Eastern Railroad Discussion > 1941 Alco S-2 Pulling Upgrade

North Alabama Railroad Museum
Huntsville, AL

This is a video I shot from the cab today as our 1941 Alco S-2 #213 pulls about 1.1 million pounds up up the grade. She was originally purchased by the TRRA in St. Louis. At some point in the early 70 it was sold to Manufacturers RR also in St. Louis. From there we are not really sure how it ended up in North Alabama but still happy to own her now. Like any piece of equipment nearly 80 years old it can be a bit finicky at times, but it's pretty cool to watch her still get the job done!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/19 13:23 by narailfan.

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Thanks for sharing!

Sweet, I could smell the exhaust.

They do produce a rather unique aroma don't they!

jb

Nice, do you have a photo or video of the locomotive and the train?

My favorite sound, that and the U25B!

1.1  million pounds?

The 1.1 million pounds is quite decieving for most folks because they won't take 3 seconds to figure the tonnage. Only five loaded cars or possibly 18 empties give or take. Easy work for the unit. We normally handled 4700 tons with out S1 when moving wheat and corn on some rolling hills.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/19 19:11 by dcfbalcoS1.

nothing like the sound of a 539 under load with the whistling turbo   love it... worked in yards on the b and m RR with alco  switchers kicking cars all day... can run  faster much faster the a emd switcher  .

Those ALCO switch engines were built tough, very gutsy.  I spent many a night, after doing homework, being allowed to ride in the Alameda Belt Line switcher while it switched customers.  One night we pushed 47 loaded cars back up into the yard.  That little engine did it well.

What were/are the advantages and disadvantages of blunt trucks? How about the same for AAR trucks? Are either design still viable? Thanks!

brc600 Wrote:
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> What were/are the advantages and disadvantages of
> blunt trucks? How about the same for AAR trucks?

Here's some info on the Blunt truck: https://www.american-rails.com/blunt.html
More discussion on trucks here: https://utahrails.net/loconotes/loconotes-trucks.php

I've never gotten a close enough look at one to figure out the springing. Certainly no springs are apparent from the outside. The "AAR" switcher truck is actually a Commonwealth / General Steel Castings design that came to be recommended by the AAR. It wasn't designed by them.

That video is pretty darn cool! Love the sound of an Alco turbo charged 539 prime mover!

SantaFeRuss

Shake, Rattle & Roll, great stuff.

A philharmonic orchestra couldnt sound as sweet as that old Alco!!