RS3m
Encyclopedia
The RS3m is a diesel locomotive
rebuilt from an ALCO RS-3
road switcher
. There are many variations with various spotting features, the common features being the ALCO RS-3
frame, trucks, and usually cab and short hood. Railroads started rebuilding their RS-3 fleets early on because of the unreliability of the ALCO 244 prime movers
.
Perhaps one of the earliest examples of the RS3m is the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
's RS3m fleet. Built in the early 1950s by ALCO, the Katy had them rebuilt in the late 1950s by ALCO competitor, EMD, who rebuilt them with GP9
long hoods to make room for the larger EMD 567
prime movers
.
The Chicago and North Western Railway
had a fleet of RS-3m's that were rebuilt using ALCO components. These feature long hoods from ALCO RS-11 road switchers.
Penn Central started rebuilding RS-3's in 1972, using parts from retired EMD passenger engines. The RS3m rebuild program started in 1972 and continued until 1978 under Conrail. The bankrupt Penn Central needed more reliable local and secondary service locomotives and had a surplus of passenger locomotives. The result is a locomotive that has the frame, body and trucks from an ALCO RS3, but using fan assemblies and EMD 567
prime movers
EMD E8
from retired passenger engines in place of the original ALCO 244 prime movers
.
The principal visible difference on the Penn Central/Conrail rebuilds is the addition of two conical-shaped EMD switcher style exhaust stacks in place of the one rectangular-shaped ALCO stack and a raised hood. Later rebuilds would just have a raised feature on the long hood to accommodate the larger prime mover. The shape would vary from a rectangular shape with fillets on the long sides to a simple box on top of the long hood. These locomotives are often called DeWitt Geeps, so named because Penn Central started rebuilding them in their DeWitt, shops in Syracuse, New York
.
had eight RS3u locomotives which are often mistakenly called RS3ms.
These locomotives were rebuilt by Morrison-Knudson (also known as M-K TE56s) between December 1975 and March 1976. They received ALCO 12-251C prime movers, boosting horsepower from 1600 hp to 2000 hp. To facilitate the larger prime mover, M-K raised the long hood six inches and moved the dynamic brake cooling to a box behind the cab. The units also received a cut-down short hood for greater visibility. Today the 506 survives in service on the Tioga Central Railroad of Wellsboro, PA.
had a fleet of RS-3's that were rebuilt, receiving the GP12 or GP16 designation after rebuilding. These look like normal ALCo RS-3's with the addition of more exhaust stacks.
Today, you can find rebuilt RS-3's in museums, shortlines and as industrial switchers. The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
has an operating RS3M painted as Lehigh Valley
211. Another example can be found on the Midland Railway
in Baldwin City, Kansas
. The Cape May Seashore Lines
also owns a former Conrail RS3M which is still painted in its faded former Conrail livery.
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
rebuilt from an ALCO RS-3
ALCO RS-3
The ALCO RS-3 is a 1,600 hp , B-B road switcher railroad locomotive. It was manufactured by American Locomotive Company and Montreal Locomotive Works from May 1950 to August 1956, and 1,418 were produced — 1,265 for American railroads, 98 for Canadian railroads, 48 for Brazilian and 7...
road switcher
Road switcher
A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive used for delivering or picking up cars outside of a railroad yard. Since the road switcher must work some distance away from a yard, it needs to be able to operate at road speeds, it must also have high-visibility while it is switching, and it must...
. There are many variations with various spotting features, the common features being the ALCO RS-3
ALCO RS-3
The ALCO RS-3 is a 1,600 hp , B-B road switcher railroad locomotive. It was manufactured by American Locomotive Company and Montreal Locomotive Works from May 1950 to August 1956, and 1,418 were produced — 1,265 for American railroads, 98 for Canadian railroads, 48 for Brazilian and 7...
frame, trucks, and usually cab and short hood. Railroads started rebuilding their RS-3 fleets early on because of the unreliability of the ALCO 244 prime movers
Prime mover (locomotive)
In engineering, a prime mover is an engine that converts fuel to useful work. In locomotives, the prime mover is thus the source of power for its propulsion. The term is generally used when discussing any locomotive powered by an internal combustion engine...
.
Perhaps one of the earliest examples of the RS3m is the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
's RS3m fleet. Built in the early 1950s by ALCO, the Katy had them rebuilt in the late 1950s by ALCO competitor, EMD, who rebuilt them with GP9
GP9
GP9 can refer to:* EMD GP9, a diesel locomotive* Glycoprotein IX, a human gene...
long hoods to make room for the larger EMD 567
EMD 567
The EMD 567 is a line of diesel engines built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. This engine, which succeeded Winton's 201-A, was used in EMD's locomotives from 1938 until its replacement in 1966 by the EMD 645. It has a bore of , a stroke of and a displacement of 567 in³ per cylinder...
prime movers
Prime mover (locomotive)
In engineering, a prime mover is an engine that converts fuel to useful work. In locomotives, the prime mover is thus the source of power for its propulsion. The term is generally used when discussing any locomotive powered by an internal combustion engine...
.
The Chicago and North Western Railway
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
had a fleet of RS-3m's that were rebuilt using ALCO components. These feature long hoods from ALCO RS-11 road switchers.
Penn Central started rebuilding RS-3's in 1972, using parts from retired EMD passenger engines. The RS3m rebuild program started in 1972 and continued until 1978 under Conrail. The bankrupt Penn Central needed more reliable local and secondary service locomotives and had a surplus of passenger locomotives. The result is a locomotive that has the frame, body and trucks from an ALCO RS3, but using fan assemblies and EMD 567
EMD 567
The EMD 567 is a line of diesel engines built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. This engine, which succeeded Winton's 201-A, was used in EMD's locomotives from 1938 until its replacement in 1966 by the EMD 645. It has a bore of , a stroke of and a displacement of 567 in³ per cylinder...
prime movers
Prime mover (locomotive)
In engineering, a prime mover is an engine that converts fuel to useful work. In locomotives, the prime mover is thus the source of power for its propulsion. The term is generally used when discussing any locomotive powered by an internal combustion engine...
EMD E8
EMD E8
The EMD E8 was a , A1A-A1A passenger train locomotive manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, or E8A, was manufactured from August, 1949 to December, 1953, and 449 were produced – 446 for U.S., and 3 for Canada...
from retired passenger engines in place of the original ALCO 244 prime movers
Prime mover (locomotive)
In engineering, a prime mover is an engine that converts fuel to useful work. In locomotives, the prime mover is thus the source of power for its propulsion. The term is generally used when discussing any locomotive powered by an internal combustion engine...
.
The principal visible difference on the Penn Central/Conrail rebuilds is the addition of two conical-shaped EMD switcher style exhaust stacks in place of the one rectangular-shaped ALCO stack and a raised hood. Later rebuilds would just have a raised feature on the long hood to accommodate the larger prime mover. The shape would vary from a rectangular shape with fillets on the long sides to a simple box on top of the long hood. These locomotives are often called DeWitt Geeps, so named because Penn Central started rebuilding them in their DeWitt, shops in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
.
RS3u
The Delaware and Hudson RailwayDelaware and Hudson Railway
The Delaware and Hudson Railway is a railroad that operates in the northeastern United States. Since 1991 it has been a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway, although CPR has assumed all operations and the D&H does not maintain any locomotives or rolling stock.It was formerly an important...
had eight RS3u locomotives which are often mistakenly called RS3ms.
These locomotives were rebuilt by Morrison-Knudson (also known as M-K TE56s) between December 1975 and March 1976. They received ALCO 12-251C prime movers, boosting horsepower from 1600 hp to 2000 hp. To facilitate the larger prime mover, M-K raised the long hood six inches and moved the dynamic brake cooling to a box behind the cab. The units also received a cut-down short hood for greater visibility. Today the 506 survives in service on the Tioga Central Railroad of Wellsboro, PA.
GP12 and GP16
The Missouri Pacific RailroadMissouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
had a fleet of RS-3's that were rebuilt, receiving the GP12 or GP16 designation after rebuilding. These look like normal ALCo RS-3's with the addition of more exhaust stacks.
Today, you can find rebuilt RS-3's in museums, shortlines and as industrial switchers. The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
The Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is an operating railroad museum located in Industry, New York. The museum started in 1971 with the leasing of a former Erie Railroad Depot from the Erie Lackawanna Railroad...
has an operating RS3M painted as Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
211. Another example can be found on the Midland Railway
Midland Railway (Kansas)
The Midland Railway is a heritage railroad headquartered in Baldwin City, Kansas.It was chartered in 1982 to find an abandoned railroad line to operate. Midland purchased the line from Baldwin City to Ottawa, Kansas from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1987, and began running excursion...
in Baldwin City, Kansas
Baldwin City, Kansas
Baldwin City is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States about south of Lawrence and west of Gardner. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,515. It is part of the Lawrence, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The Cape May Seashore Lines
Cape May Seashore Lines
Cape May Seashore Lines is a short line railroad in southern New Jersey. It offers two excursion services; a 30-mile round trip between Richland and Tuckahoe, and a 14-mile round trip between Rio Grande, Cold Spring Village, and Cape May City. The track is owned by New Jersey Transit and leased to...
also owns a former Conrail RS3M which is still painted in its faded former Conrail livery.