While the name implies something of the rodent kind, the "Black Rat". I had seen the locomotive once previously on one of my trips to the Steaming Tender in Palmer, MA. The late Bob Buck (a railfan, and owner of Tucker's Hobbies in nearby Warren) revealed this nickname, which was implied by it's dirty paint on the hood (it was covered with grime from extended periods of use) and how it hides in the yards. The "Black Rat" is currently owned by Conneticut Southern, the only reason she was so far north is because the local railroad, the New England Central, shares common ownership under Rail America. Here road number is 2340. She was built by the Electro Motive Division of General Motors in March of 1970. While I'm unsure of her original owner, 2340 has seen use on Norfolk Southern and the Pittsburgh Industrial Railway in Ohio. She's seen service on CSOR in Conneticut, and gone as far north (to my knowledge) as Saint Albans, VT.
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