RS3m
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| Type and origin | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
| Build date | 1956 – 1978 |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| AAR wheel arr. | B-B |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Prime mover | EMD 567 |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Penn Central, Conrail, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, Chicago and North Western, Green Bay and Western Railroad, Amtrak |
| Locale | Eastern and Midwestern United States |
The RS3m is a diesel-electric locomotive rebuilt from an ALCO RS-3 road switcher. There are many variations with various spotting features, the common features being the ALCO RS-3 frame, trucks, and usually cab and short hood. Railroads started rebuilding their RS-3 fleets early on because of the unreliability of the ALCO 244 prime movers.
Perhaps one of the earliest examples of the RS3m is the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad's RS3m fleet. Built in the early 1950s by ALCO, the Katy had them rebuilt in the late 1950s by ALCO competitor, EMD, who rebuilt them with GP9 long hoods to make room for the larger EMD 567 prime movers.
The Chicago and North Western Railway had a fleet of RS-3ms that were rebuilt using ALCO components. These feature long hoods from ALCO RS-11 road switchers.
Penn Central started rebuilding RS-3s in 1972, using parts from retired EMD passenger engines. The RS3m rebuild program started in 1972 and continued until 1978 under Conrail. The bankrupt Penn Central needed more reliable local and secondary service locomotives and had a surplus of passenger locomotives. The result is a locomotive that has the frame, body and trucks from an ALCO RS3, but using fan assemblies and EMD 567 prime movers from retired passenger engines, such as the EMD E8, in place of the original ALCO 244 prime movers.
The principal visible difference on the Penn Central/Conrail rebuilds is the addition of two conical-shaped EMD switcher style exhaust stacks in place of the one rectangular-shaped ALCO stack and a raised hood. Later rebuilds would just have a raised feature on the long hood to accommodate the larger prime mover. The shape would vary from a rectangular shape with fillets on the long sides to a simple box on top of the long hood. These locomotives are often called DeWitt Geeps, so named because Penn Central started rebuilding them in their DeWitt, shops in Syracuse, New York.
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Wikipedia