ALCO MRS-1

ALCO MRS-1

US Army No. 2085, on the Bay Coast Railroad

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder ALCO Serial number 80324-80406 Model RSX-4, Specification E-1670 Build date 1953-1954 Total produced 83

Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR C-C Gauge multigauge Length 55 ft 11 in (17.04 m) Loco weight 240,000 lb (110,000 kg) Prime mover Alco 244D Engine type Four-stroke diesel Displacement 8,016 cu in (131.36 L) Generator DC generator Traction motors DC traction motors Cylinders V12 Cylinder size 9 by 10 1⁄2 inches (229 mm × 267 mm) Transmission Electric Loco brake Straight air, Dynamic Train brakes Air

Performance figures Maximum speed 70 mph (110 km/h) Power output 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) Tractive effort 30,700 lbf (137,000 N) at 11 mph (18 km/h) (continuous)

The ALCO MRS-1 is a type of diesel-electric locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the United States Army Transportation Corps (USATC). They were built with multigauge trucks and to a reduced loading gauge for service anywhere in the world in the event of war.

The Korean War and the intensification of the Cold War at the beginning of the 1950s caused the USATC to consider what it might need for a new land war in Europe. They came up with a requirement for a locomotive capable of running on the existing tracks of a wide variety of railway systems. Key parts of the specification included adjustable-gauge trucks, compact bodywork to fit restrictive loading gauges, and replaceable couplers to fit a variety of systems. The trucks accepted wheelsets between standard gauge 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) and 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm), which encompasses the vast majority of the broad gauges in use worldwide, including those of the then Soviet Union (1,520 mm (4 ft 11 ²⁷⁄₃₂ in)) and the Iberian peninsula (1,668 mm (5 ft 5 ²¹⁄₃₂ in)).