ALCO HH Series
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The ALCO HH series was an early set of
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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 ...
s built by the
American Locomotive Company 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 ...
(ALCO) of
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between 1931 and 1940, when they were replaced by the S series: the S-1 and S-2. They were ALCO's first
diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...
switchers to enter true series production, and among the first land vehicles anywhere to use the revolutionary diesel-electric
power transmission Power transmission is the movement of energy from its place of generation to a location where it is applied to perform useful Mechanical work, work. Power (physics), Power is defined formally as units of energy per unit time. In SI units: :\text ...
. The "HH" name stood for "High Hood", a name ALCO came eventually to use in an official context, but originally an unofficial name. Model designations such as HH600 are only semi-official. Original ALCO designations were either descriptive or based on the internal order/design number. A total of 177 of the HH series was produced; comprising one prototype and four production models of varying power outputs.


ALCO 600 (New Haven #0900)

The first HH series locomotive, ALCO demonstrator #600, was mechanically almost identical to later designs, but the appearance differed. The sides of the locomotive's hood sloped outward from top to bottom, and brake equipment was exposed beneath the cab. It rode on a unique pattern of trucks. After a period of demonstration on a number of railroads, the unit was sold to the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated principally in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
as #0900. This number often was used to describe the locomotive, although the classification on the builder's data card was "404-OE-200". This first unit was built in July 1931.


Diesel-electric power transmission

The locomotive was equipped with a
four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...
McIntosh & Seymour 531 straight-6 diesel engine, powering a
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GT551A1 main generator. Four nose-suspended GE-287-D
traction motor A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as locomotives, electric vehicle, electric or hydrogen vehicles, or electric multiple unit trains. Traction (engineering), Traction motors are used in electrically powe ...
s in the
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 ...
were geared at a ratio of 4.25:1 to the wheels; the motors were cooled by electrically driven traction motor blowers.


HH600

The HH600 was nearly identical to the previous #0900 of the New Haven internally and mechanically, but it was clad in new bodywork, with a straight-sided hood and cab sides that came all the way to the frame. The HH600's were powered by 6-cylinder
McIntosh & Seymour McIntosh & Seymour was an American manufacturer of steam and internal combustion engines during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company was founded in 1886, and was based in Auburn, New York. It developed and sold a wide variety of stea ...
531 engines of . They were built from July 1932 through May 1939; in all, 78 HH600s were constructed. The first-built units had sharp-edged front hood corners, but in 1934 ALCO employed
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Otto Kuhler Otto August Kuhler (July 31, 1894 – August 5, 1977) was an American designer, one of the best known industrial designers of the American railroads. According to ''Trains'' magazine he streamstyled more locomotives and railroad cars than Cr ...
to clean up the appearance; he curved the corners and recessed the headlight, and all subsequent HH series units were of this style until another restyling in 1938 where the nose was further rounded. Late versions of this locomotive used the 6-cylinder 538 engine.


Original buyers


HH900

The HH900 was a 900 hp (670 kW) version of the HH series using a turbocharged version of the McIntosh & Seymour 531 engine. Both turbocharged models (HH900 and HH1000) needed a greater cooling capacity, and this was reflected in the larger bodyside radiator space of both models, which distinguishes them from the lower-powered HH600 and HH660. The 21 HH900 units were produced between March 1937 and January 1939, after which they were supplanted by the McIntosh & Seymour 538T-engined HH1000. Several HH900s were built with the 538T engine.


Original buyers


HH660

The HH660 started production in ALCO's lineup in October 1938; 43 examples were built until April 1940. It used a
naturally aspirated A naturally aspirated engine, also known as a normally aspirated engine, and abbreviated to N/A or NA, is an internal combustion engine in which air intake depends solely on atmospheric pressure and does not have forced induction through a turboc ...
version of the 6-cylinder McIntosh and Seymour 538 engine, producing . Externally, HH660s were indistinguishable from late HH600s.


Original buyers


HH1000

The HH1000 replaced the HH900, with the new McIntosh and Seymour 538T engine, turbocharged to produce 1000 hp (750 kW), a 100 hp (75 kW) increase from the previous model. They were produced between May 1939 and December 1940; 34 were built. M&STL D539 was the only HH1000 built with the 531T engine.


Original buyers


Specifications


Surviving units

A few HH-series switchers still survive in revenue service, and more are in museums. Working HH locomotives include an HH660 at Gopher Scrap in
Mankato, Minnesota Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, Blue Earth, Nicollet County, Minnesota, Nicollet, and Le Sueur County, Minnesota, Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The ...
, one owned by the ''Western New York Railway Historical Society'', and one from the
Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in Northeastern Pennsylvania, especially the Scranton area. DL began service in August 1993 and is the designated operator for of trackage in Lackawanna, Wayne, Northampton, a ...
owned by
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at
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. Another HH660,
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#125, is presently under restoration to her as-delivered appearance at the Northwest Railway Museum. Among the preserved locomotives are an HH600, four HH660s and an HH1000. Birmingham Southern #82, the sole surviving HH900, is on static display at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in
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.


See also

*
List of ALCO diesel locomotives The American Locomotive Company (ALCO), based in Schenectady, New York, United States produced a wide range of Diesel-electric transmission, diesel-electric locomotives from its opening in 1901 until it ceased manufacture in 1969. This is a list o ...


References


Additional information

* Data sheets
HH-600

HH-660
* Komaneski, John.
ALCO HH600 Roster
'. Retrieved March 27, 2005. States information originally from Extra 2200 South. * Komaneski, John.
ALCO HH660 Roster
'. Retrieved March 27, 2005. States information originally from Extra 2200 South. * Komaneski, John.
ALCO HH900 and HH1000 Roster
'. Retrieved March 27, 2005. States information originally from Extra 2200 South. * Laundry, Mark.
Alco High Hood Models
'. Retrieved March 29, 2005. * * Steinbrenner, Richard (2003) The American Locomotive Company A Centennial Remembrance. Chapter VI subchapter "ALCO's First Production Diesels". * Sweetland, David. (2004) ''Santa Fe's Alco Switcher Fleet''. Diesel Era Vol. 15 No. 6, November/December 2004, pp. 10–31. Withers Publishing,
Halifax, Pennsylvania Halifax is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. Halifax was incorporated as a borough on May 29, 1785. It is situated at the confluence of Armstrong Creek and the Susquehanna River. The population was 795 at the 2020 census ...
. {{Diesel_Switchers HH series B-B locomotives Diesel–electric locomotives of the United States Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1932 Shunting locomotives Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway locomotives Delaware, Lackawanna and Western locomotives Erie Railroad locomotives Illinois Central locomotives Maine Central Railroad locomotives Milwaukee Road locomotives New York Central Railroad locomotives New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad locomotives Northern Pacific Railway locomotives Philadelphia and Reading Railroad locomotives Southern Pacific Railroad locomotives