ALCO RSD-5

The ALCO RSD-5 is a diesel-electric locomotive rated at 1,600 horsepower (1.2 MW), that rode on a pair of three-axle trucks, having a C-C wheel arrangement.

ALCO RSD-5
Preserved Nickel Plate No. 324 (originally Utah Railway No. 306) at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in 2013
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder ALCO Model RSD-5 Build date 1952–1956 Total produced 204 (167 USA, 37 Mexico)
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR C-C Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Trucks ALCO trimount Wheel diameter 40 in (1,016 mm) Minimum curve 21° (274.37 ft or 83.63 m Wheelbase 42 ft 3 in (12.88 m) Length 56 ft 6 in (17.22 m) Width 10 ft 1+5⁄8 in (3.089 m) Height 14 ft 8+1⁄4 in (4.477 m) Loco weight 287,000 lb (130,000 kg) Fuel capacity 1,300 US gal (4,900 L; 1,100 imp gal) Prime mover Alco 244 RPM range 1000 (max) Engine type V12 Four-stroke engine diesel Aspiration Turbocharger Displacement 8,016 cu in (131.36 L) Generator GE GT566 Traction motors (6) GE 752 Cylinders 12 Cylinder size 9 in × 10.5 in (229 mm × 267 mm)
Performance figures Power output 1,600 hp (1.2 MW) Tractive effort 71,750 lb (32,550 kg)

Basically an upgraded version of the earlier ALCO RSD-4, and used in much the same manner as its four-axle counterpart, the ALCO RS-3, the six-motor design allowed better tractive effort at lower speeds.

Original owners

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
American Locomotive Company (demonstrator)	1	1606	to ATSF 2157
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	52	2110–2156, 2158–2162
Birmingham Southern Railroad	1	160
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway	26	5570–5595
Chicago and North Western Railway	10	1665–1667, 1684–1690
Central Railroad of New Jersey	1	1615
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road)	6	2150–2155	Renumbered 570–575
Pennsylvania Railroad	6	8446–8451
St. Louis Southwestern Railway	3	270–272
Southern Pacific Company	36	5294–5307, 5336–5339, 5445–5448, 5494–5507	21 of them traded back to Alco in 1960 and rebuilt into Alco RSD-12's
Southern Pacific (Texas and New Orleans Railroad)	24	155–176, 185–186
Utah Railway	1	306	to DLMX 324
Ferrocarril del Pacífico	35	801–835
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México	2	6900–6901
Total	204

Preserved units

As of 2024, there are only two unrebuilt RSD-5s known to be in existence.

• CNW #1689 is preserved and operational at the Illinois Railway Museum.

• Utah Railway #306 is preserved at the Utah State Railroad Museum awaiting a planned restoration to its Utah Railway colors. It is currently painted as Nickel Plate Road #324, from its former owner, Doyle McCormack of the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation.

Two former RSD-5s (rebuilt as RSD-12's) built for the Southern Pacific survive at the Orange Empire Railway Museum (SP #2954 and SP #2958).

References

• Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western Power. Burbank, California: Superior Publishing. p. 142. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
• Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Company. p. 247. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.