Alco diesels in production?

Here's something interesting that I never know before, Alco diesels are currently in production! Not only that, but guess who's building them; Fairbanks Morse! That's right, FM is building Alco 251 diesels in 8, 12, 16, and 18 cylinder versions. Now, just in case you don't believe me, take a look for you self: <http://www.fairbanksmorse.com/engines/commercial/alco/alco_loco.htm>
I had no idea that FM was still in business, much less building Alco diesels. And, of course, they are still building replacement parts for FM diesels of all types, including opposed piston engines.Now if I can just find somebody who's making Baldwin diesels.
Matthew Imbrogno
Keeping Baldwins alive through the 21st century.

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RE: Alco diesels in production?!, NorthShore_364, Feb-12-05, 03:43 PM, (1) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, NewEnglandRailFan, Feb-12-05, 04:06 PM, (2) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, ns_sd70m, Feb-12-05, 06:35 PM, (3) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, Claude350, Feb-12-05, 10:13 PM, (4) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, ns_sd70m, Feb-12-05, 10:33 PM, (5) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, KeltikSylk, Feb-13-05, 00:07 AM, (6) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, smallspy, Feb-13-05, 01:02 AM, (7) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, Chessie SD50 8563, Feb-13-05, 12:46 PM, (8) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, smallspy, Feb-13-05, 01:32 PM, (9) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, shoskins, Feb-13-05, 05:09 PM, (10) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, Chessie SD50 8563, Feb-13-05, 06:07 PM, (11) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, ASR_Q301, Feb-13-05, 11:27 PM, (12) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, Chessie SD50 8563, Feb-14-05, 00:31 AM, (13) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, Brad 110, Feb-14-05, 07:55 PM, (14) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, shoskins, Feb-17-05, 10:03 AM, (15) RE: Alco diesels in production?!, Brad 110, Feb-17-05, 07:24 PM, (16)

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LAST EDITED ON Feb-12-05 AT 03:44 PM (EST)

WOW! Anyone got the cash? It'd be nice to have a 251 burbling in your backyard.

Founding Member of the No Patch SP and SSW Locomotives Club

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Ha. Thats pretty cool. But I thought that Bombadiaer (or whatever the spelling is) bought ALCo many years ago and then just faded away untill the Acela craze.They make straight 6's all the way to V 18's. LoL
-Dave, Secretary of the Scrap the SD60F federation!

Former ALCo Schenectady, NY shop switcher #5, in North Creek, NY

You can e-mail me at davej8010@aol.com -or- hrrc_7324@yahoo.com -or- feel free to aim me.

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They could use one of those to make fake smoke in movies.

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Fake smoke huh???? Claude Debnam NS Piedmont Division Raleigh East

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> Fake smoke huh???? Let me re-state that then. 100% pure diesel soot!

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Cool! Thanks for the info.Frank MusickMoving America into the 19th Century!

www.kelticsylk.com

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F-M received the U.S. design rights to the 251 engine when their parent company (Worthington Corp.) bought what was left of ALCo in 1965, IIRC.BBD recieved the international design rights to the 251 as a result of their purchasing MLW in the late 1970ies. They still retain those rights, I believe.DanEveryone is entitled to their opinion no matter how wrong it is.

www.greatlakesrail.com

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>F-M received the U.S. design rights to the 251 engine when
>their parent company (Worthington Corp.) bought what was
>left of ALCo in 1965, IIRC.
>
>BBD recieved the international design rights to the 251 as a
>result of their purchasing MLW in the late 1970ies. They
>still retain those rights, I believe.
>
>Dan
Not 100% correctIn 1969 when ALCO called it quits the locomotive & prime mover design rights went to MLW-Worthington.1985 when BBD called ALCO production quits the entire locomotive and prime mover rights went to GE, this includes the 251 and the under development B2400. In the mid 1990's (1995 IIRC) the 251 design rights were sold to BFGoodrich-FM (Now Coltec-FM) and the 251 Trubo designs were sold to Globe Turbocharging. 1997 The locomotive design rights were sold to NRE.There was talk about producing new 251 powered locomotives but they have yet to materialize into anything relivant. The 251 was always a very clean burning engine beyond particulate matter generated by turbo lag. The is no doubt in my mind that a Tier 2 capable 251 could be produced... Its still possible to get parts for the prime movers of ALCO built locomotives due to FM, however they are not on the cheap side, this is the reason why many roads tend to have thier own parts supplys and contacts to major machine shops which can produce many of the parts needed. Although I've heard conflicting figures Im told a new 16-251F+ will run around $500-750K new.Matthew Mitchin
Chessie SD50 8563

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Thanks for the correction Matt.DanEveryone is entitled to their opinion no matter how wrong it is.

www.greatlakesrail.com

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While Fairbanks-Morse stopped making their own locomotives ages ago, they did continue to make industrial scales, and of all things, sewing machines.

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>While Fairbanks-Morse stopped making their own locomotives
>ages ago, they did continue to make industrial scales, and
>of all things, sewing machines. On a tangent. ALCO was for many years the only company in the US to have the ablity to operate Nuclear Power Plants. Many locomotive builders have had or do have non-rail industries. Matthew Mitchin
Chessie SD50 8563

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Hmmm...how about a 244?? If anyone is familar with Indian Railways, they are still building 251 powered WDM2 Class Alco's over there. The newest Alco over there is about 18 months old. Certainly the place to be if your an ALCo fan!>Mike Forster<
Perth, Western AustraliaMike.Forster.2005@gmail.com
http://www.trainweb.org/aussiepix

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One thing I forgot to mention is that NRE GE MLW ect had the rights for ALCO everywhere but IndiaAs for the 244, Im not sure who would have the rights for that anymore.Matthew Mitchin
Chessie SD50 8563

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F/M also makes outstanding marine diesels. I worked on several flavors of smae during my years in the USN.Brad Meyer

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>F/M also makes outstanding marine diesels. I worked on
>several flavors of smae during my years in the USN. Weren't most diesel-powered submarines powered by the Fairbanks-Morse "Opposed Piston" type engines?I know a lot of diesel-powered tugboats were...the OP's weren't quite suited as well for the banging around in railroad engines, thus they didn't last too long. The engines from the LIRR's F-M fleet actually went on to powr oil wells in Texas!!

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>Weren't most diesel-powered submarines powered by the
>Fairbanks-Morse "Opposed Piston" type engines?Virtually all to post WW II sub construction was F/M. When they went nuke, there is still a diesel (F/M at least through permit class).>I know a lot of diesel-powered tugboats were...I was on several ATFs and ARSs and they were almost exclusively ALCO powered. Most of those ships dated from before and during WW II and so far as I know all the F/M production was going into submarine construction. Quapaw (ATF 110 -- where the 110 in by name comes from) had 4 six-cylander 800 hp diesels hooked to DC generators for main propulsion, and GM's (one large, two small) for ships service electrical. 3 wirw 120v DC system. Running flourencent lights on DC is a hoot. The ballast has to be replaced with a resistor and the tubes themselves only burn about 80% as bright, but when one "burns out" it could be flipped end for end for several more hours of light.>the OP's
>weren't quite suited as well for the banging around in
>railroad engines, thus they didn't last too long. I wonder why that is. I can't imagine the Loco enviornment could have been any worse then a marine one. If the loco was operating it had to be within a very few degrees of level in both pitch and roll. On a sub they had to operate reliably up to 40 degrees of roll in either direction and 20 degrees of pitch front to rear. I wonder if there weren't other issues involved with the F/M locos beyond the roubustness of the diesel engines themselves.>The engines from the LIRR's F-M fleet actually went on to
>powr oil wells in Texas!!Interesting -- thanks for the info.
Brad Meyer

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