ALCO and EMD MRS-1
by
Mike Gerenday
In 1974 the ARR acquired several ALCO MRS-1 locomotives surpluses from the US Army/Navy with a second purchase in 1976. Around this time the 1800 (GP7L) locomotives were starting to be sent out to be rebuilt, so stand-in power was needed. These locomotives were numbered 1601-1613 with two serving as hanger queens.
The MRS-1 was specifically built by ALCO from 1953 to 1954 for the United States Transportation Corps. EMD also made a version of the MRS-1 which will be covered in the second part. The MRS-1 was built close to European specs so if needed the USTC could deploy them to various European locations including Russia and in the Middle East. Specials multi-gauge trucks were built so the wheels could be easily widened for the different gauges of the tracks in those locations.
There were other noted details such as replaceable couplers to foreign styles, and compact body with the height reduced compared to domestic locomotives making it a distinct locomotive. All ALCO MRS-1s were built with the 12 cylinder 244D.
The Alaska Railroad owned 13 total of the ALCO version, also rostering the largest amount of ALCO MRS-1 than any private railroad. Depending on who you talk to the 1600s were not very popular with both road and yard service, though I have heard from a couple of old heads that they were decent.
By the early 1980s the 1600s were being put in storage as serviceable and starting in 1983 they were retired with the last ones retired in 1984 with one example excluded. 1605 was used one last time in the 1985 film Runaway Train, and was leading the freight train into the siding when the runaway locomotives crashed into the caboose.
During the summer of 1984 a mass butchering took place in the Birchwood yard were both the ALCO and EMDs were cut up, thus erasing 1600 off the ARR roster.
Here is a link on general information on the ALCO MRS-1.
The EMD MRS-1 was the firm's version of the ALCO MRS-1. Having been built between March and June 1952 with 15 units total. These locomotives had the 16 567B engine producing 1600 HP The EMD MRS-1 was built for the US Army Transportation Corps with the same specs as the ALCO version, though the EMD version had noticeable differences with the body and a peaked long hood.
In late 1977 the ARR purchased 5 EMD MRS-1 locomotives from the US Navy and were a continuation of the 1600s though numbered 1714-1718. Only the 4300s SD70MACs share a similar numbering sequence.
The 1700s were all yellow with black lettering/numbers and were known as "screaming yellow zonkers", with one being all black numbered 1818 (take note). Only two were actually used while the others were used for parts. Very few photos exist of the 1700s on the road, though a few were taken while one was in work train service. If anyone has phots of the 1714 and 1718 in road service, please share.
By 1984 all but 1818 were retired and scrapped in the butchering of the 1600s. 1818 was renumbered to 1718 sometime after 1981 and was repainted into a single unit version of the Bold Alaska scheme and was used for military use and as the coal plant switcher in Clear AFB until 1999.
1718 is the sole survivor of both versions of the MRS-1 fleet and is now in the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla Alaska in stored condition. As a matter of fact, I remember seeing the 1718 with another locomotive destined for the museum sitting for a few weeks in the north end of Wasilla Siding.
Page created 11/15/20 and last updated 11/15/20