ALCO RSD-1

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ALCO RSD-1
ALCO RSD-1
Former US Army ALCO RSD-1, now owned by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. TVRM has two of these unique locomotives.
Power type Diesel-electric
Model RSD-1
Build date March 1941 – March 1960
Total production 417
AAR wheel arr. C-C
Gauge ft 8½ in (1435 mm)
Length 55 ft 5.75 in (16.2 m)
Width 10 feet (3 m)
Height 14 ft 5 in (4.4 m)
Total weight 247,500 lb (110,000 kg)
Fuel capacity 1,000 gal (6,056 L)
Prime mover ALCO 539T
Engine type 4-stroke diesel
Aspiration Turbocharger
Displacement 8,256 in³ (135.2 L)
Cylinders Straight-6
Cylinder size 9 in × 10.5 in
(229 mm × 267 mm)
Transmission DC generator,
DC traction motors
Top speed 65 mph (105 km/h)
Power output 1,000 hp (745 kW)
Locomotive brakes straight air
Train brakes air
Locale North America, Soviet Union

The ALCO RSD-1 was a diesel-electric locomotive built by American Locomotive Company (ALCO). This model was a road switcher type rated at 1000 horsepower 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.

Most of the RSD-1s were shipped overseas to the Soviet Union during World War II, as part of the Allied war effort. Operated on the Trans-Iranian Railway, these locomotives kept the trains running and helped to assure eventual victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Subsequently, the Soviets kept many of the RSD-1s after the war, adopting the design to form the basis of their own line of diesel locomotives.

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