC one at Quantico rates as the #1 museum of any type I have visited in the World for presentation and "experience".

Thank you for that correction. I was about to rush out the door for an appointment when I typed that this morning and, as they say, haste makes waste.

When I typed

I meant to say that the picture of 1811 shows it in Korea and that it's now preserved at Fort Eustis.

I'm very familiar with Fort Eustis, having been stationed there many years ago and returning on numerous occasions for further training and visits. (After ten trips to Korea, I'm pretty familiar with it too.)

As for visiting the post museum, that may not be currently possible. A friend who works on the post informed me that, due to the pandemic, access to the post is limited to (if I recall correctly) those living within a 60-mile radius. Another friend, who lives in Chicago, was turned away at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, for the same reason. Other posts elsewhere in the country may have similar policies so it's best to call ahead before making a long trip, only to be disappointed.

In 1995, the 1813 came by rail from Transportation Test Center in Pueblo, CO to Roper Yard in Salt Lake City aboard two standard bulkhead flatcars (which themselves were used by HVRR). The locomotive and flatcars were then trucked to Heber City.