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ALCO DH643
Southern Pacific #9152, formerly #9020. |
| Power type |
Diesel-hydraulic |
| Builder |
American Locomotive Company (ALCO) |
| Order number |
S-3374 |
| Serial number |
S-3374-01 – S-3374-03 |
| Model |
DH643 |
| Build date |
September 1964 |
| Total production |
3 |
| AAR wheel arr. |
C-C |
| UIC classification |
C'C' |
| Gauge |
4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) |
| Length |
75 ft 10 in (23.11 m) |
| Locomotive weight |
378,000 lb (171 t) |
| Prime mover |
ALCO 251C, 2 off |
| Engine type |
Four stroke diesel |
| Aspiration |
Turbocharger |
| Displacement |
8,016 cu in (131.36 l), 2 off |
| Cylinders |
V12, 2 off |
| Cylinder size |
9 in × 10½ in (229 mm × 267 mm) |
| Transmission |
Voith hydraulic |
| Top speed |
77 mph (124 km/h) |
| Power output |
4,300 hp (3,200 kW) |
| Tractive effort |
95,000 lbf (420,000 N) |
| Locomotive brakes |
Straight air |
| Train brakes |
Air |
| Career |
Southern Pacific Railroad |
| Number |
9018–9020 (later 9150–9152) |
| Locale |
North America |
The ALCO DH643, also known as the Century 643DH, was a twin-engine diesel-hydraulic locomotive, the first diesel-hydraulic road unit built in the United States. It had a C-C wheel arrangement and generated 4,300 horsepower (3,200 kW). Only three were built, all for Southern Pacific Railroad in 1964 (#9018–#9020). The Alco DH643s joined 21 Krauss-Maffei diesel-hydraulics already on the Southern Pacific's roster. These hydraulic-drive diesels spent most of their service lives in the flat San Joaquin Valley in California.
Dissatisfaction over the poor performance of diesel-hydraulic locomotives, as well as their use of foreign-made components (the hydraulic transmission was of German Voith design), eventually led Southern Pacific to scrap the DH643s in 1973.
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