Alco road switchers, part 4: the others
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- The 3rd part in my Alco road switcher documentary. Covering the low production Alco road switchers form 1956 to 1962
Thanks to all that contributed video footage to this video:
Andy S
/ blocksignals
RSD-15 video
fmnut
/ fmnut
RSD-12 and RSD 36 videos
sean ross
/ redhotrider57
RSD-15 videos
NorthlandTrains
/ kam32296
RS-27 video
DieselElevators
/ dieselelevators
RS-32, videos
All amazing locomotives, but RS11 for the win!
Thank you for doing these documentaries
Man, that engine was worse than a steam engine w that dark smoke coming out of it. Check out some of the RSD-16 still running with their original 251-C engines in them in Argentina. They don’t blow that much dark smoke at all. Good video!!
Rsd15 Alligator was a great locomotive. Everything that a rail fan could want in an engine. Big hulking V16 smoking. Chugging, and Loooong snout!!! What a machine.
I'm personally a big fan of the short high nose variants but then again I like that style of diesel all around even if it's somewhat less practical than say a lose nose diesel.
how many Alco's and models were sold out of US?
Argentina bought 130 RSD16 (DHL-540) 251B motor delivered 1957/59.
After 64 years service majority are still working fine, and seems we'll have them around for years(decate/s) to come.
Though originally heavy black smokers, after overhauling now they're over to thin white smoke.
saludos = cheers
🇦🇷Argentina
With three axle trucks not only do they get extra traction effort it also Smooths out the riding of the locomotive. The sd9s of the Southern Pacific were called Cadillacs because of the way they rode.
@01:16 I have NEVER seen a tank car with 6 heads on top before!! I wonder what specialized usage that was for?
I have always been a fan of Alco Diesel's as well as Baldwin's just because they had more "style" in their designs just like steam locomotives did. I really couldn't pick any single 1 as my absolute favorite because there are too many to choose from LOL
But I can say without question that the single railroad that did any Alco Diesel justice with a paint scheme was the D&H with their PA/PB's Passenger engines and 2nd I would have to say the LV on their RS & Century engines. I am not a railfan of either of those 2 railroads, but from a beauty contest, they both win in my opinion.
Another aspect I have always gravitated toward was the Alco design of their 3-Axle Truck designs and add to the uniqueness of them.
magnificent video. thank you.
Excellent video I enjoyed watching it.👍😀😀😀😀😀🚂🇬🇧
Thanks!
Good informative Alco video 👍
Thanks!
Great movie and great narration. Well done
Thanks!
Very Informative - nice job
Looking at getting back into N scale and the RSD-15 is on my short list. Great video(s)!
I, of course, encourage you to do so! If i may make a few suggestions, go with DCC. As for track, if you just want something easy to get started with and that is easy to change, go with Kato Unitrack. As for a model of the RSD 15, go for with the BLI version with sound.
Glad you like my video(s)!
Alco's are the best
Back in the old days, it was always a treat when on the L&N, I would come across an ex TC RS36.
L&N in the latter days kept the 900s in the northern coal fields, like all their ALCOs.
The Empress of Agincourt is 40kms from me inside the Elgin Country Railway museum. Museum's the old Michigan Central Shop.🚂🇨🇦
An excellent video. I wish that the train museum would turn one of the two CB&Q hopper cars around so I could read both "Way Of The Zephyrs" and "Everywhere West." Hello from the Tracy Mountain Railway in Colorado. 💙 T.E.N.
Notes:
RSD 12 and 15 introduced 1956. RS 27 introduced 1959 Alco, RS 32 introduced 1961 and Alco RS 36 introduced 1962
That RSD15 was such a beast. Have not seen one on a RR here in So Cal since the 90's and the Southern Pacific RR.
You could look in to the alco World Series locomotives
The difference between RS36 from a contemporary RS32 is the amount of pressure the turbocharger created. The argument thus for an RS36 was it would use less fuel and have a longer lived turbo.
OMG all that smoke...
Yes, they have *soot!*
I rather like the RSD-15s, especially the AT&SF black units with silver zebra stripes. 😌 These videos show why Alcos were termed “honorary steam locomotives” due to the thick black exhaust!
Check out that exhaust plume!
Gotta get out to IRM someday when they have 2407 lurking about!
One of the sister units to 2407 survives at the RR museum at Pine Bluff AR
Ive seen the gbw unit at irm and i can attest it smells just like it looks lol
the RS27 was the test bed for the C424
Many of the railroads that bought and were happy with Alco locomotives were also going into receivership and we're unable to buy new engines from anybody much less Alco. I hate seeing engines from any manufacturer being scrapped long before their service time simply because of a tax write-off deal.
There where no reported cases of lung cancer... while making this video....
“The engine has Soot!”
6:11 Fun Fact: This locomotive caused Climate Change all by itself
Luv the D&H Alco #5017 as a matter of fact I love anything D&H
5017 is a great locomotive to work with, miss that unit
The D&H is one of my favorite railroads too. Too bad it met such a terrible ending!
@@alcobufff The D&H is up there with my favorite railroads, their C628’s are to die for imo.
@@alcobufff The DH didn't die, it was butchered.
@@alcobufff What ending? It’s still in business.
I see why there called honorary steam engines .
ALCOs are just steam engines that don't know any better.
the A&M has one, its used on special holiday trains. it took place of the RS-1 that finally kicked the bucket, any other time a c-420 pulls the excursion.
(jus my opinion, but they could rebuild the RS 1 with a EMD 567.)
there is only a million of them that have set in storage during the recession back in the '00s
caused by a certain "president" ...wont say his name, but we all know who killed real-estate business.
Your use of the terms "turbocharger" and "supercharger" in relation to the RS32/RS36 is ambiguous. A "supercharger" is a device to increase compression of intake gases. There are two types, mechanically driven and exhaust driven, the latter are known as "turbochargers" due to being driven by a turbine rather than being mechanically linked. All Alcos that are not normally aspirated have turbochargers, starting with the 538/539 engine models (HH1000, S-2, RS-1) right up through the last of the Century series. Thus, saying that the RS36 had a turbocharger while the RS32 had a supercharger means nothing, as any turbocharger by definition is also a supercharger. The actual difference between the RS32 and RS36 was a combination of higher engine valve timing, higher governor rpm setting, higher capacity turbocharger, and higher capacity main generator. Also, the RS32, RS36 and RS27 all had the same length frame and the same size cab. The extra length of the RS27 long hood accommodating the 16 cylinder prime mover was taken from the short hood, not the cab. The apparent smaller size of the cab is an optical illusion.
Thanks for the advice and sharing….ms~~~
How did the former LS&I RSD unit get lettered for GBW?
Will you be talking about the T6 in a future video?
Sounds like a good idea, I'll have to look into it. I didn't not include the T6 here because its hard to classify just which family, switcher or road, that loco belongs to.
@@alcobufff the Norfolk and western had the most
Is MLW still building loco's? I seen some narrow gauge units that were smaller versions of these. In service somewhere out west hauling mine loads.
@@alcobufff Hello. Please feel free to delete the following. Quick correction. MLW/BBD was not nationalized or bailed out. BBD (as a private company) bought MLW, made a bit of money and then sold the plants (MLW in Montreal) to GE who used it for rebuilt GE loco , and then shut down the plants for good after a few years. The M420 and HR412 were the successor of the RS-18, wich was a big modern leap forward at that time. The ALCO 251 powerplant was very reliable. These loco were good puller and fast.. When BBD sold the MLW plant to GE, (and knowing GE had no intention to continue the MLW/ALCO/BBD line) CN purged all ALCO/MLW unit from it's roster around 1998. They live on in secondary and short-line today (M420/HR412) . Cheers
Looking to end it all? Climb up on an old ALCO and take a big snort of that exhaust
Tractick effort??? I thought it was tractive effort
Smoker all alcos
I wonder how many alcohols there are left in the united states actually running????
All that black smoke I am glad that just about all those ALCO locomotives are out of service.
G Mac Foamer
Should be noted, properly maintained they didn't smoke that badly.
@@henryszubielski8601 absolutely. Grew up next to BRC Clearing yard and those ALCO locomotives would smoke up the whole neighborhood. When they went EMD not only did the smoke stop the engine noise actually sounds kind of cool under load.
G, thats a sad comment
because they have a large single turbo design on their prime mover which causes turbo lag, it wont smoke so much if it uses smaller turbo
Before doing a video on ALCO locomotives you should do your homework. Horrible info. Wrong info. Sheesh
Most big engines had blowers like Detroit which is GM emd all had blowers it's na for a deisel