ALCO DH643
Encyclopedia
The ALCO C-643DH, also known as the Century 643DH, was a twin-engine diesel-hydraulic locomotive
, the first diesel-hydraulic road unit built in the United States. It had a C-C wheel arrangement and generated 4300 hp. Only three were built, all for Southern Pacific Railroad
in 1964 (#9018–#9020). The Alco C-643DHs joined 21 Krauss-Maffei
ML-4000
diesel-hydraulics already on the Southern Pacific's roster. These hydraulic-drive diesels spent most of their service lives in the flat San Joaquin Valley
in California.
Dissatisfaction over the poor performance of diesel-hydraulic locomotives, as well as their use of foreign-made components (the hydraulic transmission
was of German
Voith
design), eventually led Southern Pacific to scrap the C-643DHs in 1973.
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
, the first diesel-hydraulic road unit built in the United States. It had a C-C wheel arrangement and generated 4300 hp. Only three were built, all for Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
in 1964 (#9018–#9020). The Alco C-643DHs joined 21 Krauss-Maffei
Krauss-Maffei
The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG or simply Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer and defence company based in Munich, Germany...
ML-4000
KM ML-4000
The Krauss-Maffei ML 4000 C'C is a diesel-hydraulic locomotive, built between 1960 and 1969 by German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei in Munich, Germany. It generated 4000 horsepower from two Maybach V16 engines...
diesel-hydraulics already on the Southern Pacific's roster. These hydraulic-drive diesels spent most of their service lives in the flat San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
in California.
Dissatisfaction over the poor performance of diesel-hydraulic locomotives, as well as their use of foreign-made components (the hydraulic transmission
Transmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
was of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Voith
Voith
The Voith GmbH, which is headquartered in Germany, is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with worldwide operations....
design), eventually led Southern Pacific to scrap the C-643DHs in 1973.
Original owners
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Pacific Railroad Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad.... |
|
9018–9020 | renumbered 9150–9152 |