#2986
ALCO RSD-4
🇺🇸 United States ·built by American Locomotive Company· from 1951· Diesel-electric locomotive
_at_Bethlehem%2C_PA_on_July_12%2C_1970_(22341843459).jpg)
2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Kennecott Copper Company Locomotive 201 - 1: Joe Mabel· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Central of New Jersey 1606 (RSD4) at Bethlehem, PA on July 12, 1970 (22341843459): railfan 44· Public domain
what is it?
The ALCO RSD-4 was a 1,600 horsepower (1.2 MW) six axle diesel-electric locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company between 1951 and 1952. It was a derivative of the four-axle ALCO RS-3, with two additional powered axles which allowed better tractive effort at lower speeds. Due to the inadequate capacity of the main generator, this model was later superseded in production by the ALCO RSD-5.
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 75 years ago, in 1951.
- 1.2 MW is about 14 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 21 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 17.1 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1951–1952
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 36
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- American Locomotive Company
- top speed
- —
- power
- 1.2 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- C-C
- length
- 17.1 m
- weight
- 127 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q4652291, Wikipedia: ALCO RSD-4 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.