In Volume 16, Number 2 of the RRHS Newsliner, Robert W. Adams wrote an article titled “How Rutland RS1 #405 Became GMRC #405”. That article included a chart from his collection, dated July 31, 1962, showing information on the Alco RS-1’s and RS-3’s, their mileage totals from the Rutland as of that date, and their rebuild dates. The article was informative on it’s own, but this chart is even more handy if you are a modeler of the Rutland in the late 1950’s.
For example, if you model August 1957, all of the RS-3’s you would have on your layout should be with air-cooled turbochargers, meaning the exhaust stack would be in it’s offset placement as built. If you modeled August 1958, RS-3’s 200, 204, and 208 would have the water-cooled turbocharger, meaning an exhaust stack that is centered on the long hood. If you modelled August 1959, all RS-3’s would have the water-cooled turbocharger. 207 would be bright and shiny as it was the last one overhauled, and was released from the shops in Rutland in August 1959.
This chart is also very handy for dating photos. It’s 50-plus years now since Rutland Alco’s hauled freight, photo collections change hands and information such as dates go missing. Not all photographers are detail-oriented and recorded dates either. By looking at the exhaust stacks, it can help place photos within a year at least.
| Rutland Railway Corp. | ||||||||||
| Unit | Date Built |
Builders No. |
Diesel Engine HP |
Diesel Eng. Serial No. |
Diesel Eng. Type |
Date Installed |
Miles since Installed |
Unit Miles |
Top Deck Overhaul |
Mileage Since Overall |
| 200 | 9-13-50 | 78252 | 1600 |
10851 | 244 | 10-1957 | 215,579 | 703,422 | – | – |
| 201 | 5-1-51 | 78594 | 1600 | 10704 | 244 | 1-1959 | 149,693 | 669,766 | – | – |
| 202 | 6-7-51 | 78880 | 1600 | 11518 | 244 | 11-1958 | 174,508 | 681,166 | – | – |
| 203 | 6-8-51 | 78881 | 1600 | 12884 | 244 | 9-1958 | 175,459 | 697,388 | – | – |
| 204 | 6-12-51 | 78882 | 1600 | 10615 | 244 | 8-1958 | 172,470 | 671,283 | 9-21-61 | None |
| 205 | 8-13-52 | 80155 | 1600 | 10261 | 244 | 7-1959 | 108,320 | 557,759 | – | – |
| 206 | 8-13-52 | 80156 | 1600 | 10679 | 244 | 5-1959 | 93,490 | 534,441 | – | – |
| 207 | 8-13-52 | 80157 | 1600 | 10241 | 244 | 8-1959 | 116,418 | 566,126 | – | – |
| 208 | 8-14-52 | 80158 | 1600 | 11022 | 244 | 7-1958 | 160,828 | 604,894 | – | – |
| 401 | 10-19-51 | 79350 | 1000 | 6204 | 539 | Original | 313,921 | 313,921 | 2-11-59 | 56,557 |
| 402 | 10-30-51 | 79572 | 1000 | 6251 | 539 | Original | 224,129 | 224,129 | – | – |
| 403 | 11-8-51 | 79573 | 1000 | 6252 | 539 | Original | 301,953 | 301,953 | 2-5-60 | 34,354 |
| 404 | 11-16-51 | 79574 | 1000 | 6253 | 539 | Original | 320,448 | 320,448 | 1-5-61 | 16,049 |
| 405 | 11-21-51 | 79575 | 1000 | 6254 | 539 | Original | 321,717 | 321,717 | 12-2-59 | 35,507 |
| Rutland RS-3’s used Model 244-RH-1 has serrated type Engine Block Repairs to chassis made as running repairs, no general repairs to chassis have been made.7/31/62 |
||||||||||
If you’d like more information like this, and are not a member of the Rutland Railroad Historical Society, why not join today. If you are member, but would like back issues, contact our Back Issues department.