The BLH AS-416 was a

diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...

of the

road switcher A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive designed to both haul railcars in mainline service and shunt them in railroad yards. Both type and term are North American in origin, although similar types have been used elsewhere. A road ...

type rated at , that rode on three-axle

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

, having an

A1A-A1A The AAR wheel arrangement system is a method of classifying locomotive (or unit) wheel arrangements that was developed by the Association of American Railroads. Essentially a simplification of the European UIC classification, it is widely used in ...

wheel arrangement. Used in much the same manner as its four-axle counterpart, the AS-16, though the wheel arrangement spread out the

axle load An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearin ...

for operation on light rail such as are found on

branch line A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industr ...

s. It was introduced in 1950 as a replacement of the DRS-6-4-1500 and remained in BLH's catalog until their cessation of locomotive manufacture in 1956. Only 25 units were sold to four railroads — all of whom had bought the earlier model. The vast majority (17 of the 25 units) were purchased by the original

Norfolk Southern Railway (1942–82) The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (3 ...

, becoming a signature locomotive for the company.

Original owners

Preservation

Surviving examples include: * Columbus and Greenville 606, at the

Illinois Railway Museum The Illinois Railway Museum (IRM, reporting mark IRMX) is the largest railroad museum in the United States. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area at 7000 Olson Road in Union, Illinois, northwest of downtown Chicago. Overview Histo ...

* Norfolk Southern 1616, at the

North Carolina Transportation Museum The North Carolina Transportation Museum is a museum in Spencer, North Carolina. It is a collection of automobiles, aircraft, and railway vehicles. The museum is located at the former Southern Railway's 1896-era Spencer Shops and devotes much o ...

References

* Diesel-electric locomotives of the United States A1A-A1A locomotives AS-416 Railway locomotives introduced in 1950 Standard gauge locomotives of Algeria Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Diesel-electric locomotives of Algeria {{diesel-loco-stub