Southern Pacific ALCO Hydraulic 9150 in Modesto, CA.
The daily fruit block up the Valley is led by 9150 today as it stops at West Modesto to pick up one mechanical reefer. The engineer is watching the air pressure come up after reconnecting to his train and a spring rainstorm begins to dump on the scene. ALCo didn't seem to have any concern for displaying all the piping, electrical or mechanical linkages necessary to make this machine work. Only 3 of these machines were ever built, all constructed for the SP. The locomotives used two ALCo 251-Cs each linked to a Voith hydraulic transmissions directly connected to each truck. While avoiding the high maintenance of the German prime movers, these units didn't prove out in the long run. All three units came off the roster by April 1973, outlasting the KM's by five years. None of these locomotives were preserved. This is the second number worn by this unit, originally the 9018, renumbered to the 9150 in 1965 and then in June of 1969 to 9800 to make room for all the SD-45s that were flooding the SP roster. Valley power would soon become pretty homogenous.
Southern Pacific ALCO Hydraulic 9150 in Modesto, CA.
The daily fruit block up the Valley is led by 9150 today as it stops at West Modesto to pick up one mechanical reefer. The engineer is watching the air pressure come up after reconnecting to his train and a spring rainstorm begins to dump on the scene. ALCo didn't seem to have any concern for displaying all the piping, electrical or mechanical linkages necessary to make this machine work. Only 3 of these machines were ever built, all constructed for the SP. The locomotives used two ALCo 251-Cs each linked to a Voith hydraulic transmissions directly connected to each truck. While avoiding the high maintenance of the German prime movers, these units didn't prove out in the long run. All three units came off the roster by April 1973, outlasting the KM's by five years. None of these locomotives were preserved. This is the second number worn by this unit, originally the 9018, renumbered to the 9150 in 1965 and then in June of 1969 to 9800 to make room for all the SD-45s that were flooding the SP roster. Valley power would soon become pretty homogenous.