Ingalls 4-S

Ingalls 4-S
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Ingalls Shipbuilding Serial number 1501 Build date March 1946 Total produced 1
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Length: ​  • Body 56 ft 6 in Width 10 ft 0 in Height 15 ft 0 in Loco weight 272,000 lb (123.4 tonnes) Fuel capacity 1,000 US gal (3,800 L; 830 imp gal) Lubricant cap. 150 US gal (570 L; 120 imp gal) Coolant cap. 280 US gal (1,100 L; 230 imp gal) Sandbox cap. 28 cubic ft Prime mover Superior Engines & Compressors 65LX8 Engine RPM:  • Maximum RPM 660 Aspiration Turbocharged Generator GE GT581 Traction motors GE 752 (4) Cylinders 8 Cylinder size 12.5 in × 15 in (320 mm × 380 mm) Gear ratio 15:63
Performance figures Maximum speed 65 mph (105 km/h) Power output 1,650 hp (1,230 kW) Tractive effort: ​  • Starting 72,000 lbf (320.27 kN)  • Continuous 42,800 lbf (190.38 kN)
Career Operators Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Numbers 1900 Retired 1966 Disposition Scrapped in 1967

The Ingalls 4-S was an experimental American locomotive built by Ingalls Shipbuilding immediately after World War II. Intended as the first of many Ingalls-built locomotives, it was the only one the company built. It served on the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad (GM&O) until it was retired in 1966; it was scrapped the following year.

Design and development

At the end of World War II, Ingalls Shipbuilding, based in Pascagoula, Mississippi, developed plans for a line of diesel-electric locomotives to serve the expected post-war market. Five models were projected; the first, and as it proved only, to be built was a prototype of the largest, the model 4-S.^[1]

A single demonstrator was planned in December 1945, and built in March 1946, numbered #1500. The design of the locomotive was considered advanced, including a "turret cab" arrangement, which improved the crew's vision.^[2] The prime mover selected for the locomotive was the inline-8 65LX8, based on a marine diesel engine built by Superior Engines & Compressors; and modified for railroad use by Cooper-Bessemer, and Elliott Company providing the turbocharger. The 4-S produced 1,650 hp (1,230 kW), of which 1,510 hp (1,130 kW) was available for the production of tractive effort by the locomotive's electric drive, but marketed as 1,500 horsepower.^[1] Provision was made for the installation of a steam generator for passenger service.^[2] The locomotive was equipped with connections for multiple unit operation.^[3]

Operational service

The 4-S demonstrator was tested by a number of railroads, including the Louisville and Nashville, Seaboard Air Line, Mississippi Export Railroad, Gulf, Mobile and Ohio, and the Southern Railway; however no orders materialized for the type, or for any other of Ingalls' proposed locomotives.^[2] The lack of orders combined with issues with the supply of components resulted in Ingalls electing to abandon its plans for locomotive construction;^[1] the sole 4-S was the only locomotive they ever built.^[4] It was sold to the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad for US$140,000 in June 1946, where it received the road number 1900.^[2]

The 4-S served with the GM&O, operating primarily from Mobile, Alabama, to Jackson, Mississippi, but also served around Meridian and Laurel. It was used in switching duty, earning a reputation for toughness;^[1] it once derailed, landing inverted, but was repaired and returned to service in short order.^[2] In 1966, the railroad traded it in to EMD as partial payment for new SD40s.^[1] It was offered to the Illinois Railway Museum for US$3,000, but the museum was unable to raise the funds.^[2] When no other buyers materialized,^[1] it was sold to Pielet Brothers in 1967, where it was scrapped.^[2]

References

5. ^ Rutherford , R. C. (2013). Ingalls Shipbuilding (1949). The Diesel Shop. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.thedieselshop.us/Ingalls_Flyer.pdf

This page was last edited on 21 November 2022, at 23:19