What would it take to start a new ALCO today?

[Luther Brefo]

Ideas are running through my head.

The locomotive market is going to be in need of 4 axle power in the future. As I see it, no one is really going to want to do switching and shortlines will most likely not be looking for 6 axle power so what if ALCO did come back as a 4 axle power builder/refurbisher as the core of the business? What does it or what would it take to do this?

Obvious dedication and money but what else is involved in the process?

[byte]

It'd be entirely impossible. No ALCO prime mover exists that will sell, and even if they were selling, by the time the need arose for more 4-axle power the EPA would kill it off with the tier-3 requirements. Also, NRE owns the right to produce ALCO locomotives, not the entity that owned it when they were producing locomotives. And while they own the right, they're not really using it - they are producing new four axle power, but it's on rebuild EMD frames. Expect similar locomotives for future four-axle purchases.

[Komachi]

(Alarms begin ringing in ALCo. Forum HQ, people scramble frantically to assume "battle stations" in response to this question...)


Here we go again...


From Page 2 of our wonderful forum...

"How Hard Would It Be to Build a Locomotive?"

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=791

AND...

"Redux: How to Build a Locomotive"

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15088


Alcoman, any magic locks to spare? And can we "sticky" the links to the locomotive building and "What if ALCo. was still around?" threads, so we can (hopefully) not have to beat this thuroughly evicerated (I would almost go so far as to say "homoginized") horse to death too many more times?

[Alcoman]

Good Idea guys! We have killed this dead horse too many times already!