Project Alco PA-1 Background

In May, 2011 the Museum took delivery of ex-Santa Fe Railway Alco PA-1 locomotive #59L. The locomotive joins the Museum's Historic Santa Fe Collection, and is one of two Alco PAs repatriated from Mexico in 2000 through the efforts of William Withuhn of the Smithsonian Institution and noted railway preservationist Doyle McCormack.

The #59L and its running mate #62L, are now among the rarest early generation diesel locomotives in the U.S. Through an agreement with the Smithsonian, #62L was painstakingly restored to Nickel Plate Road livery and numbered 190 by Mr. McCormack, while #59L was to have become part of the SI's collection. Plans for the Smithsonian unit changed, and the locomotive sat in a rail yard near Portland, OR for almost 10 years. When it appeared that #59L was headed for an uncertain fate, the Museum expressed interest in acquiring and restoring the locomotive.

Through the generosity of the Smithsonian and a commitment of transportation by the BNSF Railway, the locomotive was donated and moved to the Museum’s new home in Frisco, TX. The unit was offloaded from flatcars and reassembled onto its trucks. The PA-1 will be meticulously restored to its original Santa Fe grandeur of the 1950s, when it could be found powering the line’s famous fleet of Chief streamliners.

“It’s the successful end of a 26-year saga to rescue AT&SF 59…Now it’s the beginning of a new role for this great American icon thanks to the Museum of the American Railroad.” --William Withuhn, Curator Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution

Having reached sanctuary in Texas, the Museum has developed a comprehensive plan for restoration of the unit’s carbody. The locomotive is in need of extensive repairs as a result of a 1981 derailment while in service in Mexico. Work will include repair and replacement of the underlying carbody truss work. Fortunately, the locomotive’s platform (frame) and forward vertical posts are undamaged, providing an excellent base along with reference points for structural repairs. The use of truss work in #59L’s carbody design is essentially that of a bridge; once these damaged members are repaired and/or replaced, the locomotive’s exterior panels can be fabricated and applied.

With funding and a donor locomotive, the ultimate goal of this project is to have an operational PA - America's PA.