The ALCO RS-1 was a 4-axle
diesel-electric locomotive built by
Alco-GE between 1941 and 1953 and the
American Locomotive Company from 1953 to 1960. ALCO subsidiary Montreal Locomotive Works built an additional three RS-1s in 1954. This model has the distinction of having the longest production run of any diesel locomotive for the
North American market. The RS-1 was in production for 19 years from the first unit Rock Island #748 in March 1941 to the last unit National of Mexico #5663 in March 1960.
Design
In 1940, the Rock Island Railroad approached ALCO about building a locomotive for both road and switching service. To meet the Rock Island's request, ALCO created the RS-1. Their new design was a
hood unit, in contrast to most existing locomotive designs at the time which were predominantly
carbody units. The hood unit design allowed for improved visibility, especially to the rear. Rear visibility is very important for
switching, which often involves reverse movements. Unlike carbody units, hood units such as the RS-1 can be operated in reverse without much difficulty, eliminating the need to turn them around at the end of a line.
For these reasons, most North American locomotives built since have followed this basic design, which is known as the
road switcher
A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive
designed to both haul railcars in mainline service and shunt them in railroad yards. Both type and term are North American in origin, although similar types have been used elsewhere.
A road ...
.
Though the locomotive could operate in either direction, the "long" hood was officially designated as the front.
Production
The first thirteen production locomotives were requisitioned by the US Army, as U.S. involvement in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
began shortly after ALCO began production. The five railroads affected had to wait while replacements were manufactured. The requisitioned RS-1s were remanufactured by ALCO into six axle RSD-1s for use on the
Trans-Iranian Railway
The Trans-Iranian Railway ( fa, راهآهن سراسری ایران) was a major railway building project started in Pahlavi Iran in 1927 and completed in 1938, under the direction of the then-Iranian monarch Reza Shah. It was entirely built ...
to supply the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
during the war.
Variants
RSD-1: An RS-1 with two three axle trucks instead of the normal two axle trucks. The three axle trucks allowed the locomotive to operate safely on lighter track, as its weight was more evenly distributed by the additional axles. Unlike the RSC-1, all axles were powered.
RSC-1: An RS-1 with three-axle
trucks, having an
A1A-A1A
The AAR wheel arrangement system is a method of classifying locomotive (or unit) wheel arrangements that was developed by the Association of American Railroads. Essentially a simplification of the European UIC classification, it is widely used in ...
wheel arrangement. It was used in much the same manner as the original variant, though the
axle load
An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearin ...
was distributed for operation on light rail such as are found on
branch lines
A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line.
Industrial spur
An industr ...
.
Operating History
RS-1s were primarily operated in freight service, though in some cases they were also assigned to passenger trains. A few railroads equipped their RS-1s with steam heading equipment for passenger trains.
Many RS-1s were stationed in train yards for switching duties, assembling and taking apart trains to be hauled by mainline locomotives. True to their designation as 'road switchers', RS-1s could also be frequently found hauling mainline trains, especially on branch lines.
The RS-1 enjoyed a long service life, despite its manufacturer ALCO shutting down in 1969, just 9 years after the last locomotive was produced. Despite ALCO's closure, spare parts have been produced and marketed by other manufacturers for the RS-1 and other ALCO products. Many served for decades, and even in the 21st century a number of examples can still be found in freight service on shortline railroads, or on excursion trains at railroad museums.
Successors
The RS-1 was succeeded by two improved versions in ALCO's catalogue, the
RS-2 and
RS-3. Despite this, the RS-1 remained in production even after both of its successors were discontinued.
Original Owners
First Thirteen
Remainder of production
Preservation
Several examples exist at tourist railways and railway museums, including:
* Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad's RS-1 purchased in 1951 by the
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad
The Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad , is a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It began operations in 1896. The LS&I continues to operate as an independent railroad f ...
as #1002, sold to the Calumet & Hecla Railroad in 1967 as #205. Later purchased by Continental Grain Company, Marshalltown, IA circa 1975. Donated to the Iowa Railroad Historical Society,
Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad in 1996, painted and lettered as
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway #244.
* Consumers Power (CPOX) 401 1951 built RS-1 #79350 former Rutland 401 spent her final years of service switching coal cars at
Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy is an investor owned utility that provides natural gas and electricity to 6.7 million of Michigan's 10 million residents. It serves customers in all 68 of the state's Lower Peninsula counties. It is the primary subsidiary of C ...
's Essexville, MI power plant on the
Saginaw River
The Saginaw River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 7, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is formed by the confluence of the Tittabawassee and S ...
the unit is now at the Saginaw Railway Museum.
* Grand Trunk Western 1951 (last domestic RS-1 produced serial number 82356) at the
Illinois Railway Museum
* Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 745 (believed to be the oldest existing RS-1, and one of the replacements for the 13 taken by the U.S. Army) at th
Louisiana Steam Train Associationyard in Jefferson,
LA
*
Eastman Kodak Company 9 (built as Chicago & Western Indiana 260, sold to Genesee & Wyoming in 1971 and then to EKC) is preserved at the
Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.
*
Livonia Avon & Lakeville 20 (built as Lake Erie, Franklin & Clarion 20, sold to Livonia Avon & Lakeville) is preserved at the
Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.
*
Green Mountain Railroad 405 (former Rutland Railway 405, serial number 79575)
*
Catskill Mountain Railroad #400 (out of service & under repair) and #401 (operating) tourist train in Kingston NY.
*
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, we ...
#101, previously the only known locomotive existing from that railroad, is at the
Lake Superior Railroad Museum and has been restored for occasional use on the
North Shore Scenic Railroad.
*
Algers, Winslow and Western Railway #4 - Built as
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, we ...
#103, it is currently in service on the French Lick Scenic Railway, a line operated by the
Indiana Railway Museum
*
Ann Arbor Railroad #20 is owned by the Southern Michigan Railroad Society in Clinton, MI and on loan t
Shepherd, MI Railroad Depot Museum and Display*
Ann Arbor Railroad #21 is owned by the Southern Michigan Railroad Society in Clinton, MI. #21 is set to undergo cosmetic and operational repairs and a return to operational status by the end of 2015.
*
Soo Line 350 survives on display at the
Whippany Railway Museum
The Whippany Railway Museum is a railway museum and excursion train ride located in the Whippany, New Jersey, Whippany section of Hanover Township, New Jersey, Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, New Jersey, United State ...
in New Jersey as
Morristown & Erie 21.
* Former
Washington Terminal 57 is privately owned and in storage on the
East Penn Railroad at
Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Quakertown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2020, it had a population of 9,359. The borough is south of Allentown and Bethlehem and north of Philadelphia, making Quakertown a border town of both the Delaware Va ...
.
*
Great Northern 182 is on display at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in
Squamish, British Columbia.
* Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 743 is on display at the Oklahoma Railway Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.
* Two RS-1s are on display at the US Department of Energy's
Hanford Site
The Hanford Site is a decommissioned nuclear production complex operated by the United States federal government on the Columbia River in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. The site has been known by many names, including SiteW a ...
's B Reactor along with two flatcars.
See also
*
List of ALCO diesel locomotives
American Locomotive Company (ALCO) produced a wide range of diesel-electric locomotives until it ceased manufacture in 1969.
Boxcab locomotives
Switchers
Cab units
Four-axle road switchers
Six-axle road switchers
Century ...
*
List of MLW diesel locomotives
References
*
*Alco RS1 Study-Part I The Original Road Switcher by Don Dover Extra 2200 South Issue #57 Jul-Sep 1976 pp. 18–24.
*Alco RS1 Study-Part II The Original Road Switcher by Don Dover Extra 2200 South Issue #58 Oct-Dec 1976 pp. 18–21.
*Alco RS1 Roster Part 1 by Bob Carman and Joe Brockmeyer Extra 2200 South Issue #58 Oct-Dec 1976 pp. 22–23.
*Alco RS1 Study-Part III The Original Road Switcher by Don Dover Extra 2200 South Issue #59 Jan-Mar 1977 pp. 24–26.
External links
Diesel Shop roster with all data from Extra 2200 South http://www.thedieselshop.us/Alco_RS1.HTML
{{MLW diesels
Diesel-electric locomotives of the United States
B-B locomotives
RS-1
RS-1
Railway locomotives introduced in 1941
Rolling stock innovations
Standard gauge locomotives of Canada
Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
Standard gauge locomotives of Mexico
Standard gauge locomotives of Saudi Arabia
5 ft 3 in gauge locomotives
Diesel-electric locomotives of Canada
Diesel-electric locomotives of Mexico
Diesel-electric locomotives of Saudi Arabia