ALCO RS-2

ALCO RS-2
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder American Locomotive Company Montreal Locomotive Works Model RS-2 Build date October 1946 – May 1950 Total produced 383
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Prime mover Alco 244 Cylinders V12
Performance figures Power output 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW) later models 1,600 horsepower (1,200 kW)
Career Locale North America Algeria

The ALCO RS-2 is a 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW), B-B road switcher railroad locomotive. It was manufactured by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) from October 1946 to May 1950, and 383 were produced — 374 by the American Locomotive Company, and 9 by Montreal Locomotive Works in Canada. Eight of the ALCO RS-2s were exported to Canada and another five were exported to Algeria. 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 had 1,600 horsepower (1,200 kW) engines.

ALCO built the RS-2 to compete with EMD, Fairbanks-Morse, and Baldwin Locomotive Works. In 1947, Fairbanks-Morse introduced the 1,500 hp (1.2 MW) H-15-44. Also in that year, Baldwin introduced the 1,500 hp (1.125 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 (1.125 to 1.2 MW), and added more improvements to create new locomotive lines.

EMD, however, kept its competing GP7 at 1,500 hp (1.125 MW) In 1954, EMD introduced the GP9. It was rated at 1,750 hp (1.3 MW).

EMD produced 2,729 GP-7s. ALCO produced 383 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.

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
	1	1500 (2nd)	to Boston & Maine 1500
	1	1600	to AT&SF 2099
Office des Chemins de Fer Algériens	5	040DD1–040DD5
Alton and Southern Railway	15	28–42
Atlantic and Danville Railway	6	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 and 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
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) 567C engines
Danville and Western Railway	2	1–2
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, 950–954	to Erie Lackawanna
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
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 Coal
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (“Frisco”)	5	550–554	Rebuilt by EMD with 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) 567C engines
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
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
Union Railroad	12	601–612
Western Maryland Railway	5	180–184
Youngstown and Northern Railroad	1	231
Total	343 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 the Nevada Northern Railway. Additionally, one such example is on active service on the Texas State Railroad (rebuilt as an RS-2-CAT). The first production RS-2, originally sold to the Detroit & Macinac RR as their number 466, still exists. It was fully operable in freight service on the Michigan Southern RR until a few years ago, and is reportedly still stored at that railroads office in White Pigeon, Michigan.

References

• 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.