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In May, 1948 four Alco RS-2 diesels arrived in Hickory to replace the old fleet of steam locomotives. The Carolina & North-Western was one of the first completely dieselized railroads in the southeast.
Initially, the units were a dark green (not Sylvan Green) with yellow striping and lettering.
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By the mid 1950's, most of the RS-2's were wearing Southern Railway's scheme of Sylvan Green, Imitation Aluminum, and yellow lettering. Here, #3 is seen in Gastonia in 1955. Note the railroad emblem on the short hood.
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General Foreman Frank Coffey remembered that the diesels performed admirably, but they caused him the "greatest grief of [his] life." The shop force, which had totaled nearly 40 men at one time, had to be cut down to a dozen. "To look a man in the eye and tell 'em that you don't need him anymore is a goddam thing hard to do," Frank once remarked. The photo at right was taken in 1948 at the Hickory shops by a Southern Railway photographer.
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