ALCO RS-3

ALCO RS-3
A former Central Railroad of New Jersey ALCO RS-3 at Steamtown National Historic Site
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder American Locomotive Company Montreal Locomotive Works Model RS-3 Build date May 1950 – August 1956 Total produced 1,418
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm); 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) for Brazil Trucks AAR type B Wheel diameter 40 in (1,016 mm) Minimum curve 21° Wheelbase 39 ft 4 in (11.99 m) Length 56 ft 6 in (17.22 m) Width 10 ft 1+5⁄8 in (3.09 m) Height 14 ft 5+1⁄8 in (4.40 m) Loco weight 247,100 lb (112,100 kg) Prime mover ALCO 244-D Engine type V12 Four stroke diesel Aspiration Turbocharger Generator GE GT-581 Traction motors (4) GE 752 Cylinders 12 Cylinder size 9 in × 10+1⁄2 in (229 mm × 267 mm)
Performance figures Power output 1,600 hp (1.2 MW) Tractive effort 61,775 lb (28,021 kg)
Career Locale North America; Spain (purchased from US railroads); Brazil (MLW);

The ALCO RS-3 is a 1,600 hp (1.2 MW), B-B road switcher diesel-electric locomotive. It was manufactured by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) from May 1950 to August 1956, and 1,418 were produced — 1,265 for American railroads, 98 for Canadian railroads, 48 for Brazilian and 7 for Mexican railroads. It has a single, 12 cylinder, model 244 engine.

Competition

ALCO built the RS-3 to compete with EMD, Fairbanks-Morse, and Baldwin Locomotive Works. In 1949, EMD introduced the EMD GP7. In 1950, Fairbanks-Morse introduced the 1,600 hp (1.2 MW) H-16-44. Also in 1950, Baldwin introduced the 1,600 hp (1.2 MW) Baldwin AS-16. In the case of ALCO, Fairbanks-Morse, and Baldwin, each company increased the power of an existing locomotive line from 1,500 to 1,600 hp (1.1 to 1.2 MW), and added more improvements to create new locomotive lines. All of this was to be more competitive with EMD. ALCO's 1,500 hp (1.1 MW) line was the RS-2, although 31 were built in 1950 with 1,600 hp (1.2 MW). Fairbanks-Morse's 1,500 hp (1.1 MW) line was the H-15-44. Baldwin's 1,500 hp (1.1 MW) line was the Baldwin DRS-4-4-1500. EMD, however, kept its competing GP7 at 1,500 hp (1.1 MW). But in 1954, EMD introduced the GP9. It was rated at 1,750 hp (1.30 MW).

In the end, EMD won the road switcher production race. EMD produced 2,729 GP7s. ALCO produced 377 RS-2s, and 1,418 RS-3s. Fairbanks-Morse produced 30 H-15-44s, and 296 H-16-44s. Baldwin produced 32 DRS-4-4-15s, and 127 AS-16s.

Brazil

In 1952 the Brazilian railway the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil purchased forty six new RS-3s from the Montreal Locomotive Works. Some are still active as work train engines for CPTM, Supervia, and CBTU – BH respectively São Paulo's, Rio de Janeiro's and Belo Horizonte's commuter railways. In Brazil these units were nicknamed Canadians or Hot Tails.

Spain

In 1964 the Spanish railway the Ferrocarril de Langreo purchased four RS-3s from the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis. A fifth unit, number 1604, was purchased in 1971 from the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN), a piece of surplus Great Northern Railway stock from the 1970 merger that formed BN. The locomotives served until 1984, when the line was converted to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge.

See also

• RS3m, a rebuild of the RS-3
• List of ALCO diesel locomotives
• List of MLW diesel locomotives

References

• Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western Power. Burbank, California: Superior Publishing. p. 140. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
• Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI. pp. 243–244. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
• Solomon, Brian (2000). The American diesel locomotive. MCI Publishing Company. ISBN 0-7603-0666-4.
• Coelho, Eduardo J. J.; Setti, João B. (1993). A era diesel na EFCB. Associação dos Engenheiros Ferroviários.