"F3062" = S1?

[Allen Hazen]

In a 24 June 2009 post to the "Alcos for sale" string on this forum, "The Big Ham" posted a link to surplus govenrment property sale. The item in question was a "locomotive" -- from the photo and 1941 build date, an S1 -- "color: black", "brand: ALCO," and "model: F3062".
I don't recognize this model designation. It doesn't sound like anything I have ever heard of Alco using for its locomotives. Is it a U.S. Government code? Or what?

[thebigham]

Pics here:

http://www.govdeals.com/eas/itmDisplay. ... cctID=1577

A scrap dealer is currently winning the auction.

[Allen Hazen]

Thebigham--
Thanks for posting the link! I asked my qustion on the "LocoNotes" and "Locomotive Enthusiasts" groups at Yahoo and got some responses. F3062 is apparently a TVA Road Number-- the ad specifies that the unit is "not running," and the photo shows it as not having been repainted with this road number, consistent with it being an inoperable unit acquired for parts.
The number seems to have been put into the "Model" blank of the template for the ad by mistake.

[DutchRailnut]

The engine was re-engined and no longer a ALCO according to defense logistics.
The stack suggest it to be a caterpillar repowering just like militairy Baldwins.

[Allen Hazen]

Thanks for that additional information, Dutch!
... Hmmm... Maybe I should be more cautious in identifying things: my main reason for believing it was an S1 (as opposed to S2) was the thin exhaust stack, so if it was re-engined....
...
Looking at the photos again, and particularly at the proportions of the radiator vent on the side of the hood near the front... I ***think*** it looks more like an S1 than an S2, but I'm not really confident about this. ... The number painted on the end of the long hood (70somethingsomething) is, I think, its original Army road number, so the actual model should be checkable. I don't see enough S1 and S2 on a daily basis (grin!) to feel that I can distinguish them reliably be eyeball.

[Allen Hazen]

S1.

Checking a couple of places-- notablky George Elwood's invaluable "Fallen Flags" railphoto site-- I spotted a spotting feature. An S1 has nine doors on the side of its hood between the cab and the radiator. An S2, with a larger radiator taking up more of the length, has only eight. The bedraggled unit in the ad has nine (best seen in the 3/4 forward view). So it's an S1.

Not that it would ENTIRELY surprise me if there were some further complication and design variability in elderly rebuilt Alco switchers to throw me off...