ALCO Training Center

[mxdata]

ALCO operated an excellent and comprehensively equipped training center in support of their diesel locomotive production. This facility had several classrooms and a display area with cutaways of engine components and electrical equipment. John and friends, are any of you aware of components from this facility having made it into museums in the upstate New York area or elsewhere?

[Alcoman]

I seem to recall hearing that 251 cutaway engine made into the museum in Delson,Que. So far,thats the only part of the classroom components I know about that may have been saved.
John

[mxdata]

Sorry to hear that so little of the equipment made it to museums, John. The training center had some very nicely done cutaways and display materials. This is so reminiscent of EMD, where retired training center displays were sold off to export customers for a small fraction of their cost, when a donation to IRM or the Museum of Science and Industry could have brought a tax writeoff worth far more to the corporation.

[jr]

mxdata,

The NYMT / RGVRRM complex at Rush NY has two diesel engine cutaways on display inside the main NYMT buildng. One is of a 567, and the other is of an early 244 (with the tongue & groove rod caps, rather than the serrated ones). These were acquired some 20 years ago from a trade school, that was located near Hornell, NY. We believe, based on this, that they might have originally been used by the Erie for training purposes.

Each has been vertically cut through the second (or possibly third) pair of cylinders, and each as been painted with various color codes to illustrate the flow of liquids, gases, and so forth. They also have other components sectioned, such as the 244 turbo, the Woodward governor, and various other smaller components. They are definitely worth a visit, if this sort of thing interests you. The NYMT is open year-round on Sundays.

JR
R&GV RR Museum

[jr]

Here's a link to images of the aforementioned diesel cutaways located at NYMT.

http://www.nymtmuseum.org/NYMTPict1.php ... 20Cutaways

Hope that this is of some use.

JR

[mxdata]

JR, that is excellent information, thanks for offering it.

From what I can see in searching the internet, there are very few museums in the United States that display diesel engines (the prime mover) by themselves, either complete, partially assembled, or as cutaways. This is another reason why the Flying Yankee Restoration Group needs to get their Winton put back together, which of course is off-topic for this string. (Sorry about that). Back to ALCO.

[SSW9389]

I have recently seen photos in some early 1950s issues of Cotton Belt News of how that railroad trained its mechanical employees. Cotton Belt sent its mechanical employess to class with ALCO in Schenectady. The southwest road had a small fleet of ALCOs 2 PA-1s, 17 RS-3s and 3 RSD-5s by 1953. Engineers were instructed on how to operate the ALCO locomotives by the Road Foreman of Engines.