ALCO RS-1

ALCO RS-1

DSSA #101 of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum poses for a photograph near French River, Minnesota.
Type and origin
Power type Diesel-electric
Builder American Locomotive Company
Montreal Locomotive Works
Model RS-1
Build date March 1941 March 1960
Total produced 469
Specifications
AAR wheel arr B-B
Gauge 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm), Brazil
Trucks AAR type B
Wheel diameter 40 in (1,016 mm)
Minimum curve 57° (116.14 ft or 35.40 m)
Wheelbase 40 ft 5 in (12.32 m)
Length 55 ft 5 34 in (16.91 m)
Width 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
Height 14 ft 5 in (4.39 m)
Loco weight 247,500 lb (112,300 kg)
Fuel capacity 1,000 US gal (3,800 L; 830 imp gal)
Prime mover ALCO 539T
Engine type In line Four stroke diesel
Aspiration Turbocharger
Displacement 1,595 cu in (26.14 l) per cylinder
9,572 cu in (156.86 l) total
Generator GE GT-553-C DC generator
Traction motors (4) GE 731 DC traction motors
Cylinders 6
Cylinder size 12 12 in × 13 in (318 mm × 330 mm)
Loco brake Independent air
Train brakes Air
Performance figures
Maximum speed 65 mph (105 km/h)
Power output 1,000 hp (746 kW)
Tractive effort 40,425 lbf (179.82 kN)
Career
Locale North America, Brazil, Saudi Arabia

The ALCO RS-1 was a 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by Alco-GE between 1941 and 1953 and the American Locomotive Company from 1953 to 1960. The Montreal Locomotive Works built three RS-1s in 1954. This model has the distinction of having the longest production run of any diesel locomotive for the North American market. The RS-1 was in production for 19 years from the first unit Rock Island #748 in March 1941 to the last unit National of Mexico #5663 in March 1960.

The hood unit configuration of the RS-1 pioneered the road switcher type of diesel locomotive, beginning the move away from the carbody units which featured on most diesel locomotives before then. Most North American locomotives built since have followed this basic design. In 1940, the Rock Island Railroad approached ALCO about building a locomotive for both road and switching service.[1]

The first thirteen production locomotives were requisitioned by the US Army, the five railroads affected had to wait while replacements were manufactured. The requisitioned RS-1s were remanufactured by ALCO into six axle RSD-1s for use on the Trans Iranian Railroad to supply the Soviet Union during World War Two.

Original Owners

First Thirteen

Railroad Quantity Road numbers Notes
Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railroad
3
901–903 to US Army 8010–8012
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (“Milwaukee Road”)
2
1678–1679 to US Army 8002–8003
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
4
746–749 to US Army 8004, 8007, 8005, 8006; 748 first RS-1 built in 3/41
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad
2
231, 233 to US Army 8000–8001
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company
2
601–602 to US Army 8008–8009
Total 13

Remainder of production

Railroad Quantity Road Numbers Notes
Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad
1
D-2
Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railway
11
101–111 To SLSF 101-111
Alaska Railroad
2
1000–1001

1000 at The Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry

Alton Railroad
10
50–59
Ann Arbor Railroad
2
20–21
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
6
2385–2388, 2394–2395 2385–2388 renumbered 2396–2399
Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railroad
10
904–913
Atlantic and East Carolina Railway
1
500
Bamberger Railroad
1
570 to Union Pacific 1270
Central Railroad of New Jersey
6
1200–1205
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
2
5114–5115
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railway
4
115–118
Chicago and North Western Railway
6
1066–1069, 1080–1081
Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad
12
252–263
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (“Milwaukee Road”)
5
1676, 1677, 961–963
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
11
735–745
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
8
100–107 to Soo Line Railroad
DuPont
4
105–108
Gaylord Container
2
302–303
GE-Atomic Energy Commission
4
39-3729 – 39-3732
Genesee and Wyoming Railroad
2
25, 30

25 was Bay Colony Railroad 1064 Current owner unknown

Grand Trunk Western Railway
2
1950–1951 Last RS-1s built for US Railroad 11/1957
Great Northern Railway
4
182–185 182 at West Coast Railway Heritage Park, Squamish, BC
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad
24
1102–1117, 1120–1127
Illinois Terminal Railroad
6
750–752, 754–756
Kansas City Southern Railway
4
1110–1113
Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion Railroad
2
20–21
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad
3
1001–1003
Long Island Rail Road
9
461–469
Midland Continental Railroad
2
401–402
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
35
various
renumbered 200–234
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
64
5606–5663, (5619–5624 twice) 5619–5621 (first) built by Montreal Locomotive Works. NdeM 5663 was the last RS-1 built 3/1960.
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
12
0660–0671
New York Central Railroad
14
8100–8113 renumbered 9900–9913
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
16
230–256 (even numbers only), 231 and 233 (second)
Northern Pacific Railway
4
155–158 renumbered 800–803
Pennsylvania Railroad
27
5619–5640, 5906, 8485–8486, 8857–8858
Rutland Railroad
6
400–405 400 Owned By Maryland and Delaware Railroad 22, Currently Arkansas and Missouri Railroad 22
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (“Soo Line”)
4
350–353
Soo Line (Wisconsin Central Railway)
9
2360–2368
Spokane International Railroad
12
200–211
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
2
50–51
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (Oregon Electric Railway)
4
52–55
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company
3
602–604
United States Navy
1
6 renumbered 65-00078
Washington Terminal Company
25
40–64
Arabian American Oil Company (Saudi Arabia)
6
A11x50, A11x51, 1002–1005
Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil
38
3100–3137 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)
São Paulo Railway, (Brazil)
6
504–509 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) to Estrada de Ferro Santos a Jundiaí
Estrada de Ferro Santos a Jundiaí (Brazil)
2
510–511 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)

Preservation

Several examples exist at tourist railways and railway museums, including:

See also

References

External links

Diesel Shop roster with all data from Extra 2200 South http://www.thedieselshop.us/Alco_RS1.HTML

Wikimedia Commons has media related to ALCO RS-1 locomotives.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, September 06, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.