ALCO DH-643
| ALCO DH-643 | |
|---|---|
 ALCO DH643, Southern Pacific No. 9152
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| Numbering: | SP No. 9018-9020 1966: 9150-9152 1970: 9800-9802 |
| Number: | 3 |
| Manufacturer: | ALCO |
| Year of construction (s): | 1964 |
| Retirement: | 1973 |
| Axis formula : | C'C ' |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length over coupling: | 23.11 m |
| Service mass: | 171 t |
| Top speed: | 124 km / h |
| Installed capacity: | 3165 kW |
| Motor type: | ALCO 251C |
| Motor type: | 2 × 12-cylinder V-engine with exhaust gas turbocharger , 4 stroke |
| Power transmission: | hydraulic |
| Tank capacity: | 15,142 l |
| Brake: | Compressed air |
| Train brake: | air |
The DH-643 , also Century 643H from ALCO, was a diesel-hydraulic locomotive. They were the first line locomotives made in the United States to have such a drive.
history
As part of the testing of diesel-hydraulic locomotives, the Southern Pacific Railroad ordered three locomotives from ALCO in order to be able to compare them to the ML 4000 CC supplied by Krauss-Maffei from Germany . ALCO saw the possibility of being able to offer an American alternative to the imported locomotives and, with the development of the DH-643, to obtain a technological lead over possible competitors. In particular, it was to be determined whether the slow-running American diesel engines were suitable for diesel-hydraulic drive and whether a reduction in maintenance costs was possible at the same time.
ALCO delivered the locomotives in September 1964. Like the Krauss-Maffei locomotives, the vehicles proved to be more susceptible to damage and less efficient , especially when used on the routes in the rough mountain regions. The regular service then took place on the flat lines in the San Joaquin Valley in California .
Due to the frequent technical problems and the increased maintenance costs due to the hydraulic power transmission, the locomotives were retired in 1970 and scrapped in 1973.
Constructive features
The locomotives had two four-stroke - V12 diesel engines of ALCO 251C series with a total of 3,165 kW. Gearboxes manufactured by Voith served as power transmission. Otherwise, the locomotives were largely identical to the diesel-electric locomotives of the Century series .
literature
- Louis A. Marre: Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years . Kalmbach Publishing Co., Waukesha, WI 1995, ISBN 0-89024-258-5 , pp. 271 .
- David P. Morgan: Some different diesels . In: Trains . Kalmbach Publishing Co., November 1964, ISSN 0041-0934 , p. 4-5 .