ALCO DL560C
Encyclopedia
The ALCO DL560C locomotive
was built by the American Locomotive Company
(ALCO) for export to India
.
In the early 1960s Indian Railways
needed a reliable diesel
workhorse to gradually replace its steam locomotive
fleet. Equal numbers (40 each) of ALCO's DL560C and EMD's SD24
were chosen for trials. More locomotives of each of these were purchased for more trials. Indian Railways was keen on producing these locomotives in the country rather than depending on imports. EMD did not agree for a Transfer-of-Technology, while ALCO did. Thus ALCO DL560C was chosen for the job due to its easy maintenance, reliability and simple operation.
The locomotive was classified as WDM-2
series and was assigned to haul long/short distance passenger trains and freight. These units are still in service. When the production of WDM2 ceased, there were 2706 locomotives in the system. The production began in the late 1960s, and went on till late 1990s.
After importing a couple of batches of this locomotive, Indian Railways started manufacturing them in India itself and also introduced modified variants of the same locomotive. Some were fitted with a less-powerful engine, classified as WDS series, and were meant for shunting duties in marshalling yards across the country. Various variants, all based on the ALCO DL560C power-pack were developed. The original powerpack churned out 2600hp
worth of power, while after modifications, Engineers at DLW managed to extract as high as 3300hp of power. The newest variant based on the DL560C power pack is the WDM3D, which is complete with micro-processor controls, better ergonomics
, etc.
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...
was built by the American Locomotive Company
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
(ALCO) for export to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
In the early 1960s Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
needed a reliable diesel
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
workhorse to gradually replace its steam locomotive
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...
fleet. Equal numbers (40 each) of ALCO's DL560C and EMD's SD24
EMD SD24
The EMD SD24 was a 2,400 hp C-C diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July, 1958 and March, 1963. A total of 224 units were built for customers in the United States, comprising 179 regular, cab-equipped locomotives and 45 cabless B...
were chosen for trials. More locomotives of each of these were purchased for more trials. Indian Railways was keen on producing these locomotives in the country rather than depending on imports. EMD did not agree for a Transfer-of-Technology, while ALCO did. Thus ALCO DL560C was chosen for the job due to its easy maintenance, reliability and simple operation.
The locomotive was classified as WDM-2
Indian locomotive class WDM-2
The class WDM-2 is Indian Railways' workhorse diesel locomotive. The first units were imported fully built from the American Locomotive Company in 1962. Since 1964, it has been manufactured in India by the Diesel Locomotive Works , Varanasi. The model name stands for broad gauge , diesel , mixed...
series and was assigned to haul long/short distance passenger trains and freight. These units are still in service. When the production of WDM2 ceased, there were 2706 locomotives in the system. The production began in the late 1960s, and went on till late 1990s.
After importing a couple of batches of this locomotive, Indian Railways started manufacturing them in India itself and also introduced modified variants of the same locomotive. Some were fitted with a less-powerful engine, classified as WDS series, and were meant for shunting duties in marshalling yards across the country. Various variants, all based on the ALCO DL560C power-pack were developed. The original powerpack churned out 2600hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
worth of power, while after modifications, Engineers at DLW managed to extract as high as 3300hp of power. The newest variant based on the DL560C power pack is the WDM3D, which is complete with micro-processor controls, better ergonomics
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:...
, etc.