Otto M. Vondrak/photos by the author
Wearing a smile a mile wide, Doyle McCormack was at the throttle of “Nickle Plate Road 190,” the first Alco PA diesel to operate in the United States since 1978. The restored locomotive made its debut pulling an excursion for invited guests on Genesee Valley Transportation’s Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad from Scranton to Mount Pocono, Pa., and return. These trips hosted on July 11 and 12 represented the culmination of a project that began more than 25 years ago. “Nickel Plate Road 190” began life as Santa Fe 62L in 1948. One of four units sold to Delaware & Hudson in 1967, it powered passenger trains between Albany and Montreal, as well as excursions across the system. In 1977, the Alcos had a brief stint in commuter service in Boston before being shipped to Mexico in 1978.
Since retired, two of the PAs remain south of the border in museums, while two others were wrecked in service. Doyle was instrumental in getting the surviving skeletal bodies returned to the United States in 2000. Doyle retained one unit, while the other was originally destined for the Smithsonian, but was later acquired by the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, Texas, to be restored as Santa Fe 59.
ABOVE: Former owner and restoration project manager Doyle McCormack took the throttle for the inaugural private excursion on Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad between Scranton and Pocono Summit, Pa., on July 11.
Starting from scratch, Doyle hunted down the necessary components to reconstruct the locomotive. He was able to complete a substantial portion of the rebuilding, not only locating a donor Alco 251 prime mover and electrical cabinet from a retired BC Rail M420B, but also proper six-wheel “A1A” trucks that came from a Fairbanks-Morse “Erie-Built” passenger diesel that ended up powering a welded rail train in Canada. The locomotive began to take shape once again, as a recreation of one of the colorful Nickel Plate “Bluebird” PA units Doyle grew up with in Ohio in the mid-1950s.
While Doyle had made considerable progress with the help of his friends — including a last-minute appearance at the “Streamliners at Spencer” event hosted by the North Carolina Transportation Museum in 2014 — his focus had shifted to other projects. His preservation efforts turned toward helping establish the new Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland as the new permanent home for Southern Pacific 4449 (which he helped restore in 1976) and Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700. Restoration work on 190 had progressed to the point where the locomotive was successfully test-fired, but not run under its own power.
ABOVE: Restored Alco PA 190 and Delaware & Hudson RS-3 4068 rest in Scranton, Pa., the night before the debut excursion on Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad.
In March 2023, Genesee Valley Transportation announced their purchase of the historic Alco PA from Doyle, and moved it clear across the country to their new Von Storch Shops in Scranton. At the time, Doyle said, “This is absolutely the best possible home for this locomotive, and I know they’ll get the job done.” At a ceremony held across from Steamtown National Historic Site on the morning of July 11, both GVT president Michael Thomas and board chairman David Monte Verde praised the work of their shop mechanical forces — led by chief mechanical officer Bill Strein — for completing the project over the last two years. Doyle was presented with a replica builders plate as part of the ceremonies to commemorate the day.
Friday’s included the PA DL 190, RS-3 4068 recently restored to Delaware & Hudson “lightning stripe” paint, a generator car, a former Erie Lackawanna Pullman-Standard “Comet” commuter coach, Pullman 10-6 sleeper City of Lima, and heavyweight business car DL 2 (ex-EL). Doyle himself was at the throttle of 190 for the first leg of the trip from Scranton to Pocono Summit, providing a smooth ride for the 70 passengers in attendance. Photo stops were arranged at Tobyhanna, Pocono Summit, and Gouldsboro. An additional private excursion will be operated on July 12, but no announcements have been made yet about possible public trips in the future.
