ALCO RSD-1

ALCO RSD-1

Former US Army ALCO RSD-1, now owned by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Donated from the Eglin Air Force Base Railroad when that operation was abandoned.
Type and origin
Power type Diesel-electric
Model RSD-1
Build date November 1942 – May 1946
Total produced 150
Specifications
AAR wheel arr. C-C
UIC class Co'Co'
Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in) – Russia
Length 55 ft 5 3⁄4 in (16.91 m)
Width 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
Height 14 ft 5 in (4.39 m)
Loco weight 247,500 lb (112,300 kg)
Fuel capacity 1,000 US gal (830 imp gal; 3,800 L)
Prime mover ALCO 539T
Engine type Straight-6 Four-stroke diesel
Aspiration Turbocharger
Displacement 9,572 cu in (157 L)
Generator DC generator
Traction motors DC traction motors
Cylinders 6
Cylinder size 12 1⁄2 in × 13 in (318 mm × 330 mm)
Transmission Electric
Loco brake Straight air
Train brakes Air
Performance figures
Maximum speed 65 mph (105 km/h)
Power output 1,000 hp (750 kW)
Tractive effort 40,425 lbf (179,820 N)
Career
Locale North America, Soviet Union, Iran
Former Soviet Railways Да20-09 (Da20-09) on exhibit at the railway museum in former Varshavsky terminal -- Saint Petersburg, Russia. Originally built by ALCO as a model RSD-1 in 1944 and exported to the USSR.

The ALCO RSD-1 was a diesel-electric locomotive built by American Locomotive Company (ALCO). This model was a road switcher type rated at 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) and rode on three-axle trucks, having a C-C wheel arrangement. It was often used in much the same manner as its four-axle counterpart, the ALCO RS-1, though the six-motor design allowed better tractive effort at lower speeds, as well as a lower weight-per-axle. It was developed to meet the Soviet demands of a locomotive with a lower axle load.[1] On the other hand, due to the traction generator and appurtenant control apparatus being sized for four axles and yet having two additional powered axles, it had poorer performance at higher speeds.[1]

Variations

There were three different specifications issued that covered the RSD-1 model; E1645 and E1646 were for wartime production for the US Army, while E1647 was a post-war order for the Mexican National Railways (Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México).

Soviet Union

Alco locos

Seventy of the RSD-1s were shipped overseas to the Soviet Union in 1944 and 1945 during World War II, as part of the Allied war effort. They were classed there as the Soviet Railways Да20 (Da20) class, also known after 1947 just as ДА (D for Diesel, A for Alco and 20 for axle load in tons).[1] These locomotives were also used on the Trans-Iranian Railway. The Soviets subsequently kept many of the RSD-1s after the war, adopting the design to form the basis of their own line of diesel locomotives TE1, TEM1 and TEM2. A dozen RSD-1s were sunk en route to the Soviet Union when the ship they were on was torpedoed by a German U-boat. According to Russian sources, 68 RSD-1 were received, and only two (Да20-41 and Да20-50) sunk on the way.[1] Some were still in service in the 1980s.[1]

Soviet locos

Diesel locomotive TE5-20-032 in the Railway Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Soviet-built TE1 (ТЭ1) was almost identical to the Alco product but locomotives after #TE1-20-122 had 41.5 inch, instead of 40 inch wheels. The TE2 (ТЭ2) was a twin-unit version of the TE1. The TE5 (ТЭ5) was a cold climate version of the TE1. The cab was extended to provide covered access to the engine inspection doors and a boiler was added to keep the cab warm when the engine was not running. [2]

US Army

The first 13 RS-1s were requisitioned by the US Army, returned to ALCO and rebuilt to RSD-1s #8000-8012 for use on the Trans Iranian Railroad. This effort was to supply the Soviet Union. See the RS-1 article for the identity of the first 13 RSD-1s.

Original owners

Specification E1645

Railroad Quantity Road Numbers Notes
United States Army
13
8000–8012

Persian Gulf Command, Iran

United States Army
44
8013–8056

Specification E1646

Railroad Quantity Road Numbers Notes
United States Army
30
8600–8629 to Soviet Railways Да20-1 to Да20-30
United States Army
11
8630–8640 lost in U-boat attack
United States Army
8
 8641–8648 to Soviet Railways Да20-31 to Да20-38
United States Army
1
8649 lost in U-boat attack
United States Army
30
8650-8679
United States Army
20
8680–8699 to Soviet Railways Да20-39 to Да20-58

Specification E1647

Railroad Quantity Road Numbers Notes
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
6
5700–5705
  1. ^ http://scaletrainsclub.com/board/download/file.php?id=55008&sid=e25a9b2a6cd75ffc669ffdc4982a61f3&mode=view

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Rakov, V.A. Lokomotivy otechestvennyh zheleznyh dorog 1845-1955, Moscow, 1995, ISBN 5-277-00821-7 (Russian), p. 371-372.
  2. ↑ Westwood, J.N. (1963). Soviet Railways Today. London: Ian Allan. p. 71.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to ALCO RSD-1 locomotives.

Another RSD-1 roster with build dates http://www.thedieselshop.us/Alco_RSD1.HTML

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/6/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.