I caught this unit at Coffeyville, KS. SEK #143. January 26, 1996. Former Katy? Don't even remember what former railline this is. I think the UP line is right nearby.
Ex-MKT RS3M 143, re-engined by EMD in the late 1950s when William Deramus ran (?!?!?) the Katy. Nee MKT 1702, built by Alco in 1951. According to the MKT All-Time Diesel Roster by Mack Muir , it and 5 sister RS3s were re-engined in 1959 with 16-567C prime movers in 1959. It's good to see at least one Katy engine still running, even a "morphodite" Alco like this one. Good shots! PS- SEK also had/maybe still has several ex-MKT GP7s in SEK livery as well. SEK, now a part of South Kansas & Oklahoma, is a Watco shortline that ran on ex-Mopac trackage from Nevada, MO southwest to Coffeyville, KS. It crossed the KCS at Pittsburg, KS and the BN (ex-Frisco) further west. The track east of Pittsburg to Nevada is gone now, IIRC. [ February 02, 2006, 09:57 AM: Message edited by: friscobob ]
And oh yes, the Katy had a line running from Coffeyville southwest to Oklahoma City at one time- the bulk of it was taken up in the late 1970s.
Isn't one of these units preserved in a RR museum? I want to say perhaps in Kansas? I keep thinking the name Midland something... Boxcab E50
The diesel was designated an RS3M, but some of the crews called it a "morphodite". No doubt some railfans do as well.......
Errrrrrrr...............how do I put this delicately? The word "morphodite" is a modification of the word "hermaphrodite", which refers to someone or some creature that is niether all male or all female. The slang term refers to the locomotive which is niether all-EMD or all-Alco. It could also refer to re0engined Baldwins or Fairbanks-Morse units, I imagine. Railroaders are a colorful bunch, and some of the terms they can come up with are rather interesting- in this case, a bit on the salty side. Apologies to anyone who is offended.
Here's a pic of Katy RS3M 146 in action as the Denison switcher, Denison, TX, mid-1987, near the Katy car shops south of downtown. When it was rebuilt, it wore an all-red scheme with the Deramus "KATY" abomination that laughingly passes for a logo.(Who, me, opinionated?)
You should seen 'em on the nose of a high-hood GP7.......... IIRC, the RS3M at the Midland Valley has been repainted into Barringer red with the proper MKT logo on the cab side.
Friscobob is correct on all parts.The photo's in coffeyville are coming or heading north of town down by were the old Katy depot was If memory serves me correctly. And UP ex MOP yards to the southwest ,They maybe running on ex ATSF rails. They also owned from Iola to Port of Catoosa (excuse spelling) ex ATSF line. I remember these monsters running in Parsons on the switch duties and running out to the KAAP and picking up cars and coming back. Never got to see them in there original skins was before my time. Katy classed them as RS3m (Modified). Some of them had GP9 hoods as did the AS1600. Man wished I could have seen them babies.
Baldwin isn't that far from Parsons- would make for a good day trip later on in the year, around spring.
bob a couple of member sof the denison club (brothers) their dad worked as the 3rd trick carman foreman and 1 brother rode the 146 and the caboose during the summer months. tom
