Navy Service

[Pete "Cosmo" Barrington]

Actually, it's the other way around, at least until recently.
Fast attacks were (mostly) named after cities and boomers after states, at least after the completion of the Polaris boats, which were mostly named for US Presidents. There were exceptions in both cases, the Mendel Rivers and the Hyman G. Rickover, both attack boats and both named after people, and the Ben Franklin, a Polaris boat named after a Non-President.
With the advent of the Virginia Class, we now have fast-attacks named for states, so all bets are off. 

[Stephen Hussar]

Most people don't realize that the first Philadelphia was a gunboat built on Lake Champlain in 1775, almost exactly 200 years before SSN690 was christened. Her hull is in the Smithsonian with cannonballs still imbedded in her side. The Philadelphia II, a reproduction built in 1991, sails during summer on Lake Champlain.

[Keith Taylor]

There is another connection between submarines and railroads, albeit a tenuous connection. While there were submersible boats earlier, it is generally acknowledged that the first "practical" submarines were the invention of John P. Holland of Paterson, NJ. Holland's first submarine...the Fenian Ram, is on display at the Rogers Locomotive Works museum in Paterson. Also on display is the Holland No. 1, which sank during it's trials and lay in the mud of the Passaic River in Paterson for many decades. Holland sold the first submarines to the U.S. Navy, which were built at his plant in Elizabethport, NJ...the Electric Boat company. The Electric Boat Co. facilities were located at the E'Port side of Newark Bay, right where the Central Railroad of New Jersey's "Bay Draw" bridge was located. The Electric Boat factory was later taken over by the Singer Sewing Machine Co. when sub production moved to Groton, Connecticut.
Keith

[Mike the Choochoo Nix]

I've always wondered if the production of diesel electric submarines in wartime advanced the the design  on diesel electric locomotives? I know GE made both.
Mike Nix

[Pete "Cosmo" Barrington]

Ok, now here's a connection for you:
It's pretty well known that the illustrator Howard Fogg worked for ALCO for some time, and durring that time he produced paintings of ALCO's line of locomotives in various road names.  BUT...
durring the late 50's/early 60's when nuclear power was in it's infancy, ALCO also made feedwater systems (amongst other things,) for the NAUTILUS. One of Foggs lesser know works is of a Navy tug towing the Nautilus on the Thames River near New London!

Also: Fairbanks Morse was briefly involved in the locomotive market in the early diesel years, but previously made marine diesels! The Diesel Generator Sets for subarines are still made by FM!
(I refer to them as the "Fairbanks-Morse Prime Mover," to the continued chagrin of the nukes.   )

[Pete "Cosmo" Barrington]

So, yes Mike, there's definitely a connection between diesel-sub diesels and locomotive diesels... how much of which I can't say, but I suspect you're way on there. 

[Ken Fleming]

Diesel boats and diesel electric locomotives operate almost equal.  Exception is number of propulsion motors and method of controlling propulsion.  Having served on 7 submarines, of which 3 were diesel boats (I've been there, done that).  Even nukes have diesels and can go diesel electric propulsion (even closer to GE units).  The engine room on a diesel boat is like standing in the engine hoods, at same time, of two EMD (or ALCO with FM engines) units running in notch 8 with a freight drag doing 15 mph.  If you stood in the hatch between both engine rooms it would be like four units.  I loved it! DBF

[Paul Horky]

Guys you should all know that during WW2 Baldwin Alco Fairbanks Morris EMD all supplied engines for both subs and surface ships and boats.

[Jock Ellis]

According to something I downloaded from the Internet, General Motors (did they get it wrong and it was GE) got a $10 million contract to build diesel engines for submarines during WWII. That must have really given the technology a big boost. On the other hand, steam engine builders, Alco, Lima and Baldwin, were prohibited from doing anything new to steam locomotives produced during hostilities. That is why, at his death in 1942, Will Woodard of Lima was still planning tappet valves, welded boilers and other improvements for after the war. By that time, all the roads were looking to diesels. Sounds like someone from the diesel camp got onto the War Production Board.
Jock Ellis