More About Norfolk Southern's Heritage Locomotives UP, of course, had long been an advocate of industry preservation and for years operated its own heritage program including such pieces as never-retired 4-8-4 #844 (once #8444), 4-6-6-4 #3985, and its beautiful business train which mimicked the streamlined City fleet powered by sleek E9 diesels.
These included the Southern Pacific, Missouri Pacific, Rio Grande, Chicago & North Western, Katy (Missouri-Kansas-Texas), and Western Pacific.
The renewed railroad heritage movement in this country (amongst the major railroads) began around 2005 when Union Pacific announced that summer it would unveil a small fleet of six heritage-inspired paint schemes (adorned on new SD70ACe locomotives) from companies that comprised its system. Today, the entire fleet faithfully moves freight all across the NS system and railfans have come to enjoy the chase of trying to photograph all twenty in service. Perhaps even more remarkable is that these liveries were not "inspired" by the companies that created them (such as the case with Union Pacific's similar but less expansive program) but true, authentic representations of actual schemes their locomotives wore back in the day from Reading's catchy "Bee Line Service" to Pennsylvania's regal Tuscan Red featuring the "Cat Whisker" gold pinstripes.Īnd since the 2012 debut, Norfolk Southern has fielded additions honoring the Southern Railway (again), Erie Lackawanna, and Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad. When it was all said and done the NS heritage units totaled twenty locomotives sporting classic paint schemes of by-gone "fallen flags" from the classy Southern Railway to the ill-fated Penn Central.
When Norfolk Southern announced its Heritage Program during March of 2012 it was the most far-reaching nod to railroad history ever put together by a major, Class I system up until that time.
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