This Month In Diesel-dom
New: 1 January 2012	Data and Photo by: R. Craig
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American Locomotive Company	Alco introduced the DL600 (RSD7) to the railroad industry in January 1954. The six-axle RSD7 was a significant departure from all previous roadswitcher models built in Schenectady. The unit featured high hoods at each with notches sculpted at the corners. Internally, the Alco was propelled by a 244G V12 prime mover, which delivered 2250-horsepower. The G-series engine was coupled to a new Model 710 water-cooled turbo-charger, which had undergone years of development and testing. With the arrival of a sister unit in Febraury, the pair of 65'-1" long locomotives began a 50,000-mile demonstration tour. Assigned road numbers DL600 and DL601, the combo sported a classy maroon, gray and yellow color scheme created by noted railroad artist Howard Fogg. The two demonstrators were upgraded to 2400 horsepower and sold to the Santa Fe Railroad as #600 and 601. Ten additional RSD7s were delivered to ATSF during October and November of 1955.
Baldwin Locomotive Works	Smaller and younger than most of its Class One competitors, the Gulf Mobile & Ohio was not adverse to being a pioneer when it came time to purchase new motive power. The 1900-mile railroad had been among: The first to employee Alco DL109s units on passenger trains (in 1943), the first RR to buy Alco's 1500-hp FAs for freight service (in 1946), and the only owner of the rare 1500-hp Ingalls Shipbuilding #1900 (in 1946). It was that same pioneering spirit that led GM&O to sample BLW's new DR 64-2000 locomotive, with the delivery in 1947 of #270, the first of three 2000-hp passenger "A"-units. The "Rebel" and "Gulf Coast Rebel," were the trio's (270-272) domain for most of their early years. The rebels provided the first streamliner service in the South.
Electro-Motive Division	In terms of unit sales, EMD's SD18 was not a strong performer. Only 54 of the 1800-horsepower units were built, and they went to six different owners. One of those railroads was the coal and ore-hauling Chesapeake & Ohio. The C&O purchased a total of eighteen units with the first deliveries starting in January 1963. The six-axle locomotives wore the railroad's standard blue and yellow attire and carried #1800-1818 in the numberboards. Two features made the EMD six motors distinctive: A factory-applied low-nose, and a pair of Alco trimount trucks with GE traction motors. The Chessie System takeover brought new colors and a renumbering: 7300-7318.
	In January 1957, EMD delivered two 1750-hp FL9 demonstrators to the New Haven Railroad for extensive testing. Numbered 2000 & 2001, they were the first of a 30-unit order slated for Boston-New York commuter service. The dual-mode cab units were an elongated version of EMD's FP9 model, and they featured a 3-axle rear truck with pick-up shoes that drew power in third-rail territory. An additional 30 FL9s were delivered to the New Haven during 1959 / 1960; this last batch were powered by an 1800-hp V16-567 prime mover. Most of the FL9s were rebuilt during the late 1970s and early 1980s. After five decades of hauling commuters, some of the FL-9s were sold / donated to museums, while a few others were related to work-train duty on Amtrak. Three FL-9s are still seeing service on tourist operations.
Fairbanks-Morse & Company	Marketplace driven, Fairbanks Morse was not the type of company that could easily turned its back on a new opportunity. When the New Haven railroad approached the locomotive builder in 1955 about the design of a new light-weight passenger train, the Beloit, Wisconsin-manufacturer said yes. And in January 1957, the first P12-42s were readied for high-speed demonstration tests on the NH's John Quincy Adams. Numbered 3100 and 3101, the locomotives were powered by a 1700-hp, eight-cylinder 38D8 engine, and rode atop of two 4-axle trucks, each with a single traction motor. The cars were low-center of gravity, Talgo type.
General Electric	At the Erie Plant in Pennsylvania, General Electric has its sights clearly set on Alco and replacing the Schenectady-based builder as the second largest locomotive manufacturer in the world. For GE, 1961 begins with the roll-out of the first U25B production units. Attired in a rather simplistic red and white scheme, a 10,000-hp demonstrator team departs on a 12-month sales tour. The high-nose demonstrators carry road numbers 753-756. With their long-distance journey completed, the GE foursome is sold at the end of the year to the SLSF (Frsico) as #804-807.
	Looking much like their U25B predecessors, the first of the new 2800-hp B-B roadswitchers are delivered in January 1966 by General Electric. In gleaming orange and black, six U28B locomotives go to the Milwaukee Road as #393-398. An interim model, the newcomers, which employ a U25B body, help GE keep pace in the horsepower race with Alco's and EMD's 3000-hp catalog offerings. With delivery of New York Central #2822 & 2823, the U28B took on a pug-nose appearance, which carried thoughout all future U-Boat models. Production of the U28B ran for one year and totalled 148 units.
Montreal Locomotive Works	Generally speaking, locomotive demonstrators (with their promise of improved fuel efficiency, greater reliability, more pulling power, and reduced operating expense) garner lots of attention, and hopefully new orders from hosting railroads. However, that may not always be the case. For example, MLW's 251-powered RSD17 (RSD-15M) performed flawlessly on the Canadian National starting in January of 1957 for three months, as well as on the Canadian Pacific (4 months), and on Pacific Great Eastern (3 months) without bagging one single order for additional 2400-hp six-axle freight hauler. The unit was sold late in the year to the CP as #8921, where it operated for most of four decades.
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