For Sale: 2 Rock Island E Units 1:1 Scale- $100,000 Firm

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
Yup.
The real deal.

While we were at a day out with Thomas this afternoon, I noticed two old E-units in Rock Island Line colors sitting on a siding. I asked a couple of guys working with Midland Railroad what the story was on them. (Midland RR sponsored Thomas today) Apparently they were running them for awhile but they were privately owned engines. The owner has decided to sell so they had to be parked to prevent any possibility of an accident. MLRR made an offer and they were refused as have been several other potential buyers. The owners are asking $100,00 for both engines firm.

Sounds like a great deal at first but there are some drawbacks.
1) They have sat long enough that no one is sure if they still run.
2) It would probably be another $100,000 at least to restore them.
3) Santa Fe will not let them pass on their line so whomever buys them would have to haul them out by truck.

It's really sad to see these two pieces of history just sitting and turning to rust.. It's too bad Midland couldn't get enough donations to pay the $100,000 the owners are asking and get them running again. Of course, if anyone else is interested in buying them privately and saving them, that would be cool too.

Pics Engine 1:
 

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CRed

Member
It would be great if the Lake Superior Transportation Museum could get them.They could restore them and use them on the North Shore RR for excursions.

Chris
 

stripes

Member
I agree, it would be sad to see them rust away! Hope those sweet loco`s find a good home and get restored.
David
 

stripes

Member
By the way Cannonball, thanks for the link to Thomas. As the secretary of the Northern Ontario RR Museum, I will bring up at the next meeting that we get Thomas here next year!
David
 

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
By the way Cannonball, thanks for the link to Thomas. As the secretery of the Northern Ontario RR Museum, I will bring up at the next meeting that we get Thomas here!
David
Cool! :thumb:
Does that involve a finder's fee for more scenery discounts? :D
 

ozzy

Active Member
whats the cars behind both engines? B units, or passangers cars? they look to have the same paint job.


i would love to have them , i love the the rock island RR.

i have 2 of these engines in n scale!.
 

jbaakko

Active Member
whats the cars behind both engines? B units, or passangers cars? they look to have the same paint job.


i would love to have them , i love the the rock island RR.

i have 2 of these engines in n scale!.
I don't see any other cars, just the E's coupled back to back.
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
I like your idea Chris! Maybe we should contact them and let them know about the units!
Ralph
 

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
whats the cars behind both engines? B units, or passangers cars? they look to have the same paint job.


i would love to have them , i love the the rock island RR.

i have 2 of these engines in n scale!.

I don't see any other cars, just the E's coupled back to back.

Yup. They're just butted up together right now.
I tried to talk the wife into letting me buy them and she just gave me "that look" :eek:
 

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
CRIP 652 would look nice sitting beside the Zephyr at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry!
Did you see a lot of these around Davenport?
I vaguely remember seeing one or two when I was a kid but we didn't get that far north very often. Muscatine was the end of the world for me.
 

eightyeightfan1

Now I'm AMP'd
Hmmm...Just check the couch cushions...I'm short a couple thousand dollars.
That first pic is an Alco(Slopping nose, single grill high mid-section, two square windows), sure would look good painted up like a New Haven DL-109.
The second one is an EMD E unit.
 

ozzy

Active Member
Hmmm...Just check the couch cushions...I'm short a couple thousand dollars.
That first pic is an Alco(Slopping nose, single grill high mid-section, two square windows), sure would look good painted up like a New Haven DL-109.
The second one is an EMD E unit.



HOW DARE YOU! how can you even think of painting over anything in the rock island road name? thats..... thats just not right! it should be illegal to repaint them anything but rock island!.....lol
 

IAIS 604

Member
Did you see a lot of these around Davenport?
I vaguely remember seeing one or two when I was a kid but we didn't get that far north very often. Muscatine was the end of the world for me.


I wish - I got to the Quad Cities eleven years after the ROCK folded.

ATLANTA was at the end of my world - by rights, I should model the Gainesville-Midland RR (and have a LOT less locos!).

Would have been nice to see those E's come in with the QC Rocket !!!

AMTRAK is thinking again about a QC to Chicago train - maybe they could buy 'em and get the Rockets rolling again !!!
 

Triplex

Active Member
That first pic is an Alco(Slopping nose, single grill high mid-section, two square windows), sure would look good painted up like a New Haven DL-109.
The second one is an EMD E unit.
They're both E-units. 652 is an E8 or E9. 630 is an E6, an earlier model. RI was the last road to operate E6s; one ran into the late 70s.
 

Myowngod

New Member
How about we, on the forum, all pitch in $5.00 and buy it. Then we could have a round robin with them and pass them around to each others house... maybe alphabetical... or by longest straw.:thumb:

What do you guys think?
 

ozzy

Active Member
well if it matters, i have an n scale E7 and E8 one of them is #652. and its a E8, it has round windows on the side, E7 has square windows on the side. so looks to me one is an E7 and one is a E8.
 

brakie

Active Member
Hmmm...Just check the couch cushions...I'm short a couple thousand dollars.
That first pic is an Alco(Slopping nose, single grill high mid-section, two square windows), sure would look good painted up like a New Haven DL-109.
The second one is an EMD E unit.

Sorry Ed no Alcos there..Thats a EMD E6.
 
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