SW1500s 331 and 332, and GP35 729 at East St Louis, Illinois on April 27, 1978 (Michael Wise).
Manufacturers Railway Locomotive 253 was a EMD SW1200 diesel-electric switcher locomotive. The Manufacturers Railway Company (MRS), a shortline railroad in St. Louis, Missouri, operated the locomotive.
Details of Locomotive 253:
- Model: EMD SW1200
- Builder: Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
- Horsepower: 1,200 HP
- Wheel Arrangement: B-B (four axles, two per truck)
- Purpose: Yard switching and industrial service
252 is an EMD MP15DC switcher locomotive. Built in August 1975 by Electro-Motive Division (EMD) with the serial number 75611-2, it was one of the units serving MRS’s operations in St. Louis, Missouri.
Manufacturers Railway (MRS) was founded in 1887 and was historically associated with Anheuser-Busch, handling beer shipments and other freight in St. Louis. It ceased operations as an independent railroad in 2011, with operations taken over by the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis.
Manufacturers Railway Company (MRS) locomotive MRS 352 is an American Locomotive Company (Alco) S-2m. Alco built the locomotive as a S-2 in August 1944, builder number 72738, as MRS 208.
The locomotive was modified and rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen Company (M-K) during 1976. M-K removed the original Alco engine, cooling system, major electrical components, air system, fuel tank and forward hood. They replaced the engine with a General Motors (GM) Electro-Motive Division (EMD) 12-567C engine block modified to accept 645 power assembly components.
The air and electrical components were upgraded to the then current standards. The former Blunt trucks were replaced with Association of American Railroad (AAR) type A switcher trucks to accommodate D77 traction motors. A new hood and cooling system were fabricated by M-K. Other modifications included relocating the handbrake from inside the cab to just around the corner at the front of the locomotive on the firemen’s side.
The M-K designation for the modified unit was TE47-4E. Their designation breaks down as tractive effort 47,000 pounds (TE47), four powered axles (4) and EMD engine power plant (E). As the locomotive retained its frame and cab the generally accepted model designation is S-2m or modified.
Foster Townsend Rail Logistics (FTRL) took over railroad operations from the former MRS in October 2011. The locomotive was reassigned to the FTRL operation across the Mississippi River at the Granit City Port at Granite City, Illinois. Around 2013, it was reassigned and transferred to the Terra Nitrogen fertilizer plant at Catoosa, Oklahoma.
Subsequently, the locomotive has been sold a couple of times and moved across the country. The locomotive became Liberty Railway Services, Inc. (LRSX) as their LSRX 253. It has been photographed at least in Shawnee, Oklahoma in 2016, Marietta, GA and Greensboro, NC in 2017. By the fall of 2018, the locomotive was last known to be owned by Knoxville Locomotive Works, Inc. (KLWX) as their KLWX 253, on lease and in service in Brooklyn, NY.
Hope this helps.
Thanks!
Mark