Every October, Railfan & Railroad publishes our annual “All Alco Issue,” a special tribute to that beloved and dearly departed builder. On the occasion of this year’s edition — which is now on newsstands and can be purchased online — we dug into founding editor Jim Boyd’s archives for a look at Alco power from coast to coast.
Only on the SP&S
In July 1969, Jim Boyd found himself in the Columbia River Gorge trackside on the Spokane, Portland & Seattle, a longtime Alco customer. Here we see a consist that could probably have only happened on the SP&S in that era: Two C-424s lead two Alco FAs and an RS-3 west near Wishram, Wash. Within a few years, the SP&S would be merged into Burlington Northern, but the Alcos would still call the Northwest home well into the 1970s.
Six-Axles in the North Woods
In 1985, Jim Boyd was Michigan’s Upper Peninsula tracking down the Chicago & North Western’s C-628 locomotives in ore service. About a decade earlier, the C&NW had purchased 30 of the big Alcos from Norfolk & Western. On a perfect summer afternoon, three of the big Alcos lug an ore train out of town.
Alcos Big and Small
Prime examples of Alco’s biggest and smallest offerings are seen in this view by Jim Boyd in Kansas City. On the left is Kansas City Terminal S-2 59 and on the right is an A-B-B-A-A set of Santa Fe PAs in the railroad’s iconic warbonnet scheme.
Last Act in Boston
After being taken out of service by the Delaware & Hudson, the railroad’s four PA-4 locomotives made one more appearance on American rails before being sold to Mexico. In 1977, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority leased the classic passenger locomotives for service in and out of South Station. D&H 19 is seen departing on a Framingham Line train in October 1977.
South Station Switching
D&H Alcos weren’t the only ones working out of South Station in Boston in this era. On another day, Amtrak RS-3 106 switches cars while MBTA GP9s and an MBTA E-unit can be seen on either side. The RS-3 was built for the New York Central and then worked for Penn Central before coming to Amtrak. It was later rebuilt with an EMD diesel engine. It was finally retired from the Amtrak roster in 1995. Learn more about this and other Amtrak locomotives in the new White River Productions book “Amtrak By The Numbers: 2” on sale now.
