Dieselization came to Southern's Appalachia Division in 1947 when this four-unit F3 set arrived. Nicknamed "Big Sid," the four units had extra ballast installed to improve rail adhesion. This eastbound train on the St. Charles line is coiling through remote June's Mill Gorge with just over 50 cars in tow (none any greater than 50-ton capacity). An Ls-2 simple 2-8-8-2 could only lug about 25 loads on this same run, so clearly diesel-electric power had doomed Southern's largest steamers on the Appalachia Division. The four units are shown here in black and off white (as delivered), but freight power soon started wearing green instead (at least until 1959, when black would make a come back). The shot--taken by an unknown company photographer--graced the March 1948 issue of "Ties," Southern's excellent house organ.
Selected photos of locomotives, passenger cars, and rolling stock in the Southern's livery as well as other assets once belonging to or used by the Southern.