ALCO RS-1

ALCO RS-1
ALCO RS1 of the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum, Oak Ridge, TN.
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 Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Length 55 ft 5+3⁄4 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) Prime mover ALCO 539T Engine type Four-stroke diesel Aspiration Turbocharger Displacement 1,595 cu in (26.14 L) per cylinder 9,572 cu in (156.86 L) total Generator DC generator Traction motors DC traction motors Cylinders Straight-6 Cylinder size 12+1⁄2 in × 13 in (318 mm × 330 mm) Transmission Electric Loco brake Independent air Train brakes Air
Performance figures 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. This model has the distinction of having the longest production run of any diesel locomotive for the North American market.

The carbody configuration of the RS-1 pioneered the road switcher type of diesel locomotive. Most 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.

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
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	905 Owned By Maryland and Delaware Railroad 22, Currently By Arkansas and Missouri Railroad 22
Atlantic and East Carolina Railway	1	500
Bamberger Railroad	1	570	to Union Pacific
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
Grand Trunk Western Railway	2	1950–1951	Last RS-1s built for US Railroad
Great Northern Railway	4	182–185
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 5663 last RS-1 built 3/60
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	46 Owned By Amtrak 46, Currently Massachusetts Central Railroad 46 47 Owned By Amtrak 47, Currently Tioga Central Railroad 47 out of service needs friction bearings 59 Owned by Essar Steel Algoma 59, Currently Southern Railroad of New Jersey 59
Arabian American Oil Company (Saudi Arabia)	6	A11x50, A11x51, 1002–1005
Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil	38	3100–3137
São Paulo Railway, (Brazil)	6	504–509	to Estrada de Ferro Santos a Jundiaí
Estrada de Ferro Santos a Jundiaí (Brazil)	2	510–511

Preservation

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

Grand Trunk Western 1951 (last domestic RS-1 produced) at the Illinois Railway Museum

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 745 (believed to be the oldest existing RS-1, and one of the replacements for the 13 taken by the U.S. Army) at the Louisiana Steam Train Association yard in Jefferson, LA

Eastman Kodak Company 9 (built as Chicago & Western Indiana 260, sold to Genesee & Wyoming in 1971 and then to EKC) is preserved at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.

Green Mountain Railroad 405 (former Rutland Railway 405, serial number 79575)

Catskill Mountain Railroad #400 (out of service & under repair) and #401 (operating) tourist train in Kingston NY.

Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway #101, the only known locomotive existing from that railroad, is at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and has been restored for occasional use on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.

See also

• List of ALCO diesel locomotives
• List of MLW diesel locomotives