Southern Railway NW5 Locomotive #2100

Posted on by

In late 2023 I published a photograph of the Southern’s rare NW5 locomotive, the #2100. The locomotive and train it pulled were largely backlit with a setting sun, and the details of the locomotive weren’t easily discernible. That image was recorded in June of 1965. Today I’m offering a couple other views of the #2100 taken in later years.

A bit over five years later, in August of 1970, Mike Walsdorf recorded this view of the #2100. One noticeable change made to the locomotive is the headlight, now using twin sealed beam lamps.

Southern NW5 Locomotive #2100
The Southern NW5 Locomotive #2100 is crossing St. Claude Avenue to the median, New Orleans, Louisiana. -Mike Walsdorf

Photographer Mike Palmieri captured this view of the #2100 in April of 1976. She now sports spark arrestors atop her stacks, but has lost the class lights on the long hood.

Southern NW5 #2100
The 2100 was the only NW5 on the Southern, and one of only 13 locomotives of this model. It was built in January 1947, and spent most of its life in and around New Orleans. It finally left after the arrival of some new MP15DC’s in August 1977, and was retired two years later. The passenger car is ex-New York Central 4-4-2 IMPERIAL EMBLEM, which was owned by the New Orleans Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. -Mike Palmieri

The NW5 was EMD’s response to the Alco RS1 locomotive. It was a 1000 hp NW2 switcher built over a stretched frame which allowed the use of Blomberg trucks* and larger fuel and water tanks. They also added the short hood to house a steam generator for use with passenger equipment. It isn’t clear (to me) whether this Southern unit had that option within its short hood. *These were smoother riding “road” trucks, designed for the F and later GP unit locomotives.

4 thoughts on “Southern Railway NW5 Locomotive #2100”

  2. For what it is worth, those Alco RS-1’s that had a steam generator fitted in the short hood had the exhaust fitted in front of the middle bar of the cab back over the short hood.

    The picture of the Southern EMD unit does not show such an exhaust, which possibly indicates that it did not have a steam generator fitted

    Terry

    • Terry, that is why I doubt that the #2100 had the steam generator option. I’ve never seen a photo of it that clearly shows an exhaust or any other hint of a generator. I’ve personally seen the locomotive in operation a number of times, and it was always hauling a freight train. Passenger equipment in New Orleans (where this unit typically operated at the time) was handled by the NOUPT (New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal) switchers.

      -Jack

  3. One other note: the passenger car behind the loco in the picture above was a special movement of a privately owned car. It was merely a switching move, and there was no need for steam.

    -Jack

Comments are closed.