ALCO S-6

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ALCO S-6
SP No. 1231 at El Centro, California, in 1970
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel
BuilderALCO
ModelS-6
Build dateMay 1955–December 1960
Total produced126
Specifications
Configuration:
 • AARB-B
 • UICBo′Bo′
Gauge4 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 moverAlco 251A or B
RPM range375–1000 rpm
Engine typeFour-stroke diesel
GeneratorGE GT-533 (or GE GT-584)
Traction motors4 × GE 731 (GE 752 optional[1])
CylindersStraight 6
Cylinder size9 in × 10+12 in (229 mm × 267 mm)
Performance figures
Maximum speed60 mph (97 km/h)
Power output900 hp (670 kW)
Career
LocaleUnited 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.

Design[edit]

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[edit]

Railroad Quantity Road Number Notes
Allied Chemical Company 1 110
ARMCO Steel 1 1202
B. Perini & Sons Construction Company 1 101 to Upper Merion and Plymouth Railroad 101
Belt Railway of Chicago 1 420
Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico 1 60 Renumbered 106
Cia Fundidora de Hierro y Acero 3 1–3
Ferrocarril del Pacífico 24 701–723
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México 1 5300
Northern Pacific Railway 1 750 to Burlington Northern Railroad 950
Ohio River Company (ORCo) 1 56
Republic Steel 3 153, 317, 318
Secretaria de Comunicaciones de Obras Publicas (SCOP) 3 7133-1, 2, 3 to Ferrocarril del Sureste (same numbers)
Sheffield Steel 2 15, 16
Southern Pacific Railroad 70 1033–1082, 4634–4645 renumbered 1200–1257, 1270–1281
South Buffalo Railway 6 40–45
Tennessee Copper 1 107
Upper Merion and Plymouth Railroad 1 61
U.S. Pipe and Foundry 1 38
Columbia Geneva Steel 1 1
Western Maryland Railway 2 151, 152
Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán 1 301

In popular culture[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  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.

External links[edit]