"Dead On The Main? Call An MA&N Alco!"

On December 4, 2020, New York, Susquehanna & Western engine No. 3040 experienced mechanical failure and was tied-down dead on the road's Utica main in Washington Mills, NY. Three days later, on December 7th, the Mohawk, Adirondack & Northern, leant one of their Alco's, No. 2453, to the Susquehanna in order to move NYS&W No. 3040, and its four-car train, back to the Utica yard.
We first catch the action in Utica as the MA&N, exercising trackage rights over CSX between Utica-Rome, stops at the Susquehanna yard to drop-off No. 2453. We next observe No. 2453 (about 90 minutes after delivery to the NYS&W} as it heads south on Utica's Schuyler Street with two boxcars for Oneida Warehouse, New Hartford.
Next, No. 2453 is observed in South Utica, back on the Utica main.
In the final scene, we watch No. 2453 lead its train (now 5 cars bigger after having picked-up empty boxcars in South Utica just west of French Road, accessed via an industrial spur) northbound on Schuyler Street, the yard about a mile away.
MA&N No. 2453 was built in Oct 1964 and was first owned by Erie-Lackawanna and regularly ran on the Utica branch. After its service with Erie-Lackawanna, it was operated by Conrail and next by BC Rail before coming under MA&N ownership.

[@MoonwolfeConsulting]

It warms my heart to see a beautiful old workhorse doing what she does best. Rescuing a foundered unit and strutting her stuff. Pure poetry in motion.

[@brianhickey5949]

I grew up close to the Alco Plant in Schenectady. I love these engines! I am obviously biased :) It's good to see one active today! Thanks for this great sequence!

[@smrcatt]

that ALCO unit comes by my New house almost everyday! and that's the street i used to live on

[@nah_144]

It nice to see the some ALCOs are still in active in service.

[@carlbrutananadilewski3345]

Plenty of spare parts.

[@Steve-xf4uv]

Great video, Alco helps out ! But the sound of 2456 accelerating with that cut of cars on the MA&N line was AWESOME !! Gotta love that sound.

[@Mercatoyd]

Great catch of a historic happening.. as always excellent footage..great vantage points.. I hope you never tire of sharing these great videos...

[@wesleywright6484]

What a treat!!!! Thanks again my friend for capturing this!!!

[@robertf3479]

It's good to see the man throwing the switches was visually double checking the positioning of the switch points, good habit to have. It only takes a minor equipment failure, uncaught, to put a 100 ton locomotive on the ground and ruin an otherwise good day. Love those ALCOs.

[@D.WittYard]

It’s good to see Alcos back on the Susie-Q, I miss the C430s.

[@thomplacier677]

I love their paint scheme. Really sharp.

[@alcopower5710]

Agree

[@davestrains6816]

Nice 425's. Very nice video. Thanks for sharing. Dave

[@mabiss4386]

This is my favorite train. Thanks for the videos & history.

[@dannyhonn973]

Even with the best maintenance, things break. But, i once heard a rr shop man translate EMD as, "EVERY MECHANICS DAMNATION." I dont recall him being too fond of GE either. His view was if you need a computer to fix it, it aint worth spit. He said when the computer in the modern stuff crapped out, the old stuff like the C425, and even the GP40, would still run. I have to agree. If all the computers crash, how many of us could survive?

[@mollycaz1]

Love to see these engines running ...love street running

[@sylvaindrasse4261]

Watching 2456 leaving Utica is a good reminder of why Alcos were often called honorary steam engines.

[@rpdobbler]

Superb! Dude I love your stuff!

[@mainecoastrailfan]

The MA&N is fast becoming one of my favorite railroads in the Northeast

[@ggdaddy6676]

Your stuff is always good -- thanks for sharing!

[@annbrunnett1591]

Remember the trains going past my house in the 59s schuyler and Cleveland in utica

[@annbrunnett1591]

Anyone besides me remember the circus cars in the 50s with the caged lions and tigers and the brightly colored cars? And the engineers always waived

[@captainkeyboard1007]

That show was nice to watch. Fortunately, I was able to read the numbers on the freight cars, as well as the numbers on the locomotives. Since I have been residing in New York during my whole life, I should have known that the railroad still exists in New York, even though I live in the City (the five boroughs). I am a railfan and a subway buff.

[@jessicaburdell7887]

Man, if only we had some of these babies on our roster here at STRT. The GE 44 ton is definitely equally just as nice, but if you want a heavy slow speed hauler, plus durability, an Alco is most certainly a way to go.

[@trashrabbit69]

Engineers from the old days might've been used to EMDs saving ALCo power, how the tables have turned!

[@williammiller2750]

Great video from Okeechobee Florida.

[@geoffreylee5199]

Great paint scheme.

[@johnbarlow1476]

Good to see an EL C425 back on EL track!

[@afleetcommand]

Subscribed! Awesome video & being at the right place at the right time!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Well, good job it didn't conk out right in the middle of the street. The police would probably have ticketed it.

[@stevensolway1054]

Hi from Green Bay, Go Pack Go!!! We won again last Sunday against Eagles. I sure miss the sound of GB&W Alcos working Norwood yard by 12th Ave. Now thus summer 2020 CNR rebuilt 12th Ave. with new heavy rail at 115 lbs., plus new blacktop, so BIG change from rotten wood and potholes. Also, I miss 4 big Alcos departing at 8:00 pmcd with Number 1 Westbound pulling put 4 tracks with 120+ cars and caboose, filling the neighborhood with Alco smoke and horsepower, and vibrations so loud they rattled the houses a block away. Plus in Summer with Southern wind I heard them 1&1/2 miles away North at my old family house on Marshall St., plus clattering over the Milwaukee Road diamond between Oneida St.and Western Ave. Sometimes, the Gbw Alcos met the MR Emd F7Abba sets from the Iron Mountain Michigan line. But the MR let the track degrade to only 10 mph. While the Gbw ran fast up to 40 MPH!!!! Also, I miss the side street running of No.2 East also with 4 Alcos and long train, they dropped the caboose and rear section on 12th Ave. Wye West leg, and proceed North alongside West edge of Norwood St., and directly next to the walls of neighborhood houses, from Dousman St.North to Mather that also split into Velp Ave. By the Salvation Army. I chased alongside on my bicycle when I went to West High in 1977. Then No.2 proceeded to McDonald Yard and the C&NW interchange at North Broadway

[@mikec.s.3809]

Nice video! Any idea where and who does the maintenance on the locomotives?

[@alcopower5710]

Sharp looking 425👍

[@bagussatriachannel]

Great video train

[@Pasha_90]

Super video my friend 😊😊 very nice 👍👍

[@andyknott8148]

Let us hope its nothing serious, Schuyler St would not be the same without 3040. (But seeing an Alco sort of makes up for it).

[@Alcochaser]

Long before 3040 was sent here, that street was the domain of 3000 and 3006 for years...

[@andyknott8148]

@@Alcochaser Many thanks for replying, I was forced !! to watch the video again. Well you can only like it once.

[@bartdaw6681]

Oh my, there is some really nasty railbed and rail on that railway! They must self insure!

[@wst8340]

Is that regular run ?

[@michaelking3327]

too clean to be alcos! lol!

[@Bubi.021]

Very nice video! ........ Like ........

[@rj4590]

Ahh...Love the sound of an ALCO.

[@stevensolway1054]

Gb&w,part 2. Here we have the National Railroad Museum since 1956, so next year in 2021 is the 65th anniversary, with GB&W no.315 Alco class C-430 built in 1969 just before Alco went Bankrupt. The #315 broke down and was donated in July 1987 when I was the employee and train conductor and tour guide and groundskeeper and unofficial historian because the Original Founders were passing away quickly and their knowledge was being lost, so I did a lot of research about what happened "behind the scenes" with celebrity guests like Gen. Eisenhower, Bob Hope, and I personally met Boxcar Willie!!!! And got his autograph on the postcard of our Big Boy no. 4017!!-! Then when GB&W 315 was donated the Norwood shop gave it a brand new coat of bright glossy red.....but for the past 33 years the 7 different managers left outside in the severe Wisconsin Winters, so now in 2020 it is an ungodly horrible mess of faded and blistered red paint and huge rust patches. Numerous offers have been made to even just repaint it. But when the recent manager was fired for incompetence, the effort failed and railfans are just fed up with gross mismanagement. We hope and pray and have faith that those managers will be eliminated, and would love to have a real railfan back in charge once again. Because it could take 20 more years to fix all the damage and ILL will they caused. Hey you! NO!!! I am NOT Exaggerating!!!!!

[@cats0182]

NYS&W loco dead for 3 days before the railroad can make arrangements to rescue it? And then they have to go to another railroad and lease a rescue engine fo the job.? Mean to tell me that NYS&W doesn't have spare power to do the job in a more timely fashion?

[@georgedoolittle7574]

No hoppers pulling out aggregate until the end so pretty modest load no doubt. Nice "flat bed like thing" tho. Hopefully loaded with fuel but with a million Teslas on the highways by this time next Year won't be much of that necessary.

[@firesurfer]

3:44 Looks like some track needs replacement.

[@heartland96a]

They neglect things till there's an accident

[@tribble_trouble]

Oh, I hope #3040 is ok.

[@tylerpyler2714]

Ah yes, was this footage recorded in or near Scranton? Cuz I spent over half my childhood their! (I'm 13 now)

[@raritania7581]

No it's near Utica.

[@stretchlimo7275]

Miserable conductor, can’t even so much as give you a wave. Cool street running shots👍🏼😎🇺🇸

[@user-gk8gg1zt7l]

Great video. Like me

[@tomquimby6432]

I wanted to give you a thumbs up, but accidently gave you a thumbs down. So I hit the thumbs up anyways , and the thumbs down went away.

[@barrytoll41]

Poor camera focus on the Locos

[@LakeStateRailfan]

How?

[@barrytoll41]

After 2months had to watch again, it was simply that the company name on the locos were too blurred to read every thing else was fine. Have upgraded to a like

[@martincarroll7470]

American rail track is in bad shape.

[@wst8340]

It's good enough.