These are two of the most famous passenger diesels in the entire US. Soon after D&H purchased four ALCo PA-1s from Santa Fe in 1967, they became the last of their type in existence anywhere, as other owners purged them from their rosters. They became the only PAs to pull Amtrak trains, when they provided power for The Adirondack between Albany, NY and Montreal, from 1974 to 1977. In the infamous 1978 roster rape, they were sold to Mexican railroads, along with D&H's fleet of C628s, U30Cs, SD45s, and other non motive power equipment.

The PAs operated passenger service in Mexico for several years, keeping their D&H paint, until 16, 17, and 18 were sidelined due to mechanical problems. 19 was repainted in the late 80s, but soon retired to static display. Soon after, 17 was briefly put back in service after being repainted into SP Daylight colors, but it too was retired and put on display.

16 and 18 languished in a Mexican yard for years, until word came in the late '90s that Doyle McCormick (who became famous for the restoration of SP GS-4 4449) had purchased them, and would return them to the US for restoration. One would be cosmetically restored to its as-built appearance and Santa Fe paint, and donated to the Smithsonian Institute, for display at the Museum Of American History, in Washington DC.

The fate of the other one was less auspicious. McCormick (hereafter referred to as The Gorram Idjit) used the shell for a 1/1 scale "kitbashing" project, making it resemble a locomotive of the NYC&StL railroad. With that indignity, none of the four surviving PAs retains the paint scheme of the railroad that preserved them, while all other roads (including NYC&StL) sent theirs to the scrap heap.

When Dereco gained control in 1972, it became easy to swap the SD45s for partner Erie Lakawanna's three U33Cs (that road's only GE power). Soon after, D&H bought nine more U33Cs. The EL units were numbered 751-753 and the new-bought units were 754-762.

The first three units went back to EL in 1976, as EL was set to become part of Conrail, and the returned SD45s, along with the U30Cs went to Mexico in D&H's infamous "1978 roster rape", but the U33Cs remained until the mid '80s, when they were retired, and sold to GE as fodder for the abortive "Super 7" rebuild program.

Unlike many US railroads, which simplified their paint scheme over the years, D&H changed from the austere black scheme above, to this "lightning stripe" scheme in the mid '50s.

The image on the left shows the left side, because ALCo roadswitchers were set up to run long hood first. Perhaps because that's the way steam locomotives operated?

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