Maine Central
Maine Central ALCO S1 958, built in October 1949, at Waterville Yard, Maine, on 7 February 1970. © Roger Puta Maine Central Alco S-1 No. 958 stands at Lewiston, Maine, on 1 November 1975. The locomotive carries the classic pine tree livery, typical of MEC switchers working yard and local freight duties across the system. © Phil Faudi Maine Central EMD SW9 No. 958 stands with a freight car in June 1978, wearing the railroad’s green and gold scheme. The locomotive shows typical signs of heavy yard service, with weathering along the hood and trucks, reflecting its role in everyday switching duties. © Fred’s Slides Maine Central Alco S-1 No. 958 works a freight on the Rockland Branch in Maine, likely in the late 1970s. The well-worn pine tree livery and visible weathering reflect the hard daily use typical of MEC switchers in branch line service during this period. © Jean-Claude Ballieux Maine Central Alco S-1 No. 958 stands at Waterville, Maine, on 30 May 1980. © Richard Merriam Maine Central Alco S-3 No. 962 is seen at Bangor Yard in March 1977, carrying the earlier pine tree emblem and distinctive striped end treatment. A yard worker crosses the track in the foreground as the locomotive works past a cut of boxcars, a typical scene in MEC’s busy Bangor terminal. © Brandon Kulik Maine Central S1 953 (serial number 69411, built January 1941) at the CP yard in Windsor, Ontario, on 17 July 1977, while en route to GE after being sold. © Earl Minnis Maine Central Alco S-3 No. 962 stands at Bangor Yard on 23 August 1978, alongside the yard office, still carrying the earlier pine tree emblem and striped end treatment. Scenes like this were typical of MEC’s Bangor operations, where switchers handled a steady flow of paper and forest products traffic. © Bill Rogerson Maine Central Alco S-3 No. 962 stands at Bangor, Maine, on 23 August 1978, coupled to a tank car and carrying the familiar pine tree emblem. The locomotive typifies the road’s yard power during the period, handling local switching duties amid the steady flow of forest products traffic. A 1974 Chevrolet Blazer is visible in the background. © Bill Rogerson Maine Central S3 No. 962 handling switching duties at Bangor, Maine, in June 1979. One of the railway’s dependable ALCO switchers that remained in service into the mid-1980s. © Michael Shufelt Maine Central S3 No. 962 at the waterfront yard, Bangor, Maine, July 1979. © Michael Shufelt Maine Central ALCO S1 No. 957 at Calais, Maine, photographed in August 1980 during a trip to the Brunswick Air Show. © Barrie MacLeod Maine Coast
Maine Coast Alco S1 No. 958 and coal hoppers at West Bath, Maine, in 1993. During the 1990s, Dragon Cement received 30-car blocks of 3- and 4-bay hoppers at Brunswick twice a month through summer and autumn, typically hauled to the cement plant in smaller cuts. The line here had previously been operated by the Maine Central before 1990. © Bill Groder Maine Coast ALCO S1 at Wiscasset, Maine, in 1994. Ex-Maine Central No. 958. © Steven Szabo, courtesy of Andrew J. Szabo Class No. Built Serial Livery Notes Photographs Modelling S-1 958 Oct 1949 77108 RRPA
Portland Terminal
When first delivered, Portland Terminal’s early ALCO switchers were finished entirely in black with simple Roman lettering. There were no pilot stripes and no yellow accents on the handrails at this stage. Soon after, black and white pilot stripes were introduced as part of this original paint scheme.
In later years, the pilot stripes were changed to yellow and black, giving the locomotives a slightly more visible and modern appearance. Only a few of the black switchers ever received the orange stepwell treatment, and very few carried the Portland Terminal herald on the cab before the adoption of the later “new image” scheme.
Some units showed evidence of quick repainting. For example, a yellow nose might be applied directly over the original red striping, leaving the rest of the locomotive in its earlier paint and lettering. In such cases, the cab carried the locomotive number while the full railroad name appeared on the hood. Close inspection sometimes revealed traces of the earlier striping, such as a sliver of the top red stripe still visible beneath the yellow.
All MEC and Portland Terminal switchers shared several distinctive mechanical details. Each was equipped with a box cooler mounted on the rear handrail and a sheet metal cover retrofitted over the sand traps, both characteristic features of these units in service.
Portland Terminal ALCO S3 No. 1101 stands outside the enginehouse at South Portland, Maine, on 7 April 1974. The locomotive is shown in its striking black and yellow scheme, typical of Portland Terminal switchers working the busy yard and industrial trackage in the Portland area. © Phillip C. Faudi Portland Terminal No. 1101, an ALCO S3, photographed at Rigby Yard in 1983. Formerly Greater Portland Public Development Commission No. 661, it was acquired in 1958. At the time of the photo, it was the only S3 operating on a common carrier in North America. It remained in service until 1988, the last locomotive to wear Portland Terminal paint. © Brandon Kulik Class No. Built Serial Photographs Notes S-1 PTM 1005 1941 69494 RRPA S-1 PTM 1006 1945 73083 RRPA S-1 PTM 1007 1949 77111 RRPA S-1 PTM 1008 1949 77112 RRPA S-3 PTM 1101 1950 78393 RRPA ex-Greater Portland Public Development Commission #661 acquired in 1958 and was the last locomotive to wear PTM paint when sold in 1988.
Modelling
So far, no N Scale RTR models for ALCO S-1 or S-3 have been produced.
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