Summary
The ALCO RS-11 is a class of diesel-electric locomotive rated at 1,800 hp (1.34 MW), that rode on two-axle trucks, having a B-B wheel arrangement. This model was built by both Alco (327 units) and Montreal Locomotive Works (99 units). Total production was 426 units.[1]
| ALCO RS-11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 TPW 400, an RS-11 on display at Illinois Railway Museum, July 16, 2005. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Development edit
The first three RS-11s were produced by ALCO in February 1956 as a demonstrator set. This locomotive, classified by ALCO as model DL-701, was their first high-horsepower road switcher,[1] intended to be a replacement for the very popular RS-3 road switcher. Featuring a V-12, 1,800 hp (1,300 kW) 251B diesel engine, the RS-11 was ALCO's answer to EMD's very successful GP9. The turbocharged RS-11 accelerated faster, had a higher tractive effort rating and typically used less fuel than the competition. It was also quite versatile and could be found in heavy haul freight as well as passenger service. It was produced in high-nose and low-nose versions. Montreal Locomotive Works also built 351 nearly identical units, known as the RS-18, for the Canadian market.[2]
While the RS-11 benefited from the increased power and reliability offered with ALCO's new 251B engine, and was arguably a more advanced product than the GP9, its market acceptance was disappointing against the reputation EMD's locomotives had made for superior reliability.
Original purchasers edit
Preservation edit
- Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific 3612 is preserved as York-Durham Heritage Railway 3612 at the York–Durham Heritage Railway in Ontario[5]
- Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México 7282 is preserved at the Yucatán RR Museum in Mérida, Yucatán.
- New York, New Haven and Hartford 1402 is preserved at the Danbury Railway Museum in Danbury, Connecticut
- Toledo, Peoria and Western 400 is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois[6]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b Foster, Gerald (1996). A Field Guide to Trains. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 26. ISBN 0395701120.
- ^ Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1978). The second diesel spotter's guide. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Books. p. 248. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
- ^ Thompson, David. "Alco's RS11 - Original Owners". www.trainweb.org. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western power. Burbank, CA: Superior Publishing Company. p. 144. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
- ^ "Our Trains - York-Durham Heritage Railway". York-Durham Heritage Railway. Archived from the original on 2019-07-12. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "IRM Roster - Toledo Peoria & Western 400". Illinois Railway Museum. Archived from the original on 2000-12-18. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- Steinbrenner, Richard T. (2003). The American Locomotive Company: A Centennial Remembrance. On Track Publishers, LLC. ISBN 0-911122-07-9.
- Roster from The Diesel Shop http://www.thedieselshop.us/Alco_RS11.HTML Archived 2011-12-16 at the Wayback Machine[self-published source?]
- Waller, R. (1998). Locomotive Roster: 1976. Conrail Cyclopedia . Retrieved November 22, 2022, from http://crcyc.railfan.net/locos/misc/rosters/roster-76.html [self-published source?]
