Alco Alligators

[SP-Wolf]

considering that The Southern Pacific owned three, and they had four different road numbers, it is surprising that they would use one that was only used for four years...they were hated by the SP management, The SP made them heavy switchers in 1973 and got rid of them before 1980, the SSW vacated them after only twelve years.

And - the road numbers BLI applied for the SP units are no where near close- should be 4816 - 4818. Post 1965 5160 - 5162. Then as switchers 3100 - 3102 where they lasted until 1976.
If only BLI went back to offering their models without sound and for me analog - so, I can add my choice of decoder.

I stand corrected - BLI numbered them correctly for the T&NO - SP leased all 3 to the Texas and New Orleans in 1960. Numbered 250 - 252. Until the great renumbering in 1965.


Wolf

[Dirk Jan Blikkendaal]

If you are willing to do some modelbuilding....... accurate models of different versions of the ATSF RSD-15 (also a SP version) and the ATSF RSD-7 are available quite a long time from WWW.ATSFNSCALEMODELS.COM.
DC or DCC with or without sound (your choice) on a great pulling/running modified Atlas C628/630 chassis.

For the rivet counters: the ATSF had its 50 engine RSD-15 order filled by Alco in 2 batches..... engines 800-823 in zebra stripe in 1959 and engines 824-849 in blue/yellow in 1960.
Most visible differences between those 2 batches are the air reservoirs and diesel tank shape: 1st batch has 2 long air reservoirs on the right side of the diesel tank only, 2nd batch has 1 air reservoir on each side with a different shaped diesel tank.
Just before the 1969 renumbering (by adding a 9 to the engine number) the dynamic braking system was modified on all engines, resulting in a different roof unit and 2 rather large air intakes just beneath that roof unit on both sides of the long hood.   
The  1954-55 ATSF 12 engine RSD-7 order consisted of 2 (a bit shorter) Alco demonstrator engines 600 and 601 and 10 engines 602-611 (overall length same as RSD-15).
The main visible differences compared to the RSD-15 were: different cab windows, very different diesel/water tank, different batttery boxes near cab resulting in different walkways/handrails, ladders/handgrips other locations, different end platform handrails, different horns.

The BLI model seems to be lacking a lot of these differences........ 1 underframe/shell fits all......

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Dirk Jan Blikkendaal
info@atsfnscalemodels.com
   

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Wait.... I've been in the cab of GBW 2407, what an experience, during one of the IRM members days.   If you think everything rattles on an old Alco S2, this is about 4X the racket.

And that's a 16-cylinder 251.  But a 16-cylinder 244?   Yeah, that might be extinct as an operable engine.

https://www.irm.org/cgi-bin/rsearch.cgi?diesel=Green+Bay+&+Western=2407

Yikes!
I've been in the cab of an S-6 before and yeah, rattles everywhere. That must've been insane!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Something else I noticed from that photo, you could probably use the last 2 CSX family releases, as they both have SCL reporting marks.  If you didn't get them already

I got the second to last one. I haven't gotten the most recent (yet). Mostly because I'm realizing I have recently accumulated a LOT of former ACL/SAL/SCL equipment and think I'm hitting my quota.

[mu26aeh]

I got the second to last one. I haven't gotten the most recent (yet). Mostly because I'm realizing I have recently accumulated a LOT of former ACL/SAL/SCL equipment and think I'm hitting my quota.

Eh, what's one more when they're executed so well

[keeper]

If you are willing to do some modelbuilding....... accurate models of different versions of the ATSF RSD-15 (also a SP version) and the ATSF RSD-7 are available quite a long time from WWW.ATSFNSCALEMODELS.COM.
DC or DCC with or without sound (your choice) on a great pulling/running modified Atlas C628/630 chassis.


Dirk Jan Blikkendaal
info@atsfnscalemodels.com
   

This very interesting and tempting. I need to find out which LS&I units were the ATSF ones.

Thomas 

[keeper]

On another note, what do you think will be the approx. price at let's say MBK?

One dealer here in Germany has them already listed for 299,95 Euro which is about $ 337.25

Here are the prices for a SD 40-2.
BLI: $ 259.99
MBK: $ 207.99
German dealer: 279,95 Euro / $ 314.76

[Albert in N]

   Looking forward to seeing reviews of the N scale model.  I still wish that I had kept my old MRC (made in Yugoslavia) alligator.  Back in the early 1970s, Santa Fe ran them on their Clovis NM to Houston line.  I took a photo of one leading an EMD SD24 with my Kodak pocket 110 film camera.  Quality is not good due to camera and the fact that the alligator was running about 60 miles per hour.  Anyway, dig the nose:

[thomasjmdavis]

On another note, what do you think will be the approx. price at let's say MBK?

One dealer here in Germany has them already listed for 299,95 Euro which is about $ 337.25

Here are the prices for a SD 40-2.
BLI: $ 259.99
MBK: $ 207.99
German dealer: 279,95 Euro / $ 314.76

I don't know about MBK, but Train World sent me an email the other day, and has them listed at a pre-order price of $239.99.

[peteski]

On another note, what do you think will be the approx. price at let's say MBK?

One dealer here in Germany has them already listed for 299,95 Euro which is about $ 337.25

Here are the prices for a SD 40-2.
BLI: $ 259.99
MBK: $ 207.99
German dealer: 279,95 Euro / $ 314.76

Is that including the European VAT?  Even if you get them from USA, then you have to pay shipping and customs duty, correct?

[Dirk Jan Blikkendaal]

This very interesting and tempting. I need to find out which LS&I units were the ATSF ones.

Thomas 

LS&I bought units 9802, 9807, 9810, 9838, 9841 and 9844 from the ATSF.
First 3 with 2 air reservoirs on 1 side, last 3 with 1 air reservoir on each side.
All had the dynamic braking modification.
9841 is at IRM as GBW 2407 (formaer ATSF 9841).

On my own layout I run a permanently coupled 4-unit zebra striped set on only 1 ESU Loksound decoder....... 2 engines on a modified (and extra lead weight added)) Atlas C-628/630 chassis, 2 engines on dummy James Trains Parts Alco trucks, 1 dummy housing the decoder and the other dummy the speaker. Pulls 70 cars up a 0,5 % grade........Whole set $ 700........See Youtube

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[keeper]

Is that including the European VAT?  Even if you get them from USA, then you have to pay shipping and customs duty, correct?

The Euro price is the price I would pay plus 6 Euro shipping.

To all US prices I would need to add shipping and customs fees. At the moment it is more or less the same to buy something here or in the US.

[atsf_arizona]

IMHO, Dirk Jan Blikkendaal kits of highly accurate models of different versions of the ATSF RSD-15 and the ATSF RSD-7 are the way to go if you can't wait for BLI or you want to have very accurate models that you can build a fleet of, for less $$ :

  WWW.ATSFNSCALEMODELS.COM

All the pieces including etched handrails, all the instructions and pieces for the mechanism modification, all in one package. 

See here for those instructions which Dirk Jan nicely posts for all of us:  https://www.atsfnscalemodels.com/projects/rsd-15%252C%2520rsd-7.html

 

Just to get you all excited about either Dirk Jan's models or the upcoming BLI versions....

You can see here a prior-to-Dirk-Jan's-kits-becoming-available, kitbash of Santa Fe RSD-15 and RSD-7, using the old Mehano Model Power shells, on a
Atlas B40-8 mechanism with Atlas C628/C630 trucks.   Here's my 7 page treatise on doing those step by step:

https://www.pbase.com/atsf_arizona/n_scale_rsd15

All of this was inspired by San Diego Society of N Scale, there was earlier
version of same combo of parts built way back before 2006 by their past president Jim Bence there, that model of his inspired me.

Here's some pics of these, brush painted shells, handrails by Randgust.   Be inspired and let's have Alligators!   Regardless of what you do, we all hope BLI makes their Alligators run properly and avoids the pickup problems many
of their other N scale models have had (I know from experience.....) !







And just to get Mr. Wallet all excited....  ten Santa Fe RSD-15's on York Canyon coal train 1967:

https://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=457019&nseq=4

[up1950s]

Wish they had undec's in lo & hi hood .

[C855B]

It frosts my butt to do so, but I pre-ordered a pair of BLIs in Santa Fe blue. I hope they don't disappoint. Wish I had the time to build Dirk's models, but time is precious these days, and there are already five "must have" kits on my workbench of which only two are started.