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R-2 GE General Electric ALCO C+C-270/270-6GEB286B Blueprint Drawing Outline.
Purchased by the New York Central and then some were sold to the Chicago South Shore and South Bend.
This drawing / blueprint is from a collection I obtained from an estate sale. The original owner was employed as a sales engineer for GE in the 40’s and 50’s. I have his traveling trunk of drawings which he would use when meeting with potential customers. I will be listing more drawings / blueprints in the coming days and weeks.
It measures approximately 35” X 113“. (Roughly 3 ft x 9.5 ft). The pics were taken on top of a pool table, floor of my kitchen and driveway for size reference. Hard to capture due to the size / length. Took individual section pics to provide more detail. Had to get on a chair and a ladder to get above it.
Some yellowing from aging and small tears in the folds. A very rare and unique piece of US manufacturing and railroad history.
History about the R-2 from wiki:
The first R Motor was developed as a response to the Kaufman Act which banned steam locomotive use throughout the city and required the New York Central to eliminate street running along its 10th Avenue freight route. After evaluating the first R class prototype for freight service, a modified design of 42 additional class R-2 locomotives were ordered and spent their careers working out of the limelight hauling freight on the West Side Freight Line and other portions of the electrified zone. Later, a few R-2s were sent for Detroit River Tunnel service to supplement the aging steeplecab electric locomotive fleet until a new ventilation system for diesel operations was installed in 1953. In the 1950s some Rs were sold to the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend for freight service on that road.
The new class of 42 C-C locomotives was classed R-2 and numbered 1202-1243 with each providing a more manageable 3000 hp. Design of the cab was very similar to the P-Motors built only a year earlier, but without the long porch line structures in front that supported the leading wheels. The powered trucks of the R-Motors were also nearly identical to those found on the P-Motors.
Like many other classes of locomotives, the R-Motors soon found their duties being taken over by the quickly advancing technology of diesel locomotives. The R prototype was converted into a pair of diesel hauled hump trailers in 1945 and the Central began to use the large R-2 fleet in other roles. In the 1940s several were sent to pull trains through the electrified Detroit River Tunnels, returning in 1953 when the tunnels were ventilated for diesel operations. In 1955, ten R-2 Motors were sold to the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad to supplement their electrified freight operations. Seven units, CSS&SB 701-707, were rebuilt to use 1500 V DC overhead lines using parts left over from the conversion of the P-Motors to 660 V DC third rail. The front ends were also modified moving the cab door from the front to a more typical side access.
The NYC Rs were scrapped in the 1950s and 60s, while the South Shore units survived into the 1970s. None were preserved.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
