Was Rock Island responsible?

[Murphy Siding]

     Was Rock Island responsible for the invention of the diesel road switcher?  I've read various accounts of the inception of the ALCO RS1 road switcher.  Normally, they just say ALCO added a short hood to an S1 switcher, to have room for a boiler, and bingo> the road switcher was born.

     Recently,  I read that ALCO did that, based on a request from The Rock Island.  Who gets credit?

[creepycrank]

I guess the question should be, did the Rock Island intend to use it as a road switcher or just a switcher with a boiler. Somebody saw the value of using it for mainline work.

[BerkshireSteam]

EMD made called their switchers SW, Alco called them S's. I've road in an S6 before. I want to find an Alco S in N scale but I can't. I definetly wouldn't mind having an old S1-6 in my back yard. Or WC's GP30 #715. I hear the NRRM is selling it. Now only if I have few extra million dollars. Looking at the models of Alco's though I have noticed that the RS's pretty much look like the S's with a short hood. As much as I've wondered I've never asked around about it.

[Murphy Siding]

     You're right EMD switcherswere SWs.  I fixed the original post.  EMD did the same thing as ALCO, by adding a short hood to an SW switcher.  They called theirs an NW5.  Only 13 of those sold.  The museum/railroad in Duluth has one in GN colors.

[erikem]

Murphy Siding

     You're right EMD switcherswere SWs.  I fixed the original post.  EMD did the same thing as ALCO, by adding a short hood to an SW switcher.  They called theirs an NW5.  Only 13 of those sold.  The museum/railroad in Duluth has one in GN colors.

 

Ummmm....

EMD's first switchers were Six hundred HP available with Cast frames (SC1) and Welded frames (SW1).  EMD later made Nine hundred HP switchers with Welded frames (NW), some of which were made into road switchers. It was a bit later on that EMD figured "SW" made a logical designator for a switcher.

- Erik 

[jeffhergert]

The RI requested a diesel locomotive with a longer frame and trucks for road service.  The first 4 went to the RI and were late requisitioned by the U S Army.

One source says on the RI they were first assigned to replace 2-8-0 steam engines on trains between Burlington, IA and Sioux Falls, SD.     

Jeff

[wjstix]

I believe Great Northern got EMD NW-3's (GN class RS-1) for branch passenger service beginning in 1939, before Alco's RS-1 came out in 1940. They were basically EMD switchers elongated to fit a steam boiler, but they did the job.