CINCINNATI — Nickel Plate Road GP9 diesel No. 532 is set for a return to the Midwest and eventual revival.
Ownership of the EMD unit, built in 1958, was recently transferred from the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society to the Cincinnati Scenic Railway. The Cincinnati Scenic also recently acquired ex-NKP express boxcar No. 8504 from a private company, leading to the launch of a fundraising campaign connected to both items, according to scenic railway President Ray Kammer Jr.
“Cincinnati Scenic Railway is excited for the opportunity to return another piece of historic rolling stock to our collection. Thanks to our friends at the Roanoke Chapter, future generations will be able to ride behind No. 532 and witness it in operation,” said Kammer.
The NKPOHIO.org website was recently launched to help spread the word about both projects and the fundraising. The next step for the GP9 is prep work for shipment from Virginia to Ohio, where the locomotive will receive mechanical and cosmetic restoration; the total fundraising goal for that project is $154,000. Meanwhile, a non-refundable down payment has been put in place for the express boxcar, with a $16,000 purchase deadline set for Nov. 1. As the operator of both the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad and Ohio Rail Experience, the Cincinnati Scenic has its sights on future excursion operations for Nos. 532 and 8504; the boxcar would be used for head-end power.
No. 532 was part of the last series of GP9s purchased by the Nickel Plate Road. After changing hands several times through the Norfolk & Western Railway (1966) and Norfolk Southern Corp. (1983), it was retired in 1984 and donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The locomotive was then acquired by the Roanoke Chapter in 2015.
No. 8504 was one of 10 express boxcars built between November and December 1947 at the NKP’s Frankfort, Ind., shops in conjunction with the Alcoa Aluminum Co. Serving as head end on the railroad’s passenger trains was a top priority, as the aluminum car bodies were equipped with steam and signal lines, and rode on A-3 Ride Control trucks.
Does boxcar 8504 still ride on Allied Full-Cushion trucks? Whether it does or not is not clear from the photo. I think I’ve read that they did not work very well in practice.
As a student at Oberlin in the 1960s, I got into Cleveland several times and saw locos still in NKP liveries in action. (I was there too late to see NKP passenger trains.) As a fan of the Delaware & Hudson, I prefered the later, more D&H-like NKP road switcher livery with fewer stripes than the one shown in the photo of NKP 532. I do have several HO models of Nickel Plate Road freight cars.