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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by AlcoRS11Nut I heard some people talking about ALCo Prime Movers (244 and the 251), one said the 244 was better then the 251, and naturally the other person said the 251 was better. What was prime mover is really better? [/quote] The 251 engine was by far the better of the two. The 244 engine was one of Alco's problems. Let me quote from Steinbrenner's book "A Centennial Remembrance", "By the end of 1945, the mininal laboratory testing performed did not support proceeding into production, skipping both more exhaustive laboratory testing, and, then, road testing, a sequence that could not be avoided or done in paralle." He was referring to the 244 engine which was rushed into production. The 241 engine was available and one rational Alco engineer believed it could be further developed and put into production a full year ahead of the 244. But senior management insisted that the 244 begin production. (They felt it necessary to compete in the diesel market for locomotives.) This unfortunate decison was ultimately one of the nails in Alco's coffin. The 244 suffered crankshaft problems thus also effecting the connecting rods and pistons. As I have stated before railroads have long memories and many of the railroads never forgave Alco of this problem. The Century Line proved to be an excellent line of locomotives but after the 244 problems many railroads never gave Alco another chance. The Century Line used the 251 engine. Today the remaining Century locos are a prize amoung short lines for their pulling ability.
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