Norfolk Southern has unveiled its newest heritage locomotive, EMD SD70ACe No. 1080, honoring the Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Railway. This marks the second heritage unit NS has introduced in the past two years, following Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway 4851 , a Wabtec AC44C6M. No. 1080 now joins a fleet of 22 heritage units, “each a moving tribute to the railroads that built NS,” the company said.
Built in 2013, 1080 “now proudly wears the D&H’s iconic lightning stripe scheme—thanks to the skilled craftsmanship of our Juniata Locomotive Shop team in Altoona, Pa.,” NS said. “The D&H Railway was one of America’s earliest railroads, created to move coal from Northeast Pennsylvania to the Hudson Canal. NS acquired key D&H lines in 2015 and is proud to continue that legacy today. No. 1080 made its official debut at an NS employee Town Hall event. In August, it will serve as the lead locomotive when NS operates its first train on new trackage rights in New England, running on an historic D&H route.
“1080’s design was created in partnership with the Delaware & Hudson Historical Society, which generously granted us permission to incorporate the storied D&H logo,” NS added. “Without their support, this tribute would not have been possible.”
No decals or vinyl wraps were used in the paint scheme outside of standard safety labels. The D&H livery required 77 gallons of paint and primer, including:
- Primer: 24 gallons.
- Blue: 8 gallons.
- Yellow: 5 gallons.
- Gray: 10 gallons.
- Clear coat: 12 gallons.
- Cab and engine room: 18 gallons.
The D&H originates from an 1823 New York State corporation charter listing “The President, Managers and Company of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Co.” authorizing an establishment of a canal linking the Delaware River and the Hudson River. Nicknamed “The Bridge Line to New England and Canada” and also called “North America’s oldest continually operated transportation company,” the D&H connected New York State with Montreal and New England. In 1991, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP, now Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CPKC) purchased the D&H and operated it under U.S. subsidiary Soo Line Corp. On Sept. 19, 2015, NS completed acquisition of the 282-mile D&H South Line from CP. The South Line connects Schenectady, N.Y. with Sunbury, Pa., and consists of two rail lines, the Sunbury Line and the Freight Line. The Nicholson Cutoff is located on the Sunbury Line, which was the former main line of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad.
