Summary
The ALCO RSD-5 is a diesel-electric locomotive rated at 1,600 horsepower (1.2 MW), that rode on a pair of three-axle trucks, having a C-C wheel arrangement.
| ALCO RSD-5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Preserved Nickel Plate No. 324 (originally Utah Railway No. 306) at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Basically an upgraded version of the earlier ALCO RSD-4, and used in much the same manner as its four-axle counterpart, the ALCO RS-3, the six-motor design allowed better tractive effort at lower speeds.
Original owners edit
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Locomotive Company (demonstrator) | 1 | 1606 | to ATSF 2157 |
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | 52 | 2110–2156, 2158–2162 | |
| Birmingham Southern Railroad | 1 | 160 | |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | 26 | 5570–5595 | |
| Chicago and North Western Railway | 10 | 1665–1667, 1684–1690 | |
| Central Railroad of New Jersey | 1 | 1615 | |
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) | 6 | 2150–2155 | Renumbered 570–575 |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 6 | 8446–8451 | |
| St. Louis Southwestern Railway | 3 | 270–272 | |
| Southern Pacific Company | 36 | 5294–5307, 5336–5339, 5445–5448, 5494–5507 | 21 of them traded back to Alco in 1960 and rebuilt into Alco RSD-12's[1] |
| Southern Pacific (Texas and New Orleans Railroad) | 24 | 155–176, 185–186 | |
| Utah Railway | 1 | 306 | to DLMX 324 |
| Ferrocarril del Pacífico | 35 | 801–835 | |
| Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México | 2 | 6900–6901 | |
| Total | 204 |
Preserved units edit
As of 2024, there are only two unrebuilt RSD-5s known to be in existence.
• CNW #1689 is preserved and operational at the Illinois Railway Museum.
• Utah Railway #306 is preserved at the Utah State Railroad Museum awaiting a planned restoration to its Utah Railway colors.[2] It is currently painted as Nickel Plate Road #324, from its former owner, Doyle McCormack of the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation.
Two former RSD-5s (rebuilt as RSD-12's) built for the Southern Pacific survive at the Orange Empire Railway Museum (SP #2954 and SP #2958).
References edit
- Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western Power. Burbank, California: Superior Publishing. p. 142. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
- Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Company. p. 247. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.