So true about those governors especially pertaining to the 244 engine. Some (many?) 251's have Woodward governors which is more sustainable. Various electrical relays and components can have ridiculous list prices both GE and EMD.

Here is another thought. If you have the means, stock up on these parts as soon as possible because someday they just will no longer be available at any cost.

With all due respect (and I mean that sincerely), with the assumption of parts acquisition comes the assumption of parts storage.

I can speak all too well about this. Over the years, I have managed, by a combination of "hoarding" and being in the right place at the right time, to accumulate a fairly good stash of "consumable" parts for the model of car for which i drive. Similar to many a short line, we could say that the model of car I drive is driven by both my familiarity of the quirks of the particular make/model and the stash of parts I have available.

There are now three large industrial shipping totes in my storage unit full of everything from emissions control parts to headlight casings to air conditioning parts. And, you know, I've got the moral equivalent of an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera or Saturn sedan--a model orphaned by its maker--with over 200,000 miles on it. I'll be amazed if I can find another Oldsmobile/Saturn that needs these specific parts in operable shape for a worthwhile price, and I should be further amazed if any of these parts are ever needed. I'm currently whittling three totes of parts down to, at best, one. And, of course, whatever I toss will be what I need a week later. (I'm still digging to find the stored replacement for that headlight casing someone just backed into, smashing it from its mounting/alignment brackets.)

You assume, with your statement, that these parts come for free, that they can be removed for free, and furthermore that the storage space for said parts comes for nothing. THAT'S NOT THE CASE. If you own a bunch of worthless property, store as many locomotives and their parts on it as you chose. Most of us, including those in the museum/operating RR category, don't have that luxury.

For Alcos, The item that is becoming hard to find these days is good 752E8 traction motors with 14 tooth pinions. GE switched to a 22 tooth pinion back in the Dash-7 era.

DPK

This is an old thread, but does anyone know what the fate of this locomotive was? The last info I could find was from 2016.

According to a comment at the bottom of the following photo it was still there in 2016: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=2744394

Last I knew it was still there.
I should have photographed it again when I was in Escanaba last summer (however, it was rather difficult just to get my 2016 photo).
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4506513