builder..

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builder number..

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wheel arrangement..

horsepower..

prime mover..

operational weight..

starting tractive effort..

length..

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AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE CO

S2

70953

November 1943

B-B

1000 hp

Alco 539-6 cyl turbo

230 000 lbs

57 500 lbs

45 ft 5-½ in

10 ft 0 in

38 ft 0 in

The story of second 744 is a truly bizarre one.  Built as part of WP's first order of S2s, it was easy to spot as it featured horizontally mounted radiator shutters, a style Alco briefly favored in the mid-1940's.  Acquired by the TS in the summer of 1969, it had the shortest service life of any Tidewater locomotive, only lasting mere months before being sold to the Oakland Terminal.  There it proved less reliable than the old Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 which had dieselized the OT.  It was then sold to Levin Metals for scrap.  However, Levin instead appearently decided to rebuild the engine.  Reports are that it was pulled from the dealine, given a complete rebuilding, and assigned to switch the Richmond scrap yard.  These same reports indicate that the 744 was confused with another group of locomotives going to scrap and was cut up shortly after being rebuilt!  (If anyone can confirm this account, I would appreciate more information.)

Second 744 was traded to the TS reportedly to replace increasingly unreliable first 744.  First 744, however, went on to work many more years for Relco, while second 744 quickly left the road and then was retired by the Oakland Terminal as unreliable herself.  This suggests that the TS may have gotten the short end of the deal with the 744 trade.

An interesting sidebar is that second 744 was not a contemporary of second 745 on the TS roster.  It served concurrently with first 745.  The trade with WP which brought second 744 to the Tidewater occurred several months before the trade which brought second 745 over.  The sale of second 744 to the OT occurred only 13 days after the second 745 officially came to the Tidewater.  Second 745's only real contemporaries on the roster were the two RS1s.  As a result of its short service time, few photos exist of the second 744 working for the railroad.  Like the other Alcos, it appears to have been used on the entire line in every type of service.  No evidence has come to light of it serving on the Sacramento Northern while owned by the TS.

Tidewater Southern Railway

Alco S2 744:2