The Alco S-6 (specification DL 430) was a diesel–electric

switcher locomotive A switcher locomotive (American English), shunter locomotive (British English), station pilot (British English), or shifter locomotive (Pennsylvania Railroad terminology) is a locomotive used for maneuvering railway vehicles over short distanc ...

constructed by

ALCO The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

; a total of 126 locomotives were built between May 1955 and December 1960. The S-6 was an improved version of the earlier S-5.

Design

Visually indistinguishable from the S-5, the S-6 used an ALCO 251A or 251B prime mover rated at . The locomotive rode on two-axle

AAR The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to i ...

trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

, giving a B-B wheel arrangement. ALCO produced a

cow–calf In rail transport, a cow–calf (also cow and calf, or in the master and slave) is a set of diesel switcher locomotives. The set is usually a pair, though a few three-unit sets (with two calves, also known as ''herds'') were built. A cow is ...

variant for the

Oliver Iron Mining Company The Oliver Iron Mining Company was a mining company operating in Minnesota, United States. It was one of the most prominent companies in the early decades of mining on the Mesabi Range. As a division of U.S. Steel, Oliver dwarfed its competitors� ...

designated SB-8/SSB-9, two sets were produced of this version.

Original owners

In popular culture

* In '' Back to the Future Part III'', two double headed S-6 locomotives destroyed the

DeLorean time machine In the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' franchise, the DeLorean time machine is a time machine, time travel vehicle constructed from a retrofitted DMC DeLorean. Its time travel ability is derived from the "flux capacitor", ...

, when it returned to 1985. The lead engine is currently in the possession of the

Virginia and Truckee Railroad The Virginia and Truckee Railroad (stylized as Virginia & Truckee Railroad) is a privately owned heritage railway, heritage railroad, headquartered in Virginia City, Nevada. Its private and publicly owned route is long. When first constructe ...

https://cinetrains.wordpress.com/tag/back-to-the-future/

References

External links

* Sarberenyi, Robert.
Alco S5, S6, and SSB9 Original Owners
'. B-B locomotives S6 Diesel–electric locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1955 Locomotives with cabless variants Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Standard-gauge locomotives of Mexico Diesel–electric locomotives of Mexico Shunting locomotives Northern Pacific Railway locomotives Southern Pacific Railroad locomotives {{diesel-loco-stub

Design

Original owners

In popular culture

See also

References

External links