Reading Railroad ALCO C424 5202 at Rutherford Yard in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1970.
(Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard, railfan 44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
ALCO CENTURY C424
The Century 424 was a four-axle, 2,400 hp (1,790 kW) diesel-electric locomotive. 190 were built between April 1963 and May 1967. Cataloged as a part of Alco's Century line of locomotives, the C424 was intended to replace the earlier RS-27 model and offered as a lower-priced alternative to the C425. Montreal Locomotive Works also built this locomotive as MLW Century 424.
Original owners
Locomotives built by Alco
| Owner | Quantity | Numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belt Railway of Chicago | 6 | 600–605 | At least one (No. 603) now Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad |
| Erie Lackawanna Railway | 15 | 2401–2415 | |
| Erie Mining Company | 1 | 500 | |
| Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México | 45 | 8100-8144 | |
| Green Bay and Western Railroad | 4 | 311–314 | |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 1 | 2415 | rebuilt from RS27 demonstrator 640-1 |
| Reading Company | 10 | 5201–5210 | |
| Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway | 7 | 300–306 | To Burlington Northern 4240–4246. |
| Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway | 2 | 800–801 | Later sold to the Morristown & Erie Railway as Nos. 18 and 19. No. 19 preserved by Tri-State Railway Historical Society. No. 18 preserved by the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL. |
| Wabash Railroad | 7 | B900-B906 | Originally supposed to be NDM 8100–8106, but the order was canceled and the units were sold to Wabash. They were prohibited from being used as lead units due to the controls being labelled in Spanish. |
| Total | 98 |
CVSR 4241 - an MLW Built C424 identical to the ALCO built models - at the CVSR yard in Brecksville.
(Chesapeake at en.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Locomotives built by MLW
| Owner | Quantity | Numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian National Railway | 41 | 3200–3240 | |
| Canadian Pacific Railway | 51 | 8300, 4201–4250 | 8300 renumbered 4200. 4241 to Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway |
| Total | 92 |
Preservation
- Toledo, Peoria and Western 801 is preserved as Morristown & Erie 19 by the Tri-State Railway Historical Society and in storage in Boonton, NJ
- Toledo, Peoria and Western 800 is preserved as Morristown & Erie 18 at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL
- Canadian Pacific 4237 is preserved at the Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant, QC.
- Reading 5204 is preserved by the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society
- Canadian Pacific 4230 is preserved as West Chester Railroad 4230 in West Chester, PA
- Canadian Pacific 4213 is preserved as West Chester Railroad 4213 in West Chester, PA
Overview
Type and origin
Power type: Diesel-electric
Builder: Alco Products; Montreal Locomotive Works
Model: Century 424
Build date: April 1963 – May 1967
Total produced: 190
Specifications
Configuration:
• AAR B-B
Gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Prime mover: Alco 16-251B
Performance figures
Power output: 2,400 hp (1,790 kW)
Career
Locale: North America
