ALCO S-1 and S-3


The ALCO S-1 and S-3 were switcher diesel-electric locomotives produced by ALCO and their Canadian subsidiary Montreal Locomotive Works. These two locomotive models differed only in that the earlier S-1 had ALCo#Blunt bogie trucks, while the later S-3 had AAR type A bogie trucks. The S-1 was built between April 1940 and June 1950, with a total of 543 completed, while the S-3 was constructed between February 1950 and November 1953 with total sales of 300. A modified version, the S-10, was built by MLW only; 13 were built between January and June 1958.

Identification

The S-1 and S-3 are distinguishable externally from the very similar S-2 and S-4 switchers in that they have a smaller exhaust stack with a round base and a smaller radiator shutter area on the nose sides. The S-1/S-3 radiator shutter area is taller than it is wide, while the S-2/S-4 radiator area is wider. The smaller stack is due to the lack of turbocharging.
The S-10 is not externally distinguishable from later Canadian-built S-3 locomotives; it differed mostly in electrical equipment.

Original owners

The S-1 and S-3 models were sold to an extensive list of railroads and industrial operators, as detailed below. Major owners of the S-1 included the New York Central Railroad, with 71 locomotives; the New Haven with 65 locomotives; the L&N with 45 locomotives; the C&NW, with 29 locomotives; and the Pennsylvania Railroad with 27 locomotives. Major customers for the S-3 included the CP, with 101; the CN, with 49; the NYC, with 43 locomotives; the B&M, with 16; and the PRR, with 13. The MLW S-10 was sold only to the CP.
The totals below include export orders and MLW-built locomotives.

S-1

ALCO constructed approximately 535 S-1s for the US market between 1940–1950.
RailroadQuantityRoad numbers-
Alabama Great Southern Railroad26501–6502-
Alameda Belt Line3D-1–D-3-
Alco 1660-
Alco 15-
Alco/War Department1GT-1304-
American Steel & Wire12-
Ann Arbor Railroad22–3-
ARMCO Steel3E106–E108-
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway22303–2304-
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad6223–227, 250-
Belt Railway of Chicago3304–306-
Birmingham Southern Railroad2100, 101-
Boston and Maine Railroad101163–1172-
Broward County Port Authority1410-
Canadian Car and Munitions15-
Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil53001–3005-
Central of Georgia Railway24, 6-
Central Railroad of New Jersey21024, 1025-
Champlain Paper and Fibre125-
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad3103–105-
Chicago and North Western Railway291202–1205, 1213, 1223–1229, 1232–1236, 1247–1258-
Chicago Great Western Railway511–15-
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway356, 57, 69-
Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway26000–6001-
City of Prineville Railway1101-
Donner Hanna Coal Company12-
Day and Zimmerman 13-100-
Defense Plant Corporation2DPC25.23, DPC25.24-
Delray Connecting Railroad466, 68, 70, 72-
Des Moines Union Railway41–4-
Detroit and Mackinac Railway1646-
East St. Louis Junction Railroad1100-
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway5213–217-
Erie Railroad16306–321-
Ford Motor Company46601–6604-
Great Lakes Steel Corporation132-
Green Bay and Western Railroad1102-
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad4661–664-
Hunken Conkey Construction21001–1002-
Inland Steel753, 56, 61, 62, 64–66-
Inland Waterways Corporation11-
Iowa Transfer Railroad12-
John Morrell & Co.17-
Kansas City Terminal Railway540–44-
Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad1103-
Lehigh Valley Railroad1117-
Long Island Rail Road14404–408, 413–420, 421-
Louisville and Nashville Railroad4516–29, 34–68-
Maine Central Railroad8953–960-
Massena Terminal Railroad28, 9-
Minnesota Transfer Railway560–64-
Missouri Pacific Railroad29007, 9008-
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway41–4-
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México55000-5004-
Newburgh and South Shore Railway73–7, 9, 10-
New Orleans and Lower Coast Railroad39013-9015-
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad650931–0995-
New Jersey, Indiana and Illinois Railroad11-
New York Central Railroad71590, 685–744, 864–873-
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad185-
Northern Pacific Railway1131-
Northern Pacific Terminal530–34-
Pennsylvania Railroad275661–5670, 5954–5956, 9100–9103, 9237–9246-
Point Comfort and Northern Railway15-
Port Huron and Detroit Railroad251, 52-
Portland Terminal Company41005-1008-
Procter & Gamble19-
Pullman Railroad220, 21-
Reading Company550-54-
Red River Ordnance Depot17372-
Republic Steel915–17, 312–314, D840, D841, D810-
River Terminal Railway152-
St. Louis and O'Fallon Railway151-
Seaboard Air Line11201-
Sheffield Steel Corporation311–13-
Solvay Processing Division, Allied Chemical31–3-
South Buffalo Railway451, 52, 60, 61-
Southern Pacific Company41017–1020-
Southern Railway32000, 2001, 2006-
South Omaha Terminal Railway51–5-
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway210, 1110 Sold to City of Prineville 102, 11 to Burlington Northern 11
Steel Company of Wales 5801–805-
Studebaker22, 3-
Tennessee Central Railway151-
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company3700–702-
Tennessee Copper2104, 105-
Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis4521–524-
Texas and New Orleans Railroad110-
Texaco119-
Texas City Terminal Railway230, 31-
Texas Pacific-Missouri Pacific Terminal Railroad of New Orleans23, 4-
Timken Rolling Bearing Company25911, 5912-
Toledo, Angola and Western Railway1101-
Traux Truer Coal110-
Union Railroad4451–454-
Upper Merion and Plymouth Railroad154-
U.S. Army117132-7136, 7141-7142, 7374-7375, 7459-7460-
Wabash Railroad9151–159-
Weirton Steel3200, 203, 204-
Western Maryland Railway1102-
Western Pacific Railroad8504–511-
Youngstown Sheet and Tube5661–665-
Total543-

S-3

ALCO and the Montreal Locomotive Works constructed approximately 300 S-3s for the North American market between 1950–1957.

S-10

MLW constructed 13 S-10s in 1958, all for the Canadian Pacific Railway.. These units were essentially similar to late-built S3s, though with minor updates to the electrical gear.
RailroadQuantityRoad numbers
Canadian Pacific Railway136601–6613

S-11

In 1959, MLW built a final order of 660 horsepower switchers for the Canadian Pacific, as model S-11. The internal machinery of these units was essentially the same as that of the S-10, but the car body was radically redesigned, with the radiator on the front end of the hood instead of on the sides.
RailroadQuantityRoad numbers
Canadian Pacific Railway106614–6623

In popular culture

At the end of the 1974 chase film Crazy Larry, Dirty Mary, the titular characters meet their end when they are hit by a train pulled by an S-1 locomotive.

Preservation

Numerous S-1 and S-3 locomotives remain in use, and several are preserved: