Lehigh Valley 630 and 631, both Alco Century 628s, at Newark, NJ yards, November 8, 1969.
(Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
ALCO CENTURY C628 DIESEL-ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
The ALCO Century 628 was a six-axle, 2,750 hp (2,051 kW) diesel-electric locomotive. A total of 186 C628s were built between December 1963 and December 1968. There were 135 C628s built for US railroads, 46 C628s built for Mexican railroads, and five C628s for Australia.
The C628 replaced the C624 (DL600C/RSD-41) as a part of ALCO's 'Century' line of locomotives. The C624 was intended to replace the earlier RSD-15 model, but was never built. The C628 was offered instead in August 1963.
Hamersley Iron purchased five to haul iron ore services in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Two were built in Schenectady and three by AE Goodwin in Sydney. All had been retired by 1982, with one preserved on a plinth in Dampier.
The Southern Pacific purchased the four demonstrators in 1964, and an additional 25 C628s were delivered in 1965.
Hamersley Iron 20 class locomotive at 7 Mile Yard entrance, Dampier, Western Australia. Date 31 July 2003.
(Nachoman-au, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Preserved
Australia
No. 2000 has been preserved by the Pilbara Railways Historical Society.
North America
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico 606, formerly Ferrocarril de Pacifico 606, is preserved at the Yucatán Railway museum in Mexico.
Southern Pacific Alco C628 3133 at Colton, California, August 1, 1975. Photographer: Peter Arnold.
According to one source, these soon went from heavy haul status to switching duties.
(Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalrailartist/51589228662/in/dateposted/)
Original Owners
| Railroad | Quantity | Road Numbers | Phase | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Coast Line | 4 | 2000-2003 | I | Delivered without d/b, installed 1966-67; to SCL same Nos., then L&N 7513-7516. |
| Atlantic Coast Line | 7 | 2004-2010 | I | to SCL same #s, then L&N 7517-7523 |
| ALCO | 4 | 628-1 to -4 | I | to SP 4870-4873, re# 7100-7103(1965), re# 3110-3113 (1972-74) |
| Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico | 3 | 901-903 | IIb | |
| Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico | 1 | 904 | IIb | |
| Delaware & Hudson | 1 | 601 | I | leased, then sold to NdeM(1978) |
| Delaware & Hudson | 3 | 602-604 | I | leased, then sold to NdeM(1978) |
| Delaware & Hudson | 2 | 605, 606 | I | leased, then sold to NdeM(1978) |
| Delaware & Hudson | 3 | 607-609 | I | leased, then sold to NdeM(1978) |
| Delaware & Hudson | 9 | 610-618 | IIa | leased, then sold to NdeM(1978) |
| Ferrocarril del Pacifico | 6 | 601-606 | IIb | |
| Ferrocarril del Pacifico | 4 | 607-610 | III | |
| Hamersley Iron (Australia) | 3 | 2000-2002 | IIa | |
| Hamersley Iron (Australia) | 2 | 2004, 2005 | IIb | |
| Louisville & Nashville | 8 | 1400-1407 | I | |
| Louisville & Nashville | 4 | 1408-1411 | I | |
| Louisville & Nashville | 3 | 1412-1414 | IIa | |
| Lehigh Valley | 7 | 625-631 | IIb | to CR 6721-6727 |
| Lehigh Valley | 1 | 632 | IIb | to CR 6728 |
| Monon | 9 | 400-408 | I | traded in on C420s(1967); resold to LV 633-641, to CR 6729-6737 |
| Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México | 10 | 8300-8309 | IIb | |
| Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México | 12 | 8310-8321 | III | |
| Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México | 10 | 8322-8331 | III | |
| Norfolk & Western | 10 | 1100-1109 | IIb | high short hood; sold to C&NW 6701-6710(1973) |
| Norfolk & Western | 20 | 1110-1129 | IIb | high short hood; sold to C&NW 6711-6730(1973) |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 10 | 6300-6309 | I | to PC same #s, then CR 6738-6747 |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 5 | 6310-6314 | IIa | to PC same #s, then CR 6748-6752 |
| Southern Pacific | 25 | 4845-4869 | IIa | Re# 7104-7128(1965); re# 3114-3136 (1972-74); 7121 rblt to slug 1000; 7115 rblt to slug 1001. |
| Total | 186 |
Legend - Phases:
I - Rain shield over central air intake, angled cab across entire width, shorter length 51" door set on engineer's side below exhaust stack.
IIa - No rain shield, angled cab, shorter length 51" door set on engineer's side below exhaust stack.
IIb - No rain shield, angled cab, 74" door set on engineer's side below exhaust, same height as engine compartment doors.
III - No rain shield, cab angled only in center windshield section (like C630 and C636) resulting in slightly longer cab walls.
Source: Sarberenyi, Robert. Alco C628 Original Owners
Overview
Type and origin
Power type: Diesel-electric
Builder: ALCO
Model: DL628
Build date: December 1963 - December 1968
Total produced: 186
Specifications
Configuration:
• AAR C-C
Gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Prime mover: Alco 16-251C
Generator: 586A4 or 586C1R
Traction motors: 752E6A
Performance figures
Power output 2,750 hp (2,051 kW)
