ALCO Century 415

The ALCO Century 415 was a road switcher diesel-electric locomotive of B-B wheel arrangement produced by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) as part of their Century Series of locomotives.

ALCO Century 415
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder ALCO Model Century 415 Build date 1966 – 1968 Total produced 26
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Prime mover ALCO 251-F Engine type Turbocharged four-stroke diesel Cylinders 8
Performance figures Power output 1,500 hp (1,100 kW)

Specifications

The C415 was a large switcher or small road switcher equipped with a raised cab mounted slightly off-center, with a lower, narrower hood on either side. The longer one contained the diesel engine, a 1,500 hp (1.1 MW) eight-cylinder turbocharged Alco 251-F, while the shorter contained auxiliaries. The C415 could be ordered with three different cab heights; a low one for minimum clearances, a regular height one, and an extra-height one for maximum visibility.

Trucks fitted were either Type B road trucks or ALCO Hi-Ad (high adhesion).

Service history

The locomotive was not that popular; 26 were built between 1966 and 1968 for seven different owners. The locomotive is still in use today. According to the November 2011 issue of Railfan & Railroad magazine, the Burlington Junction Railway now owns three C415s numbered 21, 701 and 702.[1]

Original owners

• Hamersley Iron in Western Australia bought the prototype in May 1968, formerly lettered as ALCO 415. The locomotive was equipped with a medium height cab and AAR Type B trucks.[2][3]
• Chehalis Western Railroad bought a single high cab unit with Hi-Ad trucks.[2]
• Columbia and Cowlitz Railway bought a single high cab unit with Hi-Ad trucks. (Both the Columbia and Cowlitz and the Chehalis Western are Weyerhaeuser properties)[2]
• Monongahela Connecting Railroad bought a single low cab unit with Hi-Ad trucks.[2]
• Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad bought ten medium cab units with AAR Type B trucks.[2]
• Southern Pacific Railroad bought ten high cab units with Type B road trucks.[2]
• Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway bought two medium cab units with Hi-Ad trucks; these were passed to the Burlington Northern Railroad, 4010-4011 after a merger between the two railroads.[2]

Preservation

• Southern Pacific Railroad 2406 is in Monterrey, Mexico, lettered as Fundidora Monterrey Steel 25.[4]
• Hamersley Iron 1000, formerly Alco Demonstrator 415 is at the Pilbara Railways Historical Society in Western Australia.[4][5]
• Monongahela Connecting Railroad 701 is at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.[4]
• Chehalis Western Railroad 684 is at Fife History Museum.[6]
• Buffalo Southern Railroad 423, formerly Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad 423 is at the Buffalo Southern's Hamburg Shops in Hamburg, New York.[7]

See also

• List of ALCO diesel locomotives

References

1. "Rare Alco Returns to Service in Iowa". Railfan & Railroad. November 2011. p. 24.
2. "Alco's C415 - Original Owners". TrainWeb. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
3. Oberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2010s. Kenthurst: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 352–353. ISBN 9781921719011.
4. "Preserved Alco and MLW-built Centuries". The Diesel Shop. 23 November 2006. Archived from the original on 6 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
5. Exhibits Pilbara Railway Historical Society
6. "Everyone Loves a Parade". Railfan & Railroad. September 2010. p. 22.
7. "Buffalo Southern Railroad (BSOR) Locomotive Photographic Roster". RR Picture Archives. Retrieved 15 February 2018.