Here it is in 1976:

A bit more about the S-3, Built as #102, its number was changed to #103 when it went to the City of Prineville which already had a 101 and 102. My notes show the unit was rebuilt in April, 1972 and sold in Oct., 1983 to the Kewash RR in southeast Iowa. The name is a mash of Keota and Washington, the end points of the shortline. When DSRC bought it, it still sported C of P below the headlight.

Besides corn fields, that part of Iowa is where the preserved house stands that is the backdrop for Grant Woods' American Gothic. Iowa's official highway map also notes another area attraction, the future birthplace of Capt. James Tiberius Kirk in Riverside, Iowa on March 22, 2228.

One of the good things about that Centennial is nearly everything under the car body has been removed. A big plus considering how much weight that takes off the locomotive. You can further remove more weight by removing the remaining car bodies, fuel tank, as well as the trucks. After that you will be left with a bare frame along with the cab. I also heard there is one or two DDA40X spare trucks on that property somewhere.

There was one spare truck frame from #6906, but according to an October 2017 post on Trainorders, it was cut up about that time.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/ ... ?1,4392086

""That photo is likely lifted from one of my websites, I’m not aware of it being anywhere else online. Jerry Lamper collection.""

Sorry Jeff, was not intentional.
I just make a quick google search "brooks scanlon alco s3" and copied it from google pics.
Thanks for sharing all the info on your website.
:-) Uwe

Question.
The #101 at Chelatchie Prairie Railroad is reengined with a more modern Cummins,
did the #102 in SD has still its original 539?

There are several locomotives at Chamberlin, SD that have interesting histories.

Alco C420 - DSRC 213

This page has additional information on the LIRR’s C420s, including in-service photos of DSRC 213 (former LIRR 213). According to this website, there are 4 additional LIRR C420s that survive in some form: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrc420.htm

Here is a summary of the surviving units:

LIRR 200 - currently Livonia, Avon & Lakeville (LA&L) 420, Lakeville, NY (operational)

LIRR 211 – currently a parts units for the Delaware Lackawanna at Scranton, PA

LIRR 220 – currently on display as a N de M unit at the Railway Museum of Mexico - Merida, Yucatan, MX

LIRR 221 – currently stored Buffalo Southern 2010  Gowanda, NY with reports of having suffered copper theft.

From Alex’s description, it sounds like the 213 retains many of its passenger-service components and configuration that a better resourced operation would have removed to simplify maintenance. The C420s were the last diesel locomotives delivered before the MTA purchase of the LIRR and are the best alternative to operating a pre-MTA train or a early MTA train given the challenges in maintaining the 244 prime mover found in the RS3 (which constitute the other surviving pre-MTA LIRR passenger diesels).

GE 70-ton – DSRC 75 and 76

After WWII, GE’s directed marketing efforts for its 44-ton and 70-ton units at dieselizing short lines and interurbans as well as large industries. Among the surviving GE 70-ton units, relatively few are from common-carrier customers.

DSRC 75 was built for the short line Marianna & Blountstown (located in Florida’s panhandle) where it also carried number 75. This website has additional information about the short line and photos of the 75 in service: http://hawkinsrails.net/shortlines/mbrc/mbrc.htm . Note the pilot made from what appears to be recycled boiler tubes.

It purchased by the Iowa Terminal in 1967 and assigned to its Charles City Division (formerly the Charles City & Western). It initially worked alongside two electric motors, however a F5 tornado that caused severe damage to the trolley wire (and much of Charles City) May 15, 1968 necessitated complete dieselization.

DSRC 76 was built for the Tidewater Southern (that served California’s Central Valley) where it carried number 743 and delivered in the year that the Tidewater Southern retired its last steam locomotive (its last electrics ran in 1948). As a subsidiary of the Western Pacific, it wore orange and silver paint and carried a roof-top train indicator board (that it still retains). This website has photos of the unit in service for the Tidewater Southern: http://tidewatersouthernrailway.org/index.php/tsrw-equipment/locomotives2/no-141-741-no-142-742-no-743 .

It was purchased by the Iowa Terminal in 1968 and assigned to the Charles City division.

EMD SD-7L – DSRC 512 Correction - and EMD SD-7 - DSRC 522


According to: https://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr565.htm , DSRC 522 was built for the Milwaukee Road, road-number 2222, Class 15E-RS6 and DSRC 512 2212, Class 15E-RS6

One of the special duties that EMD considered for its SD line were branchlines with light rail (weighing 70 lbs. per yard or less) and light bridges that remained the hold-outs for small steam locomotives. DSRC 512 is the only surviving SD-7 built with EMD’s lightweight package (hence the L designation in the model number on EMD's electrical diagram) that wasn’t rebuilt extensively (as the Southern Pacific, Burlington Northern, and Milwaukee Road did with their SD7 and SD9 fleets. The most notable visible spotting feature of the lightweight package is the small fuel tank. Alex Huff describes additional spotting features of the lightweight SD7 below.

DSRC 522 was built as a standard weight SD7, with additional details described by Alex Huff below.

DSRC 512 is 1 of 2 surviving Milwaukee Road diesels (the other being Alco RSC-2 988 at the MidContinent museum) that operated with that railroad’s distinctive open-platform branch line caboose – passenger combination cars. (I’ll happily be corrected on these points). A RYPN thread on these cars may be found at: http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=30848

EMD SD-9 – DSRC 506

This unit was built for the Milwaukee Road, road-number 2232, Class 17.5E-RS6 according to: https://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr538.htm I don’t know if this unit was built with weight-savings in mind. Alex Huff notes (below) that this is a light SD-9. As far as I know, it is the only surviving Milwaukee Road SD9 that hasn’t been rebuilt to a SD10, and it is among a very small number of Class 1 SD9 locomotives that didn’t pass through a capital rebuild program. This thread has some additional information on other surviving SD9 and SD7 locomotives. http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41295

The SP, BN, and Milwaukee Road found that the SD7 and SD9 could be upgraded with some combination of 567C prime movers, chopped short hoods, wiring, and upgraded main generators that allowed them to work well into the 1990s or later (BNSF still has some SD9-3 units on its property). The handful units that remain close to their as-delivered configuration were sold early to short lines or industrial operators.

EMD SD-9R – DSRC 4427

According to http://www.thedieselshop.us/DakSou.HTML – EMD delivered this unit to the Southern Pacific with road number 5423. The SP later renumbered to 4427 after passing through its General Repair and Improvement Program (GRIP). There are several SP SD7 and SD9 locomotives that passed through the GRIP program in museum collections and in service on short lines. According to http://espee.railfan.net/spsd09e.html , this unit was among a small group equipped with snow fighting equipment in the GRIP program.

How to tell the difference between an SD7L and SD9L weighing 25T/axle and a common SD7/9 weighing close to 30T/axle. This class is aimed at scholars of obscure Diesel locomotive taxonomy. The class on EMD locomotive louver counting isn't a prerequisite but will help put you in the proper frame of mind. Speaking of frames, this is how EMD varied the weights of the first generation SDs. The SDs' foundation is a flat steel slab. On the light units, the hinges of the doors beneath the long hood walkway are welded to the lower edge of the steel plate. No portion of the plate is visible beneath the doors. On the common units, the plate is thicker. The door hinges are welded on the vertical surface and a portion of the plate is visible beneath the lower edge of the doors.

MILW 2212 > DSRC 512 is light. The only EMD document DSRC had that referred to the model being an SD7L was the "bedsheet" wiring diagram.
MILW 2222 > DSRC 522 is a standard SD7. It was one of the final five SD7s the MILW ordered and were the only ones with dynamic brakes. The 522 was the only one that didn't go through the SD10 program were the dynamic brakes were removed.
MILW 2232 > DSRC 506 is light, built as an SD9. No written reference to SD9L was in DSRC's possession.

The two SD7s were built with 16V-567B engines. The 506 came out with a 16V-567C. By the time DSRC purchased them from National Railway Equipment, all three while owned by the MILW had been upgraded to 567C blocks with 645 power assemblies. The 522's dynamic brake cooling fan had been removed, replaced with a steel plate.

Has anyone spoken directly to Dakota Southern or whoever is holding these locomotives, about the possibility of holding the Long Island C420 until it can be moved to a preservation group? What is the asking price for the locomotive? Scrap value? Donation for tax deduction?
I grew up chasing these locomotives, and this seems like the best opportunity to preserve a nearly operable passenger ALCO. It doesn't have the cache' of a PA, but I fear losing it to scrap in a gondola will be eventually viewed like losing the last CNJ Trainmasters.
Is any organization going after it?

In a facebook post https://www.facebook.com/groups/AOTTORC ... 0912625030 a John Schumann stated:
"Got some info to pass along. Dakota Southern RR is planning to scrap their locomotive fleet, coming up before long. They have a high nose Alco C420 and a S3; original high-nose ex MILW SD7s & SD9; and GE 70 tonners. I think they have a lot of spare parts also.
Info came from someone associated with the railroad. DSRC lost their line lease and has to remove all their equipment. I wanted to get this info out to a preservation site in hopes someone out there would be interested. If you have a serious inquiry, let me know. I was asked to pass along owner info only for serious inquires."

Regarding the asking price for the C-420 one of the comments there says "$35K the last time they had it up for sale. O/S for a bad traction motor. " But I have also seen comments in other posts that they are trying to get more than scrap value from anyone wanting to preserve it, which obviously p#sses a lot of people off. One good thing: according to the comments here the unit could be moved by rail if you replace one self-centering coupler and once the brake system is thoroughly gone through, and possibly disconnect the dump on the track toilet, all of which is not wasted money as you would need to look at those things eventually anyway.

Edit: One other question I have is, what is the scrap value of a unit after you remediate a steam generator and connecting piping full of Vitamin A? Nothing?

Hi, I’m new on here. I was reading about the DSRC. I’m from New York City. The LIRR Alco C520s are special to me. I really hope the 213 can be saved.

I passed through South Dakota last week, and stopped at Chamberlain to take a few still photos of the equipment in question. You can see them on my Flickr page.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jterry618/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jterry618/51304793026/ To repeat Richard Glueck's comment, I wonder if any LI-oriented groups are pursuing 213. Looks like it is missing cab windows, but I have seen far worse saved (including the former LI FA that Richard was instrumental in saving, it was on the ground in a dirt lot in NJ). The distance to South Dakota may be a factor here though.

I have sent a letter of inquiry regarding ALCO C420 #213 to Dakota Southern. If I get a response, I'll post it here.

A December 24, 2021 article on Railfan.com: Ex-Long Island C420 Goes to Arkansas & Missouri

As of the Christmas weekend, A&M 69, ex-DSRC 213, nee Long Island 213 was waiting for BNSF to move it out of the Mitchell interchange.

Watco has purchased DSRC 512 and 4427 plus two ex UP/SP SD40's. One is the tunnel motor variant. Units are painted in UP yellow & gray. Watco also purchased an ex-MILW 1939 vintage all-welded single track snowplow, MILW X-900091 from DSRC.

Cutting has begun on the Alco S3. One GE 70T parts unit w/o a prime mover, numbered "77" for convenience has been cut. As previously noted, the SD9 506 and SD7 522 are completely gone. Steel was cut up to electric furnace scrap, maximum of three feet in any one dimension. I do not know how the larger rotating copper items, traction motors and main generators were sold.