Having started out as an amateur rail photographer during the waning days of steam power in North America, I never became much of a diesel aficionado. As a result my rail photography activities largely went into eclipse during the decades following the 1950s. My interest revived in earnest only after advances in technology enabled me to share my early camera work via the Internet. The first effort in that direction was my Steam Locomotive Archive, which continues to be the flagship section of what has evolved into Richard Leonard's Rail Archive.

Neverthless, along the way I did take some photographs, later transparencies, of diesel locomotives both during the steam era and subsequently. A few of these images found their way into the Nonsteam Rarities page of the Steam Locomotive Archive. Later, as the Rail Archive expanded, I found a place for my diesel photos from the New York Central System in the New York Central Collection, and for those from the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio's former Alton Route in my GM&O Gallery. But a group of miscellaneous vintage diesel images remained, for which I had no home.

Eventually, I assembled many of these images into this Vintage Diesel Miscellany. To those photos for which I am responsible I have added a large number by my brother, Rev. David V. Leonard, late of Binghamton, New York, plus images supplied by Gary Thompson of Normal, Illinois, Tom Rock of Cleveland, Tennessee, and others. A few of my photos from the New York Central Collection are also presented here, plus some appropriate to the GM&O Gallery though not included there. With a few exceptions, including some older power now in museums, these images are from thirty-five to sixty-five years old. Those not attributed to other sources are my work, and have been copied digitally from transparencies or color and black-and-white negatives, or in a few instances scanned from prints.

In most cases I am offering only minimal commentary with these photos, due to my lack of familiarity with the realm of dieseldom. However, I try to provide the location and date for each photograph, plus builder models, years of erection, and other details such as alternate numbering and other owners, for the locomotives shown. Credit for much of the supporting information goes to The Diesel Shop and the various sites linked therein, and also to the Railroad Picture Archives site and to Don's Depot Railroad Photos by the late Don Ross (currently being redesigned). Click on the selections below to view the full-size images. You can also page through the collection sequentially.

Dr. Richard Leonard