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  • BC Rails RS-18s

  • Discussion of products from the American Locomotive Company. A web site with current Alco 251 information can be found here: Fairbanks-Morse/Alco 251.
Discussion of products from the American Locomotive Company. A web site with current Alco 251 information can be found here: Fairbanks-Morse/Alco 251.

Moderator: Alcoman

 #213261  by 2spot
 
Just an update on these. CN has ordered all remaining RS-18m (CRS-20) locomotives to Prince George, BC for disposal. For any of you who arent familiar with these, BC Rail rebuilt 29 RS-18s with CAT 3516 PMs and Kato alternators as well as extensive electronics upgrades and more comfortable cab environments. The units were rolled out effectively as new locomotives between 1990 and 1999. An orphaned brand on CN (CAT powered MLW), it was only a matter of time before CN retired them all. Its the end of an era in BC.

 #213269  by Legio X
 
Are they to be scrapped or made available for sale?

 #213328  by 2spot
 
CN made four RS-18m's available for sale among 33 retired locomotives last year. Not one unit sold. They might do it again. CN has been moving their retired locomotives to Woodcrest for storage pending disposal, fwiw.

 #213366  by Alcoman
 
It appears that no one wants to mess around with the "Cat" . If they been powered with the Alco 251, I bet that they would sell.

 #213413  by 2spot
 
I strongly doubt that CN would have saved them if they were still 251 powered. But they probably would sell like hotcakes at disposal time. Still, with all the other upgrades I would have thought there would be some interest in them. Remember they were effectively new between 1990 and 1999. Perhaps youre right (actually I know you are), why would these get any more interest than the CS-9s for sale on Railswap? I will also assume that CN will unload the RS-3 slugs since they are set up to work with the RS-18s with AC, CNs switchers are GMs (DC). The Alco/MLW era in BC is over.

 #213493  by sallenparks
 
Someone should take them for parts cabs,trucks,dynamic brakes etc.

 #213527  by 2spot
 
I'd like to see one converted back to 251 power while retaining the other "improvements". Really, a 2000 HP, fully updated RS-18 (RS-20mAC) would be amazing!

 #213719  by EDM5970
 
Re: the RS-3 slugs, they should work with any mother. The RS-11's Kato alternator produced AC, true, but it was rectified to DC for the traction motors. The slug traction motors don't know or care if they are seeing DC from a generator, or DC from an alternator/rectifier combination.

Bigger concerns would be compatability of braking systems, weight and tractive effort issues, gear ratios, where the slug TM blower power is coming from, and what form it is.

 #213848  by RS-3
 
Didn't the four units available last year all have "problems"? I'm not surprised they didn't sell. Bad enough they were oddballs, but oddballs in need of work....

I'd hope these ready-to-run units would fair better. Plus there are enough of them that they would make it worthwhile for someone to invest in them. (Then again I figured someone would want the W&H switchers too...)

RS

 #213850  by Alcoman
 
BTW, The W&H RS-23's are still for sale.....