ALCO RS-2 Locomotive

ALCO RS-2

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ALCO RS-2
Type and origin
Power type	Diesel-electric
Builder	American Locomotive Company Montreal Locomotive Works
Model	RS-2
Build date	October 1946 – February 1950
Total produced	378
Specifications
AAR wheel arr.	B-B
Gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Trucks	AAR type B
Wheel diameter	40 in (1,000 mm)
Minimum curve	57°
Wheelbase	39 ft 4 in (11.99 m)
Length	56 ft (17 m)
Width	10 ft (3.0 m)
Height	14 ft 5 in (4.39 m)
Locomotive weight	249,600 lb (113,200 kg)
Fuel capacity	800 US gal (3,000 L)
Prime mover	Alco 244-B
Engine type	Four stroke diesel
Aspiration	Turbocharger
Generator	GE 5GT-564B-1
Traction motors	(4) GE 752-A
Cylinders	V12
Cylinder size	9 in × 10 1⁄2 in (229 mm × 267 mm)
Performance figures
Power output	1,500 hp (1.119 MW) @ 1,000rpm later models 1,600 hp (1.193 MW)
Tractive effort	62,500 lb (28,300 kg)
Career
Locale	North America

The ALCO RS-2 is a 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW), B-B road switcher diesel-electric locomotive. It was manufactured by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) from October 1946 to May 1950, and 378 were produced — 369 by the American Locomotive Company, and 9 by Montreal Locomotive Works in Canada. Eight of the ALCO RS-2s were exported to Canada. The RS-2 has a single, 12 cylinder, model 244 engine, developing 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW). Thirty-one locomotives built by Alco between February and May 1950 with the 12 cylinder 244C 1,600 horsepower (1,200 kW) engine.

ALCO built the RS-2 to compete with EMD, Fairbanks-Morse, and Baldwin Locomotive Works. In 1947, Fairbanks-Morse introduced the 1,500 hp (1.1 MW) H-15-44. Also in that year, Baldwin introduced the 1,500 hp (1.1 MW) DRS-4-4-1500. 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.

EMD, however, kept its competing GP7 at 1,500 hp (1.1 MW) In 1954, EMD introduced the GP9. It was rated at 1,750 hp (1.30 MW).

EMD produced 2,734 GP-7s. ALCO produced 378 RS-2s, and 1,370 RS-3s. Fairbanks-Morse produced 30 H-15-44s, and 296 H-16-44s. Baldwin produced 32 DRS-4-4-1500s, and 127 AS-16s.

Design and development

The RS2 was a further development of the road switcher concept. It had more horsepower than the RS1, and was better suited for heavy road service. Externally, the RS2 bodywork was more rounded, mechanically the new 244 engine was introduced. A turbocharged four stroke V12 with a 9” X 10 ½” bore and stroke developing 1,500 (later 1,600) hp at 1,000 rpm, it had a smaller cylinder, higher cylinder speed design than the 539 used in the RS1. Production of the RS-2 was delayed several months while Alco worked out the new four pipe divided low rise manifold for the GE constant pressure RD-1 turbocharger. The 244 engine was not a reliable design, however, and was replaced in less than ten years by the Alco 251 engine.^[1]

Original buyers

Locomotives built by American Locomotive Company, USA

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
American Locomotive Company(demonstrator)	2	1500 (1st), 1501	to Monon 29, 28, renumbered 59, 58
	1	1500 (2nd)	to Boston & Maine 1500
	1	1600	to AT&SF 2110, renumbered 2099
Alton and Southern Railway	15	28–42
Ann Arbor __________________________ Atlantic and Danville Railway	2 _______ 6	20,21 __________ 101–106
Belt Railway of Chicago	9	450–458
Birmingham Southern Railroad	2	150-151
Boston and Maine Railroad	9	1501–1504, 1530–1534	1530s had steam generators
Canadian Pacific Railway	5	8400–8404	Bought for operations in Vermont
Carolina & North-Western Railway	4	1–4
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway	2	5500–5501	to Lehigh Valley 217–218
Chicago and North Western Railway	1	1503
Chicago Great Western Railway	8	50–57	to Chicago and North Western 50-57
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad (“Monon”)	7	21–27	Renumbered 51–57
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad	5	450–454	Rebuilt by EMD with 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) 567Cengines
Danville and Western Railway	2	1–2	to Southern (Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific) 6206-6207
Delaware and Hudson Railway	26	4000–4025
Detroit and Mackinac Railway	6	466–469, 4610, 481
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway	10	800–809
Erie Railroad	19	900–913, 1000–1004	1000-1004 renumbered 950-954, to Erie Lackawanna 900-913, 950-954
Great Northern Railway	20	200–219	200-201 to SP&S 63-64
Green Bay and Western Railroad	4	301–304
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad	14	1501–1514
Kennecott Copper Corporation	9	100–102, 104–107, 902–903
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad	3	1501–1503
Lehigh and New England Railroad	13	651–663
Lehigh Valley Railroad	5	210–214
Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad	3	1700–1702	to Seaboard Air Line 1685–1687
Maine Central Railroad	5	551–555
Missouri-Illinois Railroad	1	61	renumbered 960
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad	17	0500–0516	All had steam generators
New York Central Railroad	23	8200–8222
Oliver Iron Mining Company	8	1100–1107
Ontario Northland Railway	2	1300–1301
Roberval and Saguenay Railway	1	19
St. Louis and Belleville Electric Railway	1	700	to Peabody Short Line 701, then Illinois Central 701
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (“Frisco”)	5	550–554	Rebuilt by EMD with 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) 567Cengines
Seaboard Air Line Railroad	5	1600–1604
	24	1605–1628	1,600 hp (1,200 kW)
Southern Railway	30	2101–2130
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway	3	60–62	to Burlington Northern 4000–4002
Texas and Pacific Railway	1	1100	to Texas Pacific-Missouri Pacific Terminal 23, renumbered 958
Texas Pacific-Missouri Pacific Terminal Railroad of New Orleans	2	21–22	Renumbered 956–957
Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway	7	200–206
Union Pacific Railroad	5	1191–1195	renumbered 1291-1295
Union Railroad	12	601–612
Western Maryland Railway	5	180–184
Youngstown and Northern Railroad	1	231
Total	338 31	1,500 hp 1,600 hp

Locomotives built by Montreal Locomotive Works, Canada

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Canadian Pacific Railway	4	8405–8408
Delaware and Hudson Railway (Napierville Junction Railway)	2	4050–4051
Ontario Northland Railway	2	1302–1303
Roberval and Saguenay Railway	1	20
Total	9	1,500 hp (1,100 kW)

Survivors

Very few RS-2s survive today. Three former Kennecott Copper locomotives are preserved, including Kennecott Copper 908 (former number 104) at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California. KCC 908 once served the mines out of Ely, Nevada along theNevada Northern Railway. Nevada Northern 105 is at Ely, Nevada, it was formerly the Kennecott Copper 105. Kennecott Copper 103 is at the San Diego Railroad Museum in Campo, California. It is painted as Santa Fe 2098. Another RS-2 is in active service on the Texas State Railroad (rebuilt as an RS-2-CAT). It is the former Union Railroad 608. The first production RS-2, originally sold to the Detroit & Mackinac RR as their number 466, still exists. It was fully operable in freight service on the Michigan Southern Railroad (1989) until a few years ago. As of September 2005, the 466 was stored out of service near the Michigan Southern's office in White Pigeon, Michigan. The former Detroit & Mackinac 469 was sold to Waymore Power and may be restored. The former Elgin Joliet and Eastern 801 is preserved in Jala, Mexico as a Las Encinas SA de CV 801. And MLW built Roberval and Saguenay 20 is at the Canadian Railway Museum
.