Mid-Continent Railway No. 7, an S-1, rests between trains on October 10, 2004.
(The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
ALCO S-1 AND S-3
The ALCO S-1 and S-3 were 660 horsepower (490 kW) diesel-electric switcher locomotives produced by ALCO and their Canadian subsidiary Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). The two locomotives differed only in trucks, with the S-1 using ALCO's own Blunt trucks, and the S-3 using AAR type A switcher trucks. The S-1 was built between April 1940 and June 1950, with a total of 543 completed, while the S-3 was constructed between February 1950 and November 1953 (MLW until 1957) with total sales of 300. A modified version, the S-10, was built by MLW only; 13 were built between January and June 1958.
Identification
The S-1 and S-3 are distinguishable externally from the very similar S-2 and S-4 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) switchers in that they have a smaller exhaust stack with a round base and a smaller radiator shutter area on the nose sides. The S-1/S-3 radiator shutter area is taller than it is wide, while the S-2/S-4 radiator area is wider. The smaller stack is due to the lack of turbocharging.
The S-10 is not externally distinguishable from later Canadian-built S-3 locomotives; it differed mostly in electrical equipment.
SNCC No. 2004, an EMD SW1200, and Alco S3 No. RE 707, both work horse switchers for the Southeast Nebraska Co-Op grain elevators, in Beatrice, Nebraska, May 2012.
(Tequask, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Original owners
The S-1 and S-3 models were sold to an extensive list of railroads and industrial operators, as detailed below. Major owners of the S-1 included the New York Central Railroad (NYC), with 71 locomotives; the New Haven with 65 locomotives; the L&N with 45 locomotives; the C&NW, with 29 locomotives; and the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) with 27 locomotives. Major customers for the S-3 included the CP, with 101; the CN, with 49; the NYC, with 43 locomotives; the B&M, with 16; and the PRR, with 13. The MLW S-10 was sold only to the CP.
The totals below include export orders and MLW-built locomotives.
S-1
ALCO constructed approximately 535 S-1s for the US market between 1940 and 1950.
| Railroad | Quantity | Road Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama Great Southern Railroad | 2 | 6501–6502 |
| Alameda Belt Line | 3 | D-1–D-3 |
| Alco (demonstrator) | 1 | 660 |
| Alco (plant switcher) | 1 | 5 |
| Alco/War Department | 1 | GT-1304 |
| American Steel & Wire | 1 | 2 |
| Ann Arbor Railroad | 2 | 2–3 |
| ARMCO Steel | 3 | E106–E108 |
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | 2 | 2303–2304 |
| Baltimore and Ohio Railroad | 6 | 223–227, 250 |
| Belt Railway of Chicago | 3 | 304–306 |
| Birmingham Southern Railroad | 2 | 100, 101 |
| Boston and Maine Railroad | 10 | 1163–1172 |
| Broward County Port Authority | 1 | 410 |
| Canadian Car and Munitions | 1 | 5 |
| Central of Georgia Railway | 2 | 4, 6 |
| Central Railroad of New Jersey | 2 | 1024, 1025 |
| Champlain Paper and Fibre | 1 | 25 |
| Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad | 3 | 103–105 |
| Chicago and North Western Railway | 29 | 1202–1205, 1213, 1223–1229, 1232–1236, 1247–1258 |
| Chicago Great Western Railway | 5 | 11–15 |
| Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway | 3 | 56, 57, 69 |
| Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway | 2 | 6000–6001 |
| City of Prineville Railway | 1 | 101 |
| Day and Zimmerman (Iowa Army Ammunition Depot) | 1 | 3-100 |
| Defense Plant Corporation | 2 | DPC25.23, DPC25.24 |
| Delray Connecting Railroad | 4 | 66, 68, 70, 72 |
| Des Moines Union Railway | 4 | 1–4 |
| Detroit and Mackinac Railway | 1 | 646 |
| Donner Hanna Coal Company | 1 | 2 |
| East St. Louis Junction Railroad | 1 | 100 |
| Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway | 5 | 213–217 |
| Erie Railroad | 16 | 306–321 |
| Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil | 5 | 3001–3005 |
| Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México | 5 | 5000-5004 |
| Ford Motor Company | 4 | 6601–6604 |
| Great Lakes Steel Corporation | 1 | 32 |
| Green Bay and Western Railroad | 1 | 102 |
| Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad | 4 | 661–664 |
| Hunken Conkey Construction | 2 | 1001–1002 |
| Inland Steel | 7 | 53, 56, 61, 62, 64–66 |
| Inland Waterways Corporation | 1 | 1 |
| Iowa Transfer Railroad | 1 | 2 |
| John Morrell & Co. | 1 | 7 |
| Kansas City Terminal Railway | 5 | 40–44 |
| Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad | 1 | 103 |
| Lehigh Valley Railroad | 1 | 117 |
| Long Island Rail Road | 14 | 404–408, 413–420, 421 |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad | 45 | 16–29, 34–68 |
| Maine Central Railroad | 8 | 953–960 |
| Massena Terminal Railroad | 2 | 8, 9 |
| Minnesota Transfer Railway | 5 | 60–64 |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad | 2 | 9007, 9008 |
| Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway | 4 | 1–4 |
| New Jersey, Indiana and Illinois Railroad | 1 | 1 |
| New Orleans and Lower Coast Railroad | 3 | 9013-9015 |
| New York Central Railroad | 71 | 590, 685–744, 864–873 |
| New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad | 1 | 85 |
| New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad | 65 | 0931–0995 |
| Newburgh and South Shore Railway | 7 | 3–7, 9, 10 |
| Northern Pacific Railway | 1 | 131 |
| Northern Pacific Terminal | 5 | 30–34 |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 27 | 5661–5670, 5954–5956, 9100–9103, 9237–9246 |
| Point Comfort and Northern Railway | 1 | 5 |
| Port Huron and Detroit Railroad | 2 | 51, 52 |
| Portland Terminal Company | 4 | 1005-1008 |
| Procter & Gamble | 1 | 9 |
| Pullman Railroad | 2 | 20, 21 |
| Reading Company | 5 | 50-54 |
| Red River Ordnance Depot | 1 | 7372 |
| Republic Steel | 9 | 15–17, 312–314, D840, D841, D810 |
| River Terminal Railway | 1 | 52 |
| Seaboard Air Line | 1 | 1201 |
| Sheffield Steel Corporation | 3 | 11–13 |
| Solvay Processing Division, Allied Chemical | 3 | 1–3 |
| South Buffalo Railway | 4 | 51, 52, 60, 61 |
| South Omaha Terminal Railway | 5 | 1–5 |
| Southern Pacific Company | 4 | 1017–1020 |
| Southern Railway | 3 | 2000, 2001, 2006 |
| Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway | 2 | 10, 11, 10 Sold to City of Prineville 102, 11 to Burlington Northern 11 |
| St. Louis and O'Fallon Railway | 1 | 51 |
| Steel Company of Wales (UK) | 5 | 801–805 |
| Studebaker | 2 | 2, 3 |
| Tennessee Central Railway | 1 | 51 |
| Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company | 3 | 700–702 |
| Tennessee Copper | 2 | 104, 105 |
| Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis | 4 | 521–524 |
| Texaco | 1 | 19 |
| Texas and New Orleans Railroad | 1 | 10 |
| Texas City Terminal Railway | 2 | 30, 31 |
| Texas Pacific-Missouri Pacific Terminal Railroad of New Orleans | 2 | 3, 4 |
| Timken Rolling Bearing Company | 2 | 5911, 5912 |
| Toledo, Angola and Western Railway | 1 | 101 |
| Traux Truer Coal | 1 | 10 |
| U.S. Army | 11 | 7132-7136, 7141-7142, 7374-7375, 7459-7460 |
| Union Railroad | 4 | 451–454 |
| Upper Merion and Plymouth Railroad | 1 | 54 |
| Wabash Railroad | 9 | 151–159 |
| Weirton Steel | 3 | 200, 203, 204 |
| Western Maryland Railway | 1 | 102 |
| Western Pacific Railroad | 8 | 504–511 |
| Youngstown Sheet and Tube | 5 | 661–665 |
| Total | 543 |
CN MLW S3 8483 switching a reefer at the London, ONT. passenger station on July 4, 1966.
(Photo by Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard, railfan 44, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
S-3
ALCO and the Montreal Locomotive Works constructed approximately 300 S-3s for the North American market between 1950 and 1957.
| Railroad | Quantity | Road Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum Company of America | 1 | 8 |
| Ann Arbor Railroad | 4 | 4–7 |
| Boston and Maine Railroad | 16 | 1173–1188 |
| Brooks and Scanlon | 2 | 101, 102 |
| Champion Paper | 1 | 2104 |
| Chicago and North Western Railway | 6 | 1262–1267 |
| Davenport, Rock Island and North Western Railway | 7 | 1–7 |
| Davidson Chemical Division, W.R. Grace and Company | 1 | 101 |
| El Dorado and Wesson Railway | 1 | 18 |
| Ford Motor Company | 7 | 6605–6611 |
| Frederick Snare Corporation | 1 | 7 |
| General Portland Cement | 1 | 1 |
| Graysonia, Nashville and Ashdown Railroad | 1 | 51 |
| Greater Portland Public Development Corporation | 1 | 661 |
| Humble Oil | 1 | 997 |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad | 7 | 69–75 |
| Maine Central Railroad | 2 | 961, 962 |
| Manistique and Lake Superior Railroad | 1 | 1 |
| Mount Hood Railroad | 1 | 50 |
| New York Central Railroad | 43 | 874–916 |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 13 | 8873–8885 |
| Solvay Processing Division, Allied Chemical and Dye Corporation | 1 | 2 |
| Southern Pacific Company | 10 | 1023–1032 |
| Swift and Company | 1 | 664 |
| Texas and Northern Railway | 2 | 3, 4 |
| Texas City Terminal Railway | 1 | 32 |
| Texaco | 2 | 21, 22 |
| Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway | 1 | 30 |
| West Pittston and Exeter Railway | 1 | 6 |
| ALCO total | 137 |
Manufactured by MLW
| Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Bathhurst Power and Paper | 1 | 3 |
| Canadian Arsenals | 1 | 1 |
| Canadian National Railway | 49 | 8450–8498 |
| Canadian Pacific Railway | 101 | 6500–6600 |
| Essex Terminal Railway | 1 | 103 |
| LaSalle Coke | 1 | 4 |
| National Harbours Board | 8 | D2–D9 |
| Price Brothers | 1 | 106 |
| MLW subtotal | 163 | |
| Total | 300 |
S-10
MLW constructed 13 S-10s in 1958, all for the Canadian Pacific Railway, numbered 6601–6613. These units were essentially similar to late-built S3s, though with minor updates to the electrical gear.
S-11
In 1959, MLW built a final order of 660 horsepower switchers for the Canadian Pacific, as model S-11, numbered 6614–6623. The internal machinery of these units was essentially the same as that of the S-10, but the car body was radically redesigned, with the radiator on the front end of the hood instead of on the sides.
Preservation
Numerous S-1 and S-3 locomotives remain in use, and several are preserved:
- Ex-U.S. Army S-1 No. 7372 is at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum and painted in Western Pacific colors.
- Ex-Canadian Pacific MLW S-3 No. 6568 is at the Saskatchewan Railway Museum.
- Two Ex-Steel Company of Wales S-1s are preserved and are being restored to working order at the Nene Valley Railway in England.
- Ex-Erie Railroad S-1 No. 307 is preserved at Riverside Park, Manhattan and painted in New York Central colors.
Overview
Type and origin
Power type: Diesel
Builders: American Locomotive Company, Montreal Locomotive Works
Build dates S-1: April 1940–June 1950
Build dates S-3: February 1950–November 1953
Total produced S-1: 543
Total produced S-3: 300
Specifications
Configuration: • AAR B-B
Gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Trucks S-1: Blunt
Trucks S-3: AAR type A
Wheel diameter: 40 in (1,016 mm)
Minimum curve: 50° (118.31 ft or 36.06 m)
Wheelbase: 30 ft (9.14 m)
Length: 45 ft (13.72 m)
Width: 10 ft 2+1⁄2 in (3.112 m)
Height: 14 ft 4+3⁄8 in (4.378 m)
Locomotive weight: 199,000 lb (90,000 kg)
Fuel capacity: 635 US gal (2,400 L; 529 imp gal)
Prime mover: Alco 539T
Engine type: Four-stroke diesel
Aspiration: Natural
Displacement: 9,572 cu in (156.86 L)
Generator: GE GT 552-A
Traction motors: 4 × GE 731
Cylinders Straight: 6
Cylinder size: 12+1⁄2 in × 13 in (318 mm × 330 mm)
Performance figures
Power output: 660 hp (490 kW)
Tractive effort: 49,790 lb (22,580 kg)
Career
Locale: North America, Brazil, United Kingdom