Last revised: August 26, 2024
By: Adam Burns
The DRS-6-4-1500 was very similar to its sister model (DRS-6-6-1500),
save for its A1A-A1A trucks (center-axle unpowered).
All of Baldwin's early road switchers were manufactured at roughly the same time, featuring only different truck setups (B-B, C-C, or A1A-A1A).
Interestingly, the locomotive sold far better to foreign lines with more than twice as many purchased, mostly to French-controlled operations in North Africa.
During the time period in which Baldwin released the DRS-6-4-1500 railroads were still not particularly interested in six-axle designs.
This was not an issue related exclusively to the Eddystone builder; similar locomotives offered by American Locomotive (Alco) and even Electro-Motive's SD7 and SD9 sold relatively poorly.
Baldwin is often regarded as the greatest of all the steam builders, producing rugged and reliable locomotives which railroads operated for generations.
Numerous examples of preserved today and some continue to operate. Unfortunately, its management failed to recognize the diesel's potential and merely shrugged it off.
As such, the company was entirely unprepared when Electro-Motive's FT took the industry by storm. It also struggled to gauge the model types of greatest interest. Astonishingly, Baldwin exited the market less than 10 years after building its last steam locomotive.
The Baldwin DRS-6-4-1500 utilized the builder's 608 SC model prime mover that could produce 1,500 horsepower.
The primary difference between the DRS-6-4-1500 and DRS-4-4-1500 was that the former utilized an A1A truck arrangement, meaning that there were three axles per truck but only the outside axles featured traction motors.
As was the case with nearly all of Baldwin's diesel designs, Westinghouse supplied the company with all of the DRS-6-4-1500's needed internal components such as traction motors, generators, and air equipment.
The model offered comparable tractive effort to Alco's RSC2 at 58,200 starting and 42,500 continuous (although Alco's model did offer slightly better starting effort).
Once again, poor engineering led to few sales for the DRS-6-4-1500, although it proved more successful than its sister model. The locomotive sold 97 units to a handful of Class I railroads including the Norfolk Southern (original), Southern Pacific, and Chicago & North Western as well as the Savannah & Atlanta Railway (Southern).
Additionally, Union Pacific and Kennecott Copper purchased Baldwin demonstrators 1500 and 1501 (Kennecott, however, requested that its unit, Demo #1501, be reequipped with B-B trucks).
Baldwin did have a very pleasing carbody design with its DRS
series that offered crews good visibility. It also carried the standard
look of a road switcher with a short front hood, offset cab, and
trailing long hood.
Baldwin's classification system for its initial road-switcher series was loosely based from the old Whyte Notation in describing steam locomotive types.
For instance, using the DRS-4-4-1500 model as an example the DRS referred to:
Entered Production | 9/30/1946 (French Supply Council-Algeria #040-DA-1) |
Years Produced | 9/30/1946 - 7/2/1952 |
Baldwin Class | DRS-6-4-1500/1 SC |
Engine | 608SC, 6-Cylinder In-Line, Supercharged |
Engine Builder | De La Vergne |
Horsepower | 1500 |
Carbody Styling | Baldwin |
Length (Between Coupler Pulling Faces) | 58' |
Weight | 256,000 Lbs* |
Height (Top Of Rail To Top Of Cab) | 14' |
Width | 10' 2" |
Trucks | A1A-A1A |
Truck Type | GSC Swing Bolster-Inside Frame Equalizers** |
Truck Wheelbase | 11' 6" |
Wheel Size | 42" |
Traction Motors | 370F (4), Westinghouse |
Traction Generator | 471A, Westinghouse |
Auxiliary Generator | YG42A, Westinghouse |
Gear Ratio | 15:63 or 19:60 |
Tractive Effort Rating | 42,800 Lbs at 10.5 MPH (15:63) or 32,200 Lbs at 14.0 MPH (19:60) |
Top Speed | 65 MPH (15:63) or 82 MPH (19:60) |
* Weight on drivers was 170,000 pounds.
** The eleven units acquired by the Savannah & Atlanta, #100-110, utilized a unique floating bolster truck with an elastomeric suspension system.
Total Built = 91
Owner | Road Number | Baldwin Serial Number | Construction Number | Completion Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-1 | 1 | 72630 | 9/30/1946 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-101 | 2 | 72631 | 12/4/1946 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-2 | 3 | 72632 | 12/6/1946 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-3 | 4 | 72633 | 12/11/1946 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-4 | 5 | 72634 | 12/19/1946 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-5 | 6 | 72635 | 12/23/1946 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-6 | 7 | 72636 | 12/31/1946 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-102 | 8 | 72637 | 1/19/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-103 | 9 | 72638 | 1/18/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-104 | 10 | 72639 | 1/26/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-105 | 11 | 72640 | 12/26/1946 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-7 | 12 | 72641 | 1/15/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-8 | 13 | 72642 | 1/9/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-9 | 14 | 72643 | 1/16/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DA-10 | 15 | 72644 | 2/10/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-11 | 16 | 72645 | 4/2/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-12 | 17 | 72646 | 4/14/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-13 | 18 | 72647 | 3/22/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-14 | 19 | 72648 | 4/16/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-15 | 20 | 72649 | 4/25/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-201 | 21 | 72650 | 4/26/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-202 | 22 | 72651 | 5/5/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-203 | 23 | 72652 | 5/23/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-204 | 24 | 72653 | 5/29/1947 |
Columbus & Greenville | 601 | 25 | 72624 | 10/8/1946 |
Columbus & Greenville | 602 | 26 | 72625 | 12/17/1946 |
Columbus & Greenville | 603 | 27 | 72626 | 12/23/1946 |
Columbus & Greenville | 604 | 28 | 72627 | 12/21/1947 |
Columbus & Greenville | 605 | 29 | 72628 | 1/22/1947 |
Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1500* | 30 | 72629 | 1/25/1947 |
French Supply Council-Tunisia | 040-DA-301 | 31 | 73216 | 2/5/1947 |
French Supply Council-Tunisia | 040-DA-302 | 32 | 73217 | 12/28/1946 |
French Supply Council-Tunisia | 040-DA-303 | 33 | 73218 | 1/6/1947 |
French Supply Council-Tunisia | 040-DA-304 | 34 | 73219 | 1/8/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-205 | 35 | 73349 | 10/27/1947 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-206 | 36 | 73350 | 11/4/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-1 | 37 | 73327 | 7/19/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-2 | 38 | 73328 | 7/15/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-3 | 39 | 73329 | 7/19/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-4 | 40 | 73330 | 7/23/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-5 | 41 | 73331 | 8/2/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-6 | 42 | 73332 | 8/1/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-7 | 43 | 73333 | 10/23/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-8 | 44 | 73334 | 10/23/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-9 | 45 | 73335 | 11/6/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-10 | 46 | 73336 | 11/8/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-11 | 47 | 73337 | 1/8/1948 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-12 | 48 | 73338 | 1/9/1948 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-13 | 49 | 73339 | 12/20/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-14 | 50 | 73340 | 1/13/1948 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-15 | 51 | 73341 | 12/23/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-16 | 52 | 73342 | 12/13/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-17 | 53 | 73343 | 12/13/1947 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-18 | 54 | 73344 | 1/25/1948 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-19 | 55 | 73345 | 1/25/1948 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-20 | 56 | 73346 | 3/22/1948 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-21 | 57 | 73347 | 2/6/1948 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-22 | 58 | 73348 | 1/30/1948 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-23 | 59 | 73365 | 2/21/1948 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-24 | 60 | 73366 | 2/21/1948 |
French Supply Council-Algeria | 040-DB-25 | 61 | 73367 | 2/25/1948 |
Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1501** | 62 | 73474 | 3/14/1948 |
Chicago & North Western | 1504 | 66 | 73478 | 7/15/1948 |
Norfolk Southern | 1501 | 67 | 73487 | 10/7/1947 |
Norfolk Southern | 1502 | 68 | 73488 | 2/7/1948 |
Norfolk Southern | 1503 | 69 | 73489 | 2/20/1948 |
Norfolk Southern | 1504 | 70 | 73490 | 2/20/1948 |
Norfolk Southern | 1505 | 71 | 73491 | 2/28/1948 |
Norfolk Southern | 1506 | 72 | 73492 | 2/28/1948 |
Norfolk Southern | 1507 | 73 | 73493 | 3/13/1948 |
Norfolk Southern | 1508 | 74 | 73494 | 3/13/1948 |
Norfolk Southern | 1509 | 75 | 73495 | 3/31/1948 |
Norfolk Southern | 1510 | 76 | 73496 | 3/31/1948 |
Southern Pacific | 5200 | 77 | 73654 | 8/22/1948 |
Southern Pacific | 5201 | 78 | 73655 | 12/16/1948 |
Southern Pacific | 5202 | 79 | 73656 | 12/21/1948 |
Savannah & Atlanta (Southern) | 100 | 83 | 73660 | 5/11/1948 |
Savannah & Atlanta (Southern) | 101 | 84 | 73661 | 5/13/1948 |
Savannah & Atlanta (Southern) | 102 | 85 | 73662 | 5/24/1948 |
Savannah & Atlanta (Southern) | 103 | 86 | 73663 | 5/25/1948 |
Savannah & Atlanta (Southern) | 104 | 87 | 73664 | 6/1/1948 |
Savannah & Atlanta (Southern) | 105 | 88 | 73665 | 6/4/1948 |
Savannah & Atlanta (Southern) | 106 | 89 | 73666 | 6/8/1948 |
Savannah & Atlanta (Southern) | 107 | 90 | 73667 | 6/9/1948 |
Savannah & Atlanta (Southern) | 105 | 88 | 73665 | 6/4/1948 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-306 | 91 | 74287 | 12/30/1949 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-307 | 92 | 74288 | 12/30/1949 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-308 | 93 | 75108 | 7/2/1951 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DA-309 | 94 | 75109 | 7/2/1951 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DC-331 | 95 | 75524 | 7/2/1952 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DC-332 | 96 | 72525 | 7/2/1952 |
French Supply Council-Morocco | 040-DC-333 | 97 | 72526 | 7/2/1952 |
Serial numbers 63-65 and 80-82 were left vacant by Baldwin.
* Became Union Pacific #1250 (1/25/1948)
** Became Kennecott Copper #901 (Utah Copper Division) in October, 1948
French Supply Council Of North Africa (Morocco) units #040-DC-331 through #040-DC-333 were equipped with Baldwin's updated 608A prime mover (found in the latest "All Service" line: AS16, AS416, and AS616), only de-rated from 1,600 to 1,500 horsepower.
The model designed for foreign sale in
Africa was listed as the DRS-6-4-1500E. Essentially the same
locomotive its one noticeable difference was the end cab setup it
employed, making it appear as a rather large switcher.
Three different African lines purchased the DRS-6-4-1500E including the:
Today, one DRS-6-4-1500 survives, Columbus & Greenville #601 on display in Columbus, Mississippi.
Oct 07, 24 04:10 PM
Oct 05, 24 06:25 PM
Oct 05, 24 06:22 PM