Pennsy Railcar Restorations LLC contracted the McHugh Company to provide heavy repairs to #9206 an EMD 1949 built SW-1 diesel locomotive of PRR heritage back to service.
A McHugh crane at work changing out the two truck assemblies.
In 2012 Pennsy Railcar Restorations LLC desired to obtain an EMD SW-1 diesel locomotive of Pennsylvania Railroad heritage. The firm was seeking a locomotive that was not a total basket case or a unit that would require a total frame up restoration. It was an important factor to Pennsy Railcar Restorations that the total overall cost of the project remained within their allotted budget to purchase a SW-1 locomotive and to include the restoration cost. Pennsy Railcar Restorations did not have the capabilities to perform heavy repairs to a locomotive so it could be shipped by rail so they contracted the McHugh Locomotive & Equipment to perform that work.
The first phase of the project was for McHugh Locomotive & Equipment to locate a former Pennsylvania R.R. SW-1 locomotive. We inspected several units across the US, and the #9206 was selected because required the least amount of repairs to return it back in service. McHugh Locomotive & Equipment supplied two sets of reconditioned truck assemblies with four reconditioned traction motors that replaced the old friction bearing truck assemblies. We also replaced the old draft gear assemblies and coupler assemblies with alignment control couplers. The old air brake system was updated, along with various other repairs that were made to the locomotive so it could be shipped over Class I railroads.
The locomotive was delivered by rail to Pennsy Railcar Restorations at Ringoes, NJ in August of 2012. By the spring of 2016 locomotive #9206 was back in service and used to pull passenger trains on the Black River & Western Railroad, a heritage railroad in New Jersey.
Pennsy Railcar Restorations’ former PRR EMD SW-1 #9206 being ready for movement over NS with replacement truck assemblies supplied and installed by McHugh Locomotive & Equipment.
