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RE: (erielack) ALCO"S

>  From everything that I've read is that the C636 wasn't a 
> good engine at 
> all. Was thrown together to compete with the SD45 and U33/36C's.

There's at least one person on this list who has personal experience with the C636... :)
[Think Scranton :) ]


> I 
> wonder what Montreal changed to sell any of their's or was it the 
> Canadian Government that bought them?

At the time of the Century series, MLW was the only domestic builder in Canada. You can bet this had a lot to do with that.

MLW kept refining the model, too, getting rid of many of the quirks Alco couldn't before it bowed out. Remember, a lot of those C636/M630/M636 models were running into the mid-1990s in mainline service! (heck, I got shots of a trio of M636s hammering across the diamond with the former EL at BD in Binghamton back then!)


> I serious doubt that 
> the EL would 
> have bought C636's. Looks like management was happy with the fuel hog 
> SD's and the added expense of more engine models isn't good for a 
> bankrupt RR.

Ah, but remember: The EL wasn't bankrupt when they ordered the SD45s and U-boats. Alco "coulda been a player."


> So from this information, the C42?'s would out 
> pull a GP35 
> any day; maybe even a U25B, don't know? Let me know. Thanks. EZ

Again, based on tractive effort:

C424: 62750/53000
C425: 65000/57200
U25B: 64000/57200
GP35: 62250/51400

Looks like the U25B is a tad better than the C424, and almost neck-and-neck with the C425 (with a slight lead for the Alco in starting effort)   The GP35 is in last place here.

	- Paul

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