ALCO S-6

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ALCO S-6
Hugh llewelyn 1231 (5963970156).jpg
SP No. 1231 at El Centro, California, in 1970
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel
Builder ALCO
ModelS-6
Build dateMay 1955–December 1960
Total produced126
Specifications
Configuration:
   AAR B-B
   UIC Bo′Bo′
Gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Length45 ft 5 in (13.84 m)
Width10 ft (3.05 m)
Height14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
Loco weight230,000 lb (104.3 tonnes)
Fuel capacity635 US gal (2,400 L; 529 imp gal)
Lubricant cap.140 US gal (530 L; 120 imp gal)
Coolant cap.110 US gal (420 L; 92 imp gal)
Sandbox cap.26 cu ft (0.74 m3)
Prime mover Alco 251A or B
RPM range375–1000 rpm
Engine type Four-stroke diesel
Generator GE GT-533 (or GE GT-584)
Traction motors 4 × GE 731 (GE 752 optional [1] )
Cylinders Straight 6
Cylinder size 9 in × 10+12 in (229 mm × 267 mm)
Performance figures
Maximum speed60 mph (97 km/h)
Power output900  hp (670 kW)
Career
Locale United States, Mexico
[2]

The Alco S-6 (specification DL 430) was a diesel-electric switcher locomotive constructed by ALCO of Schenectady, New York; a total of 126 locomotives were built between May 1955 and December 1960. The S-6 was an improved version of the earlier S-5.

Contents

Design

Visually indistinguishable from the S-5, the S-6 used an ALCO 251A or 251B prime mover rated at 900 horsepower (670 kW). The locomotive rode on two-axle AAR trucks, giving a B-B wheel arrangement. ALCO produced a cow-calf variant for the Oliver Iron Mining Company designated SB-8/SSB-9, two sets were produced of this version. [3]

Original owners

RailroadQuantityRoad NumberNotes
Allied Chemical Company 1110
ARMCO Steel 11202
B. Perini & Sons Construction Company 1101to Upper Merion and Plymouth Railroad 101
Belt Railway of Chicago 1420
Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico 160Renumbered 106
Cia Fundidora de Hierro y Acero 31–3
Ferrocarril del Pacífico 24701–723
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México 15300
Northern Pacific Railway 1750to Burlington Northern Railroad 950
Ohio River Company (ORCo)156
Republic Steel 3153, 317, 318
Secretaria de Comunicaciones de Obras Publicas (SCOP)37133-1, 2, 3to Ferrocarril del Sureste (same numbers)
Sheffield Steel 215, 16
Southern Pacific Railroad 701033–1082, 4634–4645renumbered 1200–1257, 1270–1281
South Buffalo Railway 640–45
Tennessee Copper 1107
Upper Merion and Plymouth Railroad 161
U.S. Pipe and Foundry 138
Columbia Geneva Steel 11
Western Maryland Railway 2151, 152
Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán 1301

See also

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References

  1. Strapac, Joseph A. (March 2013). Southern Pacific Historic Diesels Volume 18: Alco and GE Diesel Switchers. Bellflower, CA: Shade Tree Books. p. 73. ISBN   978-0-930742-44-7.
  2. "ALCO S-6 Data Sheet". The Diesel Shop. Retrieved 2006-11-29.
  3. Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. p. 230. ISBN   978-0-89024-026-7.