Published: August 27, 2026
By: Adam Burns
The New York, Susquehanna and Western diesel story is two railroads on one reporting mark. From 1941 through the Maidman years it was a New Jersey Alco road—S2s, RS1s, then three new GP18s—that advertised itself in June 1945 as the first U.S. Class I to dieselize (three Russian Decapod 2-10-0s lingered as yard goats until October 1947). After Delaware Otsego took the franchise on September 2, 1980, Walter Rich restocked with secondhand Alco Centuries, then Burlington Northern SD45s and F45s for Sea-Land stacks, then GE B40-8s, and finally a quieter EMD six-motor fleet. Scot Lawrence’s compiled all-time diesel count is about 116 units. That is too many lines to bury inside the NYS&W history article, so this page is the companion roster, the same split American-Rails uses for the New York Central diesel roster.
NYS&W RS3 #101—built as Delaware & Hudson #4088 in 1952—August 7, 1984, early Delaware Otsego years. James Leveille photo.
On this page: How to read it · Current power (2025–26) · Original dieselization · Delaware Otsego Alcos · BN six-motors · GE four-axles · Later EMD · Passenger E9s · Notes
Even-numbered road diesels were MU-equipped; odd numbers were not. That Alco-era habit survived into later secondhand EMD and GE units. A few numbers were reused: the first RS1s #231 and #233 went to the Army in World War II and were replaced by a second pair; C430 #3002’s number was later parked briefly on a tunnel motor that became #3010; GP40 #3040 had been #256 (second). BN six-motors first wore their 6360- and 6500-series numbers, then the 3612–3638 series.
This is an owned and lettered diesel roster, not a photo log of every lessee that ever sat at Little Ferry. Big Dog Leasing U23B BDLX 2209 worked the property; it was never NYS&W 2209. Steam, including Chinese SY 2-8-2 #142, stays on the history page. Treat any single “current” number as a snapshot—confirm it against a recent photograph before you plan around it.
Heavy road power is four ex-Norfolk Southern SD70M-2s in yellow and black, bought in late 2020 / early 2021 and painted at Butler in 2023. Behind them sit the remaining tunnel-motor family, three SD40-2s (one in 1950s maroon-and-silver heritage paint), two reclassed SD45-2s, and GP40 #3040. SD60s in the 3800 series were roster fixtures in the 2010s; several later went to Western New York & Pennsylvania and New Orleans Public Belt.
| Road no. | Model | Heritage (short) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4060, 4062, 4064, 4066 | EMD SD70M-2 | Ex-NS (4060 ex-2751; 4064 née 2708; 4066 née 2684) | Current flagship power. #4062 on the June 5, 2026 Binghamton–Callicoon special |
| 3618, 3634 | EMD SD45-2 | Ex-BN 6500 / 6542 (built as SD45s; reclassed by NYS&W) | #3634 reactivated in the 2020s; America 250 paint |
| 3010, 3014 | EMD SD40T-2 | 3010 née D&RGW 5397 (briefly NYS&W 3002 second); 3014 née SP 8321 | #3010 often stored at Binghamton in 2010s–20s lists |
| 3012, 3016 | EMD SD32ECO / SD33ECO | née SP SD40T-2 8242 and 8542 | Rebuilt 2016. #3016 wrecked at Deposit, N.Y., August 9, 2018, and rebuilt |
| 3018, 3022, 3024 | EMD SD40-2 | 3018 née Southern 3267; 3022 née N&W SD40 1605 (reclassed); 3024 née BN 7200 / NS 3553 | #3024 in maroon-and-silver heritage paint since 2023 |
| 3040 | EMD GP40 | née Atlanta & West Point 732; was NYS&W 256 (second) | Utica Branch / F.X. Matt. Sister #3042 scrapped Utica 2014 |
Kidde ordered Alco S2 yard engines and RS1 road-switchers in 1941. The first pair of S2s, #202 and #204, arrived in December 1941. Two 20-ton Whitcombs came from the Army in 1946 for Edgewater; a new GE 45-tonner replaced them in 1958. The last new first-generation power was three GP18s in August 1962—the first Yellowjackets.
| Road no. | Builder / model | Built | Heritage | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | Whitcomb 20-ton | 1/1942 | QMC 2084; US Army 7720; to NYS&W 9/1946 | Sold 1960 (Coe Rail). Preserved, Whippany Railway Museum, N.J. |
| 151 | Whitcomb 20-ton | 1/1942 | QMC 2092; US Army 7723; to NYS&W 9/1946 | Sold 1960 (Old Dominion Iron & Steel). Later fate uncertain |
| 200 | GE 45-ton | 1958 | Bought new for Edgewater Seatrain | Sold to Quebec Iron & Titanium; reported as QIT #24 |
| 202 | Alco S2 | 12/1941 (s/n 69655) | New | First NYS&W diesel, with #204. Scrapped 3/1983 |
| 203 | Alco S2 | 4/1942 (s/n 69671) | New (no MU; odd number) | Scrapped 3/1983 |
| 204 | Alco S2 | 12/1941 | New | To G.R. Silicott for scrap, 7/1966 |
| 205 | Alco S2 | 4/1942 (s/n 69672) | New (no MU) | Scrapped 3/1983 |
| 206 | Alco S2 | 3/1942 (s/n 69664) | New | Last S2 on the property in 1979. Restored (Bergen-Rockland NRHS, 1985); United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey |
| 208 | Alco S2 | 3/1942 | New | Scrapped 3/1983 |
The first pair, #231 and #233, were requisitioned by the Army in World War II, converted to six-axle RSD-1s, and sent overseas. Alco replaced them with a second #231 and #233 in 1943. Arrival of the 1947 RS1s finished steam. Odd numbers never had MU.
| Road no. | Built | Builder no. (where known) | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 230 | 11/1944 | 71437 | Retired 1966; scrapped 3/1983 |
| 231 (1st) | 1942 | 69992 | To US Army 8000 as RSD-1. Survives: later U.S. Navy / Texas Industries; Museum of the American Railroad, Dallas |
| 233 (1st) | 1942 | 69993 | To US Army 8001 as RSD-1; Alaska 1057 / 1085; scrapped 1965–67 |
| 231 (2nd) | 4/1943 | 70812 | Scrapped 3/1983 |
| 233 (2nd) | 4/1943 | 70813 | Sold via G.R. Silicott to Genesee & Wyoming; used for parts (frame reused) |
| 232 | 1/1945 | 73097 | Traded to GE; scrapped 1988 |
| 234 | 1/1945 | 73098 | Scrapped 3/1983 |
| 236 | 1/1945 | 73099 | Scrapped 3/1983. Photographed on suburban service at Hackensack, September 3, 1965 (Roger Puta) |
| 238 | 3/1945 | 73568 | Yellowjacket by 1985. Traded to GE; scrapped 1988 |
| 240 | 3/1945 | 73569 | Valley Railroad 1983; Tioga Central 1987 (as “TC 240” in NYS&W paint). Scrapped Wellsboro, Pa., August 2014 |
| 242 | 5/1945 | 73754 | Scrapped |
| 244 | 9/1947 | — | To Streigel 244; scrapped |
| 246 | 9/1947 | — | Tennessee RR #6 (7/1963); later Southern / BR&L / Agrico / IMC. Reported preserved at Fort Meade, Fla. |
| 248 | 10/1947 | — | Scrapped |
| 250 | 10/1947 | — | Vermont Railway 250 (11/1965); traded to EMD 9/1966 |
| 252 | 10/1947 | 75558 | Bicentennial unit; later Yellowjacket. Scrapped 1988 |
| 254 | 3/1953 | — | Scrapped |
| 256 (1st) | 3/1953 | 79585 | Scrapped 1979. Number reused on GP40 #3040 |
| Road no. | Built | Heritage | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800, 1802, 1804 | 8/1962 | Bought new | Sold to East Penn Railway, April 2010, as ESPN 1800/1802/1804. Last new first-generation NYS&W power |
Rich put yellow and black on whatever secondhand Alcos Delaware Otsego could buy. The stars were five ex-New York Central C430s—the largest original C430 order, ten units for NYC. Two of the five were wrecked on February 3, 1987. Later came two of the three Alco C636 factory demonstrators (via Morrison-Knudsen and Cartier) and a half-dozen Montreal M636s from the same Cartier fleet.
| Road no. | Model | Built | Heritage | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Alco RS3 | 1952 | née D&H 4088; also DO / CNY 101 | Scrapped at Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, 1996 |
| 104 | Alco RS3 | 1952 | née D&H 4117; Adirondack / R&S 29 | Scrapped at Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, 1996 |
| 2000 | Alco C420 | 1966 | née L&N 1312; Maryland & Delaware #50 | Low short hood. Scrapped at Little Ferry, late 1980s |
| 2002 / 260 / 2010 | Alco C420 | 1964 (s/n 3384-01) | née Long Island 221; V&M 202 | One physical unit, three NYS&W numbers. Sold to Buffalo Southern as BSOR 2010 |
| NYS&W | NYC / PC / CR | Alco s/n | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3000 | 2050 | 3494-01 | Western New York & Pennsylvania 430 (Livonia, Avon & Lakeville family) |
| 3002 (1st) | 2052 | 3494-03 | Wrecked February 3, 1987; scrapped Binghamton 1995 |
| 3004 | 2051 | 3494-02 | Wrecked February 3, 1987; scrapped Binghamton January 1989 |
| 3006 | 2056 | 3494-07 | WNYP 433. On the Oakland, Pa., Sea-Land photograph with #3004 |
| 3008 | 2055 | 3494-06 | Crankshaft failure 1986; scrapped Little Ferry (NIMX) June 1986 |
The eight Cartier Alco/MLW six-motors sat at Cohocton, New York, from late 2002, arrived on the Susquehanna 2004–05, and were sold in 2007 to lessors that placed them on WNYP / Delaware-Lackawanna. #3660 and #3662 were two of Alco’s three C636 demonstrators (636-2 and 636-3), later Morrison-Knudsen 5402/5403—not Australian units. The third demo, MK 5401, never wore NYS&W paint.
| Road no. | Model | Heritage | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3660 | Alco C636 | Alco demo 636-2; MK 5402; Cartier / RRPX 78 | Scrapped Cohocton, N.Y., January 2015 |
| 3662 | Alco C636 | Alco demo 636-3; MK 5403; Cartier / SIXX 77 | Scrapped Cohocton, N.Y., January 2015 |
| 3664 | MLW M636 | née CN 2300; Cartier / SIXX 41 | RRPX 41, leased to WNYP |
| 3666 (also 6366) | MLW M636 | née CN 2304; Cartier / SIXX 45 | WNYP 636; later New York & Lake Erie |
| 3668 | MLW M636 | née CN 2312; Cartier / SIXX 47 | WNYP 637; to Delaware-Lackawanna |
| 3670 (also 6370 on some lists) | MLW M636 | née CN 2302; Cartier / SIXX 43 | WNYP / RRPX 43 |
| 3672 | MLW M636 | née Cartier 75 | WNYP 638; to Delaware-Lackawanna |
| 3674 | MLW M636 | née Cartier 85 | WNYP 685; to Delaware-Lackawanna |
| Road no. | Model | Built | Heritage | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 116 | EMD NW2 | 1948 | née NYO&W 116; NYC 9501; PC 8684; CR 9264 | Restored in NYO&W paint; Arkville, N.Y. (Delaware & Ulster) |
| 120 | EMD SW9 | 1953 | Ex-C&O 5091 | Sold to AMPI, Dansville, N.Y., September 2006, as shop switcher |
Ex-BN SD45s and F45s made the railroad famous on stack trains over Gulf Summit and Starrucca. They first kept (or nearly kept) BN numbers in the 6360 and 6500 series, then took even 3612–3638 numbers. NYS&W later reclassed the two survivors as SD45-2s; they were built as SD45s. Norfolk & Western SD45 #1778 was a parts unit and never ran in Susquehanna service.
| Later no. | Early NYS&W / BN no. | BN heritage | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| — (parts) | 6360 | BN 6475 (would have been 3610) | Parts unit; scrapped Utica 1992. On the 1986 Oakland photograph |
| 3612 | 6362 | BN 6480 | Scrapped Utica 2004 |
| 3614 | 6364 | BN (s/n 36375) | Unrepairable at Dansville; off roster 10/2007; scrapped |
| — | 6366 | BN 6489 (would have been 3616) | Montana Rail Link 362; scrapped 2007 |
| 3618 | 6500 | BN 6500 | Still on NYS&W, reclassed SD45-2. Rebuilt Dansville 2006 |
| 3620 | 6503 | BN 6503 | MRL 365; scrapped 2007 |
| 3622 | 6509 | BN 6509 | MRL 364; scrapped 2007 |
| 3624 | 6513 | BN 6513 | MRL 360; scrapped 2007 |
| 3626 | 6361 | BN 6514 | MRL 359; scrapped 2007 |
| — | 6515 | BN 6515 (would have been 3628) | MRL 366; scrapped 2006 |
| 3630 | 6521 | BN 6521 | MRL 363 / ICE 363; scrapped 2007 |
| 3632 | 6525 | BN 6525 | MRL 361; scrapped 2007 |
| 3634 | 6542 | BN 6542 | Still on NYS&W, reclassed SD45-2. America 250 paint; June 5, 2026 special |
| parts | 1778 | née N&W 1778 | Parts only; never operated as NYS&W |
| Later no. | BN / early no. | Disposition |
|---|---|---|
| 3636 | BN 6640 (also listed as NYS&W 6640) | Scrapped Utica, September 2014 |
| 3638 | BN 6644; also NYS&W 6370 / 6644 | Montana Rail Link 390. Sold 2014; preservation reported as a possibility, not confirmed here |
| — | BN 6635, 6642 (photographed in NYS&W service on some lists) | Same BN F45 order (1971). Treat extra 6600-series identities as the same small F45 fleet, not extra locomotives |
| Road no. | Model | Heritage | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2300 | GE B23-7 | née L&N 5127; SBD 5127; CSX 3126; P&W 2214 | Sold to Finger Lakes (FGLK 2300), October 2011 |
| 2302 | GE U23B | née Conrail 2794; P&W / BDLX 2208 | Sold to Lehigh Railway (LRWY 2302), December 2008 |
| 2304 | GE U23B | née Conrail 2796; P&W 2207 | Sold to Lehigh Railway (LRWY 2304), December 2008 |
BDLX 2209 (Big Dog Leasing) ran on the Susquehanna as a lessee. It never carried a NYS&W road number.
Twenty-four Dash 8-40Bs were built new in Yellowjacket paint. The first four (#4002–4008) stayed into the 2000s and went to Providence & Worcester in 2004–05. The twenty units #4010–4048 were financed with CSX help in 1989 for stack trains (including the period when NYS&W was operating D&H). When CP took the D&H and the stacks faded, those twenty returned to CSX around 1991 as 5930-series B40-8s; several were later downgraded as CSX B20-8s.
| NYS&W | Built | Went to |
|---|---|---|
| 4002 | 1988 | P&W 4004 (sold 2004) |
| 4004 | 1988 | P&W 4001 (sold 2004) |
| 4006 | 1988 | P&W 4003 (sold September 2005; last Yellowjacket B40-8 on NYS&W) |
| 4008 | 1988 | P&W 4002 (sold February 2005) |
| 4010–4048 (even) | 1989 | CSX 5930–5949 series (not a 1:1 sequential map). CSX-financed; on the property only about 1989–91 |
| Road no. | Model | Heritage | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | EMD GP38 | née B&O 3800 | Sold April 2010; North Shore (NSHR) 2012, later NSHR 2017 |
| 2062, 2064, 2066 | EMD GP20 | Santa Fe via Toledo, Peoria & Western (2062 née ATSF 1140; 2064 née 1168; 2066 née 1151) | Scrapped Binghamton, July 2014. The previous American-Rails NYS&W table still listed them “for sale” |
| 3040 | EMD GP40 | née A&WP 732; SBD / CSXT 6652; CRL 256; NYS&W 256 (second) | Current. Utica Branch |
| 3042 | EMD GP40 | née N&W 1355 (high hood; received a low nose from SD45 3612) | Scrapped Utica, September 2014 |
| Road no. | Model as used | Heritage | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3010 | SD40T-2 (NYS&W also classed SD40-2) | née D&RGW 5397; SP 5397; UP 8590. Briefly numbered 3002 (second) | Current; stored Binghamton in many 2010s–20s lists. Still a tunnel-motor carbody |
| 3012 | SD32ECO / SD33ECO | née SP SD40T-2 8242 (4/1980) | Current. Rebuilt 2016 |
| 3014 | SD40T-2 | née SP 8321 | Current. Rebuilt / repainted Dansville, March 2007 |
| 3016 | SD32ECO / SD33ECO | née SP 8542 | Current. Wrecked Deposit, N.Y., August 9, 2018; rebuilt |
| 3018 | SD40-2 | née Southern 3267 (high hood); NS / BDLX 3267 | Current. Leased 2002–03, bought 2004; nose chopped, Dansville 2006 |
| 3020 | SD40 | née N&W 1603 (high hood); NS / BDLX 1603 | Scrapped Utica, September 2014 |
| 3022 | SD40-2 (reclassed; SD40 carbody) | née N&W 1605; NS / BDLX 1605 | Current. Nose chopped, Dansville 2006 |
| 3024 | SD40-2 | née BN 7200 (10/1979, s/n A3802); NS 3553. On property from about 2020 | Current. Maroon-and-silver heritage paint, 2023 |
Six GMTX / Oakway SD60s arrived in 2012. Two were in the August 9, 2018 Deposit wreck with #3016. By 2025 at least #3802 and #3810 wore WNYP marks; #3804 and #3808 have been listed sold to New Orleans Public Belt.
| Road no. | Heritage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3800 | GMTX 9016; née EMDX / Oakway 9016 (s/n 867150-17) | Wrecked Deposit, August 9, 2018 |
| 3802 | GMTX 9044; née EMDX 9044 | Sold to WNYP (photographed with WNYP marks by June 2025) |
| 3804 | GMTX / Oakway 9061 | Listed sold to New Orleans Public Belt |
| 3806 | GMTX 9067; née EMDX 9067 | Wrecked Deposit, August 9, 2018 |
| 3808 | GMTX / Oakway 9082 | Listed sold to New Orleans Public Belt |
| 3810 | GMTX 9094; née EMDX 9094 | Sold to WNYP (photographed with WNYP marks by June 2025) |
| Road no. | Model | Built / serial | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4050 | EMD SD70M | New 1995 | Sold to Norfolk Southern as NS 2797, September 2014 |
| 4052 | EMD SD70M | New 1995 | NS 2798, September 2014 |
| 4054 | EMD SD70M | New 1995 | NS 2799, September 2014 |
| 4060 | EMD SD70M-2 | s/n 20056710-51; ex-NS 2751 | Current. Arrived late 2020; Yellowjacket 2023 |
| 4062 | EMD SD70M-2 | s/n 20056710-74; ex-NS | Current. June 5, 2026 Binghamton–Callicoon special |
| 4064 | EMD SD70M-2 | s/n 20056710-8; née NS 2708 (2/2006) | Current. First of the four painted Yellowjacket, March 2023 |
| 4066 | EMD SD70M-2 | s/n 20046650-36; née NS 2684 | Current |
| Road no. | Model | Heritage | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2400 | EMD E9 (rebuilt) | née CB&Q 9991; BN 9921 | Sold to Larry’s Truck & Electric, 2006; later Cape Cod Central / Iowa Pacific, Hyannis, Mass. |
| 2402 | EMD E9 (rebuilt) | née CB&Q 9985; BN 9915 | Same sale path as #2400, 2006 |
The 1940 ACF motor cars and 1950 Budd RDCs were passenger cars, not locomotives. They are sketched on the history page, not here.
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