Babyface Baldwins 201-208

[benjamintickell53]

Missouri Pacific bought eight Baldwin DR-4-4-15 “A” units, 201-208, and four “B” units, 201B-204B. These were 1,500-horsepower diesel locomotives built for freight service by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. Baldwin produced this series of locomotives between November 1947 and June 1950, in two different body types, nicknamed the “Babyface” and “Sharknose” styles by railfans, though Baldwin used the same model number for both. MoPac’s units were delivered in November and December of 1948, reportedly the last of the Babyface style cab before the shift to Sharknose style.

These units appear in Missouri Pacific Diesel Power in the passenger diesel section (pages 36-38) because at one time it was assumed that the extra length of these units was to accommodate a steam generator. They were also incorrectly identified as passenger locomotives, or at least as being equipped with steam generators, in Diesel Spotter’s Guide and Missouri Pacific in Color-Volume 1. Company drawings refute that assumption; the units NEVER had a steam generator and were always intended for freight service use. They would not MU with any other diesels, and spent their brief career on the MoPac running in A-B-A configuration. All eight were removed from service by 1958 and subsequently scrapped, although trucks and traction motors were used on RS-11s.

Additional information on these units appeared in the Mopac Yahoo group during September 2013. That information is reposted here:

---

On page 59 of “MISSOURI PACIFIC IN COLOR” Volume 1 by Jim Boyd he states “Based on units previously delivered to Jersey Central and New York Central, these ‘babyface’ carbody DR4-4-1500s a(201-208 and 201B-208B) carried steam generators and were three feet longer than the CNJ and NYC units”.

George Simmons
Dry Prong, LA

---

When Jim Boyd wrote his Mopac book, he had a hard deadline and used Dean Hale as one of his primary sources. Dean had previously provided erroneous data about the Baldwins originally having steam generators to Jerry Pinkepank for his first diesel spotters guide (Lou Marre was able to document the units had the later car body with a space for never-installed boilers). This error was later picked up by Kevin Eudaly’s MoPac book and repeated by Jim Boyd. Several of us offered to proofread Jim Boyd’s books but Morning Sun does not send out galley proofs. The first MoPac book by Jim Boyd was full of errors, misidentified and miscredited photos and much of this was provided by by Dean Hale.

The moral of the story is go back to The Eagle which is a more scholarly publication since many of the writers know how to find primary sources.
Jim Ogden

---

Regarding the MP DR4-4-1500’s, it is mentioned that they were 3 feet longer behind the cab to accommodate steam generator equipment in “The Second Diesel Spotter’s Guide” by Jerry Pinkepank, and Kevin EuDaly’s “Missouri Pacific Diesel Power” book, and I have seen it printed in other places as well. I did some research, and found that the MP units were the same length as NYC units, and 2’ longer than CNJ ones. I find no evidence that MP units were equipped with steam generators.

After looking at the pictures in the Diesel Spotter’s book of the MP engines on page 316, and CNJ engines are on page 315, I really could not tell if there was any difference in length. A lot of the roof and side details are different, and CNJ made several modifications to their units over the years.

I turned to the book “Diesels from Eddystone: The Story of Baldwin Diesel Locomotives” by Gary and Stephen Dolzall for more information. I have always found the information in this book to be accurate. It has a whole chapter on the streamlined freight service diesels, namely the four axle Babyfaces and the later sharknoses. Gleaning some of the information from that chapter, here are a few things mentioned:

CNJ units were built first, an A-B-A set in November 1947, with some unique features from the four A-B-A sets delivered from July to September 1948. All these units were 53’-6” long inside coupler knuckles. These units experienced air intake and electrical problems, so Baldwin took steps to cure these problems. In the later units, (namely the 2 NYC A-B-A sets built in October 1948, and the 4 MP A-B-A sets built in December 1948) the length of the cab units was extended 2’ so that the electrical cabinet could be placed behind the cab bulkhead, away from the rear intakes and contaminants drawn into the rear of the carbody. (Some other equipment inside was moved around, too.) The book also mentions that a steam generator option was never offered on the DR4-4-1500, but that NYC ordered its units with steam lines to be used with other locomotives equipped for passenger duties.

Getting to that steam generator aspect, any passenger equipped diesel that I am aware of has a steam generator stack and a vent on top, and steam lines. On page 124 there is an overhead view of MP units taken in 1952. The roof behind the cab on the A units is plain, and no sign of a stack on the B unit, either, Neither that shot, nor the ground level builder’s photo on page 121 show steam lines. The builder’s photo would definitely show steam lines if they had steam generators.

Not wanting to just claim this is right, this has me asking several questions: Does anybody have records or pictures of MP Babyface units in passenger service? I read somewhere that these units were drawbar-connected. Does anyone know for sure? Has anybody seen pictures of them in any combination other than an A-B-A? Does anybody have data from the MP showing the A units to be 55’-6” long? Does anybody on this list remember seeing them? These units were in service not even 9 full years, being retired in September 1957, and scrapped in 1959, so they barely outlasted the steam era.

Mike Vana

---

I read somewhere that these units were drawbar-connected. Does anyone know for sure? If they were, at some time after delivery they were equipped with regular couplers. See next question.

Has anybody seen pictures of them in any combination other than an A-B-A? In Gene Semon’s article in the Eagle (Volume 5 #2, Summer 1980), there is a photo of a single A unit on an MOW train. Only one I have ever seen that was not an ABA set.

Jerry Michels

---

The MPHS Eagle for Summer 1980 also carried an article, “Those Damned Baldwins” by Mike Adams, with the title giving a subtle hint as to what Mike thought of the locomotives.

Bill Pollard

Photos below were acquired from R.H. Carlson in the 1960s. Ralph was a major collector of locomotive negatives and traded with many of the photographers of the day. Unfortunately, the prints he sold did not reflect the identity of the original photographer. Note the side number boards present in the 1949 view of #204. Photos of other units by mid-1951 show these number boards painted over.

[attachment=0:29uy3tim]204-KC-Mo-Jan-2-1949w.jpg[/attachment:29uy3tim]

[attachment=1:29uy3tim]206-California-MO-3-14-1953w.jpg[/attachment:29uy3tim]

[attachment=2:29uy3tim]208-TXA-5-29-1955w.jpg[/attachment:29uy3tim]

[attachment=3:29uy3tim]Eagle-1980-Summer.pdf[/attachment:29uy3tim]

[princessclyne69]

I’ll repeat a story I heard from Art Gibson around 1970, who worked for Kansas Gas & Electric for a number of years by then. A set of the Baldwins had come in to Wichita once and one or more of the units had died. Whatever the shop guys had done to try to restart them hadn’t worked, so they ended up calling KG&E to borrow a heavy-duty ammeter to try to diagnose the problem.

RG7

[Author]

Posts