Re: New White Pass Units

Chris Walker Wrote:
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> Dan Robirds Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Then again - if they don't get a handle on this
> > coronavirus issue the cruise ship industry as
> well
> > as White Pass may have a very quiet summer.
>
>
> Hmmmm, DeJaVue maybe.
> WP&Y went and bought four new Bombardier DL535's
> with safety cabs in 1982, only one got delivered
> before the Railway shut down.

As I recall - none were delivered before the railroad shut down. USG eventually bought two, wrecked one (113), bought a third to replace it, and then White Pass had reopened and got the 114. I heard from the USG railroad foreman that WP&Y never got the dynamics to work on theirs, even sending the control cards to Plaster City to see if they worked on the 111 and 112. Evidently MLW never fully tested them before they were stored. GE literature showed a similar problem with another engine - turned out that they had hooked the traction motors up wrong switching the field and armature connections - pulled in power but killed the dynamics.

114's runaway accident report says built in 1982 but not delivered until 1995. Also says the dynamics never worked, but says they were only full retarding effort and couldn't be modulated, so most likely a mis-wire when built.