Welcome to CineTrains! My name is Jim Tiroch, You may know me as ALS2001 on youtube or Tiroch Videos on Facebook! This is my newest project, and feel free to join in and submit material for this blog!
This is blog #1. Let me give you a bit of explanation of what this blog is about. I love to scope out TV Shows and Movies for railroad equipment. I have scoped out TV Shows like COPS, American Pickers, Pawn Stars, and American Restoration. I also tend to search movies like Jackie Chan’s Super Cop, Steven Spielberg’s Duel, Pixar’s Cars and other movies for any kind of railroad equipment. Each blog will contain a screenshot or two of the equipment seen in a movie or TV Show, with a very thorough description of the equipment seen. If the equipment is in a TV show, I will list the episode as SE01EP01 (Etc) and then the episode title. For example, a TV Show will be listed like this “Gundam Wing SE01EP01 “The Shooting Star She Saw”” (Ok, Its an Anime episode, but from a damn good series!) If the equipment is shown in a Movie, I will first give a brief introduction of the movie and the general plot outline. After all is said and done about the movie, I will give it a rating based on the 10 star rating with 10 being highest.
I must note that I am NOT trying to make money off this, and I will never, ever try to get any money off this. This blog is for the Railfan, The Movie Buff and the Researcher of both Railroads and Movies. Its also for the casual viewer who just might have the very slightest interest in railroading and railroad equipment
Well, with the introduction completed, lets start out with our first sighting!
Carolina Southern Motive Power
History Channel’s “American Pickers” SE02EP03 “Gordons Gold”
Anyone who watches History Channels “American Pickers” knows that the hosts of the show, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fitz, love to travel the country, going to people property and picking the junk for “Rusty Gold”. However, in this episode, they caught some “Railfan Gold” While making their way to a pick in South Carolina, they apparently passed the main yard facilities for the Carolina Southern Railroad in Conway, South Carolina. In the shot, that lasts only 1.5-2 seconds, you get a brief glimpse of 6 Carolina Southern Railroad locomotives. A very eccentric mix of motive power is seen, from a Former Canadian National F7A, to a former Norfolk Southern, Original Southern, High Hood GP30. and what appears to be 2 unknown EMD GP38-2 Locomotives. Enough about the show and general information, lets get into the information of the equipment seen.
CALA GMDD F7Au 9163 (Serial #A394, Frame #C145-A, Built: London, Ontario) was originally built November 1952 as the Canadian National #9116, F7A, class GFA-17a, then reclassified to GFA-15d in September 1954. The unit was rebuilt and renumbered to CN 9163 in April of 1973. In December 1989, after 37 years of service, the unit was retired and sold to the Century Locomotive Parts in Lachine, QC in 1992. The unit was again sold to Waccamaw Coastline Railroad. After a short stint on the Waccamaw, they sold the unit to Carolina Southern Railroad. The unit is currently painted in a classy 1950’s era red and white paint scheme. A very interesting tid-bit about this locomotive is that this particular F-unit is the ONLY F-unit currently in regular freight service in the Eastern United States. There’s only other 3 to 4 F-units currently in regular service are those in service on the Peoria and Western, who operate the former Toledo, Peoria and Western in Northwestern, Illinois. Heres a nice shot of the 9163 by Warren Calloway in Mullins, SC. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=86458
CALA EMD GP18 #100 (Built: La Grange, IL) was originally built in 1960 as Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (The Rock Island) #1333. The first GP18 built of EMD order #5605. The unit carries frame #5605-1 and Serial #25450. After the Rock Islands complete shut down in 1980, the unit was sold by the bankruptcy trustee estate to Nashville & Ashland City as their #9 and later became McCormick, Ashland City & Asheville #9. This unit is one of several GP18’s on the roster, and one of only 2 in the Carolina Southern red and white paint. The unit is in regular freight service, and here is a photo of it in everyday service! http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=87578
CALA EMD GP30 #2613 (EMD Serial #29583, Frame #7669-29, Built: La Grange, IL) is a rare bird these days. Sure, their may be more GP30’s in service than F-units like the 9163, but the 2163 is a rare variation of the popular GP30. This unit was built with a high short hood. Those in the railfan trade know what a High Hood is, and for those who don’t, heres a link to show what a High Hood GP30 is http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=58986, compared to a low hood hood GP30 http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=112594. The 2613 came from Waccamaw Shortline, and was sold to them from Railroad Powerhouse, Norfolk Southern Corp, and was originally built for the Southern Railway. The Unit has retained its as-built locomotive number of 2613 for its entire existance.
CALA EMD GP18 958 (EMD Serial #26799, Frame #5633-20, Built: La Grange, IL) came from the Mid-Atlantic Railroad, who purchased the unit from the Norfolk and Western Railway. Like 2613, the unit has carried the number of 958 from the time it left the EMD Factory Floor, however, this unit is odd in that when the railroad purchased the unit, it had a High Hood like the 2613, however, when the Carolina Southern purchased the unit, they had the High Hood chopped and it became a Short Hood. It seems though that the CALA is low on funds and the unit re-entered service, without being repainted. To show you what I mean, heres two photos of a Before and After the unit.
Before: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2587730
After: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=87572
Well, theres 4 of the 6 units shown in this episode of American Pickers! I can’t tell what the other two units are, as they look much older than anything that the Carolina Southern owns! If you know any information on these units like owner markings or a unit number, feel free to leave me a message either in the comments or in my inbox at idiotfoamer@yahoo.com!
I hope you enjoyed my first Blog, and please be sure to look out for more from CineTrains!
-Jim Tiroch
The CineTrains Project - Trains in the Cinema and TV 