Magma Arizona Railroad No. 10 (ne McCloud River Railroad No. 29) at the Arizona Railway Museum.
(user:Jot Powers, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
BALDWIN DRS-6-6-1500
The Baldwin DRS-6-6-1500 was a diesel-electric locomotive rated at 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW), that rode on a pair of three-axle trucks, having a C-C wheel arrangement. It was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works from February 1948–July 1950.
Chesapeake & Ohio Baldwin DRS-6-6-1500 5532 at Columbus, Ohio, August 18, 1960. Photographer unknown.
C&O owned just three of these, built in November, 1949. This unit was traded in to EMD in May, 1963, the first to be retired.
(Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalrailartist/50302030891/)
Original buyers
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad | 5 | 403–407 | |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | 3 | 5530–5532 | |
| Chicago and North Western Railway | 8 | 1500–1502, 1505–1509 | |
| Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway | 4 | 200–203 | to Soo Line Railroad 384–387 |
| Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway | 2 | 500–501 | ex Bessemer and Lake Erie 401–402 |
| Erie Railroad | 12 | 1150–1161 | |
| Kaiser Steel | 2 | 1010A, 1010B | |
| McCloud River Railroad | 2 | 28, 29 | |
| Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway | 1 | 15 | |
| Northern Pacific Railway | 1 | 177 | Renumbered 525 to Burlington Northern 407 |
| Southern Pacific Company | 24 | 5203–5226 | |
| Southern Pacific Company | 1 | 5227 | B unit |
| Southern Pacific Company (Texas & New Orleans) | 4 | 187–190 | |
| Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad | 2 | 1500, 1501 | |
| Union Railroad | 12 | 613–624 | |
| Total | 83 |
Burlington Northern Baldwin DRS-6-6-1500 407 at Pasco, Washington, June 30, 1971. Photographer: Ed Kanak. This
engine was built by Baldwin in August, 1948 as Northern Pacific 177. It was specifically bought for the Walla Walla
Branch. The bridge over the Snake River imposed a weight limit of 300,000 lbs gross weight. While under construction,
Baldwin determined the gross weight would actually be 315,000 lbs. Northern Pacific did an engineering study and
determined that the 52,500 lbs per axle was comparable to a T or T-1 class 2-6-2, a W or W-1 2-8-2, or a Z-3 Mallet, and
would require a speed restriction of eight miles per hour. When the unit arrived in Missoula, Montana, on August 13,
1948, set the unit up for service the next day. It began service on the Walla Walla Branch on August 17 between Pasco
and Walla Walla, Washington.
(Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalrailartist/50302513333/)
Overview
Type and origin
Power type: Diesel electric
Builder: Baldwin Locomotive Works
Model: DRS-6-6-1500
Build date: February 1948–July 1950
Total produced: 83
Specifications
Configuration:
• AAR C-C
Gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Prime mover: 608SC
RPM range: 625 (max)
Aspiration: Turbocharged
Cylinders: 8
Cylinder size: 12.75 in × 15.5 in (324 mm × 394 mm)
Performance figures
Power output: 1,500 hp (1.12 MW)
Southern Pacific Baldwin DRS-6-6-1500 5206, in 1959, location and photographer unknown.
(Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalrailartist/50393786261/)
