ALCO RS-11

The ALCO RS-11 is a class of diesel-electric locomotive rated at 1,800 hp (1.34 MW), that rode on two-axle trucks, having a B-B wheel arrangement. This model was built by both Alco (327 units) and Montreal Locomotive Works (99 units). Total production was 426 units.^[1]

ALCO RS-11
TPW 400, an RS-11 on display at Illinois Railway Museum, July 16, 2005.
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder ALCO, MLW Model RS-11 Build date February 1956 to June 1961 (Alco) November 1957 to April 1964 (MLW) Total produced 431
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Trucks AAR type B Wheel diameter 40 in (1,016 mm) Minimum curve 21° (274.37 ft or 83.63 m) Wheelbase 39 ft 4 in (11.99 m) Length 56 ft 6 in (17.22 m) Width 10 ft 1+5⁄8 in (3.089 m) Height 14 ft 5+1⁄8 in (4.397 m) Loco weight 257,300 lb (116,700 kg) Fuel capacity 2,000 US gal (7,600 L; 1,700 imp gal) Prime mover Alco 251B RPM range 1,000 rpm max. Engine type V12 Four stroke diesel Aspiration Turbocharger Generator GE GT 581 Traction motors (4) GE 752 Cylinders 12 Cylinder size 9 in × 10.5 in (229 mm × 267 mm)
Performance figures Maximum speed 70–85 mph (113–137 km/h) Power output 1,800 hp (1,300 kW) Tractive effort 64,325 lb (29,177 kg)
Career Locale North America South America

Development

The first three RS-11s were produced by ALCO in February 1956 as a demonstrator set. This locomotive, classified by ALCO as model DL-701, was their first high-horsepower road switcher,^[1] intended to be a replacement for the very popular RS-3 road switcher. Featuring a V-12, 1,800 hp (1,300 kW) 251B diesel engine, the RS-11 was ALCO's answer to EMD's very successful GP9. The turbocharged RS-11 accelerated faster, had a higher tractive effort rating and typically used less fuel than the competition. It was also quite versatile and could be found in heavy haul freight as well as passenger service. It was produced in high-nose and low-nose versions. Montreal Locomotive Works also built 351 nearly identical units, known as the RS-18, for the Canadian market.^[2]

While the RS-11 benefited from the increased power and reliability offered with ALCO's new 251B engine, and was arguably a more advanced product than the GP9, its market acceptance was disappointing against the reputation EMD's locomotives had made for superior reliability.

Original purchasers

Owner[3][self-published source?]	Quantity	Numbers	Notes
Alco	3	701, 701A, 701B
Carolina and Northwestern Railway	1	11
Chicago and Northwestern Railway	2	1613, 1624	RS-3s rebuilt by Alco in March 1960 as RS-11 with a 251-B engine but retained RS-3 high short hood.[4]
Delaware and Hudson	12	5000-5011
Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific	15	3600-3614
Erie Mining	15	300-314
Ferrocarril del Pacifico	1	1501
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México	94	7200-7293
Green Bay and Western	1	309
Lehigh Valley Railroad	4	400-403
Maine Central	1	801
Ministry of Communication and Transportation (Mexico)	4	7123-1 - 7123-4
Missouri Pacific	12	4601-4612
Monongahela Connecting Railroad	1	700
New York, New Haven and Hartford	15	1400-1414
New York Central	9	8000-8008
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad	35	558-577, 850-864
Norfolk and Western	99	308-406
Northern Pacific	18	900-917
Pennsylvania	38	8617-8654
Portland Terminal	1	1082
Seaboard Air Line	10	100-109
Southern Peru Copper Corp.	5	3-6, 8
Southern Pacific Railroad	34	5723-5729, 5845-5871
Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway	3	400-402
Total	431

Preservation

• Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific 3612 is preserved as York-Durham Heritage Railway 3612 at the York–Durham Heritage Railway in Ontario^[5]
• Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México 7282 is preserved at the Yucatán RR Museum in Mérida, Yucatán.
• New York, New Haven and Hartford 1402 is preserved at the Danbury Railway Museum in Danbury, Connecticut
• Toledo, Peoria and Western 400 is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois^[6]

See also

• List of ALCO diesel locomotives
• List of MLW diesel locomotives

References

1. Foster, Gerald (1996). A Field Guide to Trains. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 26. ISBN 0395701120.
2. Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1978). The second diesel spotter's guide. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Books. p. 248. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
3. Thompson, David. "Alco's RS11 - Original Owners". www.trainweb.org. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
4. Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western power. Burbank, CA: Superior Publishing Company. p. 144. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
5. "Our Trains - York-Durham Heritage Railway". York-Durham Heritage Railway. Archived from the original on 2019-07-12. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
6. "IRM Roster - Toledo Peoria & Western 400". Illinois Railway Museum. Archived from the original on 2000-12-18. Retrieved June 16, 2021.

• Steinbrenner, Richard T. (2003). The American Locomotive Company: A Centennial Remembrance. On Track Publishers, LLC. ISBN 0-911122-07-9.
• Roster from The Diesel Shop http://www.thedieselshop.us/Alco_RS11.HTML Archived 2011-12-16 at the Wayback Machine^{[self-published source?]}
• Waller, R. (1998). Locomotive Roster: 1976. Conrail Cyclopedia . Retrieved November 22, 2022, from http://crcyc.railfan.net/locos/misc/rosters/roster-76.html ^{[self-published source?]}