Baldwin DRS-6-4-1500

The Baldwin DRS-6-4-1500 was a diesel-electric locomotive that was produced by Baldwin Locomotive Works between 1946 and 1952. DRS-6-4-1500, one of Baldwin’s heavy road-switchers, was rated at 1,500 horsepower and powered with a 608SC engine and rode on two three-axle trucks with an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement. As was the case with nearly all of Baldwin's diesel designs, Westinghouse supplied the company with all of the DRS-6-4-1500’s needed internal components such as traction motors, generators, and air equipment.

Baldwin DRS-6-4-1500
Columbus & Greenville Railway 601 on display in Columbus, Mississippi
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Model DRS-6-4-1500 Build date 1946–1952 Total produced 91
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR A1A-A1A Trucks 6-wheel Wheel diameter 42" Minimum curve 30 degrees Length 58' Adhesive weight 187,000 lbs Loco weight 280,000 lbs Prime mover 608SC Engine RPM:  • Maximum RPM 625 Engine type Four-stroke diesel engine Generator Westinghouse WE471 Traction motors Westinghouse WE370  • Continuous 42,800 lbs at 10.5 mph with 15:63 gearing Gear ratio 68:15 Compressor Westinghouse 3C2C
Performance figures Maximum speed 65 mph Power output 1,500 hp (1,100 kW)

Overall, 91 units were sold in the United States and three North African countries over the course of six years. 29 units were sold domestically to seven railroads between 1946 and 1948, but the model did far better in the export market with 62 units purchased for Algerian, Moroccan, and Tunisian railways between 1946 and 1952. The model designed for foreign sale in Africa was listed as the DRS-6-4-1500E and was essentially the same as its domestic counterpart except for a different end cab setup. The DRS-6-4-1500 was replaced in Baldwin's catalog by the AS-416 in 1950, but it continued to be produced for export orders until 1952.

Original buyers

Railroad	Quantity	Road Number(s)	Date Built	Notes
Baldwin Locomotive Works	2	1500 (demo)	1946	Sold to Union Pacific as 1250 in 1948.
		1501 (demo)	1948	Sold to Kennecott Copper as 901 in 1949, wrecked in 1952 and reconfigured to B-B trucks.
Columbus & Greenville Railway	5	601–605	1946-1947
Chicago & North Western Railway	1	1504	1948	Repowered by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division 1500 hp 16-567C.
Norfolk Southern Railway	10	1501–1510	1947-1948	1504, 1507, and 1508 were sold to Durham & Southern as 363, 364, and 365, respectively. The A1A-A1A trucks on 1507 and 1508 were replaced by B-B trucks.
Savannah & Atlanta Railway	8	100–107	1948
Southern Pacific Company	3	5200–5202	1948
Chemins de fer Algériens	40	DA 1-15	1946-1947
		DB 1-25	1947-1948
Chemins de fer du Maroc	18	DA 101	1946	Renumbered as DA 301.
		DA 102-105	1947	Renumbered as DA 302-305.
		DA 201-206
		DA 306-307	1949
		DA 308-309	1951
		DC 331-333	1952	Renumbered as DA 310-312.
Chemins de fer Tunisiens	4	DA 1-4	1946	Renumbered as DA 301-304 in 1950/52, sold to Chemins de fer du Maroc in 1958 and renumbered to DA 321-324 with power reduced to 750 hp.
Total	91

References

• Brown, John. (2001). The Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1831-1915: A Study in American Industrial Practice. Studies in Industry and Society Series. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-80186-812-2.
• Dolzall, Gary W.; Dolzall, Stephen F. (1984). Diesels from Eddystone: The Story of Baldwin Diesel Locomotives. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-052-6.
• Kirkland, John F. (1994). The Diesel Builders volume 3: Baldwin Locomotive Works. Interurbans Special No. 116. Glendale, CA: Interurban Press. ISBN 978-0916374938.
• Marre, Louis A. (1995). Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years: A Guide to Diesels Built Before 1972. Railroad Reference Series. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-258-2.
• Solomon, Brian (2010). Baldwin Locomotives. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-76033-589-5.