Railroad Forums 

  • How hard would it be to build a locomotive?

  • 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

 #149284  by Ol' Loco Guy
 
A new 16 cylinder FDL seems to be rather inexpensive compared to a new 12-251 quoted at $ 750,000.

 #156947  by wess
 
So
If one wants to build one for this tight market. What ranges and options would you choose?

I,d propose 2 4-axle models and 3 6-axle

 #156961  by MEC407
 
It would depend on your target audience. Are we marketing this thing to Class I roads, or to regionals and shortlines?
 #157107  by Allen Hazen
 
O.K., hypothetical: we've ironed out the technical problems and raised funding and we want to enter the North American locomotive market. Short lines don't buy many new units, and industrials are definitely a niche market, so we are aiming at the Class-1's and large regionals.
Intuitively, speaking from the depth of my vast business experience*, I'd say we should start with a heavy switcher or light road-switcher-- something we could advertise as an economical GP-38 replacement-- that people like Union Pacific could buy maybe ten of out of petty cash to see what they thought of our workmanship, and then-- as the good word about how reliable and efficent our "little" units were starts getting around-- introduce a full-size six-axle mainline freight unit (in maybe the 5,000 hp range) incorporating as many of the same components as possible.
Hmmm. Seems to me that there's precedent for THAT business strategy. And disappointingly (for those tempted to follow it) few Caterpillar engined M-K units working on the nation's rails.
---
* Well, I did help manage a coffee house for a while when I was a student. :-)

 #157188  by MEC407
 
And there in lies the problem. No matter how good the locomotive is, if it doesn't have an EMD or GE powerplant inside, the railroads simply aren't interested.

 #162561  by Ol' Loco Guy
 
Guess what ?

NREC is building a new locomotive-but it ISN'T Alco powered-yet at the same time, there is a slight family resemblance.

Check the UP website for further details.

 #162627  by MEC407
 
Yup, looks like a cross between a C415 and some sort of EMD switcher.

I think it's rather unfortunate that they insist on naming this thing a "truck engine switcher" and marketing it as a low-polluting unit -- that implies that truck engines, and therefore trucks in general, are somehow inherently less polluting than locomotives.