Roster Review: D&H RS3-ms in 1984

#501 (December 1975)

In the mid-1970s the D&H's fleet of RS3 engines was wearing out. Faced with the options of purchasing more engines new or used, they instead decided to have rebuilt some of their existing RS3s. So, between December 1975 and March 1976 they sent 8 engines (#4106, 4107, 4112, 4113, 4115, 4119, 4122, and 4128) to Morrison-Knudsen in Boise, Idaho to be rebuilt. I have seen one source say ten engines were sent but eight returned, the other two being used for parts or later determined not worth fixing. With their short, rounded noses and large boxes behind the cab, their are easily identifiable.

#505 (October 1982)

The original 1,600 hp Alco 244 prime movers were unreliable, so many railroads besides the D&H began rebuilding engines with them in the 1970s. Here, they were given new power plants with more reliable 2,000 hp 12-251C engines which was larger and required raising their long hoods by six inches; their noses were chopped, dynamic brake cooling boxes were relocated behind the cab, and the rest of the engine's parts were refurbished. They were renumbered #501-508 and seven were repainted in the lightning stripe scheme, while #506 (formerly #4112) was painted in the Bicentennial scheme.

#503 (January 12, 1980)

When they came back, the D&H classified them as ARS-20M (RS3m engines), though Morrison-Knudsen referred to them as TE56-4A. However, some people also refer to them as as RS3u engines. If you have time to burn, here is an interesting online discussion on exactly what they should be called.

#502 (October 08, 1980)

In 1984, engines #501, #503, #504, #505, #507, and #508 were still painted in the lightning stripe scheme with no numbers on the sides of the hood. Like all of the other engines so painted, they got grubby pretty quick and by 1984 all had large numbers on their sides which would indicate at least partial, if not full, repainting occurred in the early 1980s. I am not sure what determined if a partial or complete repaint was in order, but likely whatever was cheapest. Engine #502 was the only RS-3m to be repainted into the "Altschul blue" scheme with yellow chevrons. And, of course, #506 received the bicentennial scheme at the time of rebuilding. 

#1976 (May 1977)

They all lasted on the D&H until 1988 when they were retired. That isn't very long for a class of engines that only served 12 years after being rebuilt (which sadly was longer than the ill-fated PA-4 engines). However, Guilford was simplifying its extended locomotive fleet over the three railroads it owned and in doing so was purging all Alcos from the roster. Thus, these had to go. One survives today, #506, which was the bicentennial unit. Perhaps because of its appealing paint scheme and usage on tourist railroads, it kept its red, white, and blue up until 2014 when it was repainted. Today, it works on the Western New York and Pennsylvania as #406 (discussed here).

RS-3, no #, to be #4501 (March 19, 1977)

Were they successful? No. The D&H decided not to do any more conversations because the engines were slippery and tended to struggle with heavy loads. One theory behind that is because the 2,000 hp primer mover was too powerful for such a lightweight engine body. More modern locomotives which use larger engines weight more, allowing them to get better traction. However, it appears around the same time the Colonie Shops attempted to rebuild an RS-3 in house along the same lines. Perhaps they thought they could do it cheaper, or faster? I don't know, but the engine was never completed.

Picture of Shell from website - used with permission

For those who can afford it, Overland Models has also imported a brass model (item number AA-1271-1 in 2008. They may have imported other road numbers as well. They are gorgeous models and I would love one, but likely will never have it. For the rest of us, Puttman Locomotive Works offers a cast-resin HO scale shell specifically based on the D&H's engines. They are designed to drop onto Atlas RS3 chassis. No handrails, cab glass, or other details are provided. The price ($38) is decent, so I likely will purchase several and store them for some time in the future when I want to build a couple. As I have a bunch of powered engines already, I might even make mine un-powered "dummies" to simplify things.

#502 in blue sandwiched in the middle (1982)

Of all the RS3m engines, I really want a model of #502 because I love the solid blue and yellow chevron scheme. It would also be nice to have #506 because it lasted as a bicentennial unit through my time period. Besides, I can only take so much lightning striped or solid blue locomotives! The other engines would just be more grubby lightning stripe engines, with either terribly faded large numbers on the sides or even worn completely away (like #508). I am in no rush to add two more similar engines like that to my roster.