MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

The American Locomotive Company pioneered the multi-purpose "road switcher" design in 1941 with its 1000 hp RS-1. Alco's designers added a second, shorter hood to a basic switcher to make room for a steam boiler for passenger train heat. The short hood also afforded the crew additional accident protection. Smoother-riding trucks made the RS-1 suitable for the higher road speeds that would be daunting in a typical switcher. Although EMD's later GP7 and GP9 sold better and really established the road switcher as a universal locomotive, the RS-1 had the longest production run of any American-made diesel. The last new RS-1 left Alco's shops in 1960.

Interestingly, the first two years of RS-1 production went to the military. The 13 units that had been delivered to American railroads were requisitioned from their owners, and, along with 144 additional engines, were sent to Iran, Russia, and U.S. Army posts. These RS-1s were fitted with three-axle trucks to make them suitable for lighter rail on overseas roads. A group that plied the Trans-Iranian Railroad became known as "the diesels that saved Russia" because they brought in food and other supplies after the Luftwaffe had crippled Russian shipping. These engines later became the prototype for Russia's own early diesels.

Built to 1/48 scale proportions, the RailKing RS-1 beautifully portrays the first road switcher in American railroading. At home with either freight or passenger consists, the RS-1 is appropriate for a model railroad set in any period from the 1940s through the 1980s.