Baldwin S-12 Explained

Baldwin S12
Powertype:Diesel-electric
Builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
Buildmodel:S12
Builddate:January 1951–October 1956
Totalproduction:451
Aarwheels:B-B
Trucks:AAR type A
Length:48’
Width:10’
Height:14’
Wheeldiameter:400NaN0
Minimumcurve:44° (133.47feet radius)
Wheelbase:30feet
Locoweight:2400000NaN0
Primemover:606A
Rpmrange:625 rpm max
Enginetype:Four-stroke diesel
Aspiration:Turbocharger Elliott Company H503 (215 hp)
Displacement:1979cuin per cylinder
11874cuin total
Cylindercount:6
Cylindersize:NaNx
Generator:Westinghouse YG40D
Tractionmotors:Westinghouse 362D (4)
Maxspeed:600NaN0
Poweroutput:12000NaN0
Tractiveeffort:Starting: 72000lbf @30%
Continuous: 34000lbf @10.81NaN1
Disposition:6 preserved, remainder scrapped
Balwin DS-4-4-660 / DS-4-4-1000
Powertype:Diesel-electric
Buildmodel:DS-4-4-660 / DS-4-4-1000
Builddate:660: June 1946 to May 1949
1000: January 1951 – November 1951
Totalproduction:660: 139
1000: 446
Aarwheels:B-B
Wheeldiameter:360NaN0
Minimumcurve:44° (133.472NaN2 radius)
Wheelbase:30feet
Length:46feet
Width:9feet
Height:142NaN2
Locoweight:660: 196600lb
1000: 230000lb
Primemover:660: Baldwin 606NA
1000: 608NA later 606SC
Rpmrange:625 rpm max.
Enginetype:606: Straight-6
608: Straight-8
Four-stroke diesel
Aspiration:606NA and 608NA: Natural
606SC: Turbocharged
Displacement:1979cuin per cylinder
606: 11874cuin total
608: 15832cuin total
Cylindercount:6
Cylindersize:NaN×
Generator:West’hse 480 DC
Tractionmotors:(4) West’hse 362-D
Poweroutput:660: 6600NaN0
1000: 10000NaN0
Tractiveeffort:660: 56500lb
1000: 57500lb
Locobrakes:Air
Trainbrakes:Air
Locale:North America

The Baldwin S-12 or BLH S12 was a 1200adj=onNaNadj=on diesel-electric switcher locomotive. Utilizing a turbocharged 6-cylinder version of the powerful 606A diesel prime mover, S12s were known for their "lugging" power, despite being temperamental. Like most BLH switchers, the S12 had AAR Type-A switcher trucks in a B-B wheel arrangement. 451 units were built between 1951 and 1956, when BLH left the locomotive market.

Previous models

Baldwin made a number of switchers with similar dimensions and body styles. The first body style, used in VO models, had a slightly pointed nose with a round radiator opening. The second and third body style, almost indistinguishable and used interchangeably, had a flat nose and rectangular radiator opening. Various exhaust stacks were used, and are not an effective spotting feature, except that turbocharged models always had one large stack offset to the side.

The VO-660 was built between April 1939 and May 1946. It was powered by a naturally aspirated six cylinder engine rated at 600hp. 142 were built. Baldwin replaced the VO-660 with the model DS-4-4-660 in 1946.

The VO-1000 was built between January 1939 and December 1946. It was powered by a naturally aspirated eight cylinder engine rated at 1000hp. Some had the Batz truck originally developed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway as a leading truck for steam locomotives. 548 VO-1000s were built.

The DS-4-4-660 was built between 1946 and 1949. It replaced the 600hp VO-660 as the low power companion to the DS-4-4-1000 models. 139 were built.

The DS-4-4-1000 was a 1000hp model built between 1946 and 1951. The first units (56 locomotives) were powered by an 8-cylinder normally aspirated prime mover, but from 1948 a change was made to a 6-cylinder turbocharged engine. A total of 502 were built.

Original buyers

Railroad Quantity Road number Notes
Baldwin-Lima-Hamiton (demonstrators) 2 1200–1201 to Rock Island 758–759
1 678
2 27-28
2 1954–1955
1 600
1 706
5 463–467 Renumbered 9274–9278
1 203
4 311–314
7 1053–1059
16 1073–1076, 1106–1109, 1117–1121, 1126–1128
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (“Milwaukee Road”) 21 1905–1925 Renumbered 900–914, 920–925 (not in order)
1 200
12 617–628
4 400–403
5 24–28
4 1160–1163
14 230–243
2 116–117
15 1201–1210 Renumbered
27 400–426
20 9200–9219 Renumbered 1260–1279
Missouri Pacific (International-Great Northern Railroad) 10 9220–9226, 9230–9232
Missouri Pacific (St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway) 3 9227–9229
Missouri Pacific (Union Railway of Memphis)7 9233–9239
2 30–31
  1. 31 built as 800 hp; convertible to 1,200 hp (but never converted)
2 61–62
21 9308–9328
1 933
3 345–347
87 8100–8104, 8732–8796, 8976–8993 PRR Class BS-12m
11 6017–6021, 6028–6033
2 201–202
10 1462–1465, 1476–1481 to Seaboard Coast Line Railroad 203–206, 217–222
2 40, 42
10 2290–2299
56 1442–1513, 1539–1550
Southern Pacific (Texas and New Orleans Railroad) 3 105–107
8 1200–1207
4 1–3, 200
4 1250–1253
2 1841–1842
1 65-11391
13 65-00292–65-00294, 65-365–65-00374
U.S. Steel, Geneva Steel Works 3 33–35
1 GE1
U.S. Steel, Morrisville, Pennsylvania Works 9 GE2–GE8, GE17–GE18
5 305–309
Total 451

Surviving units

At least 9 intact examples (as well as 1 conversion) of the S12 are known to survive at railroad museums and freight operations. SMS Lines owns 9 S12's and operates #301 at the Penn Warner industrial park in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, as well as #304 on the Woodstown Central in Salem County, New Jersey with 7 others in storage or awaiting restoration. One unit that was converted from a Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 is in service on the Whitewater Valley Railroad.

References

External links