Baldwin & Lima-Hamilton Diesel Locomotive Horsepower Comparison
Our next locomotive horsepower chart covers diesels built by Baldwin as well as its short-lived merging partner Lima-Hamilton.
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was established in less than two decades after the War of 1812. It was not only the number one steam locomotive builder but also infamous for some of the least successful diesels in the United States. Baldwin initially built its products in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but eventually moved all operations to the newly opened Eddystone, PA factory by 1928. Three years earlier, the company introduced its first diesel-electric locomotive: a 1,000-horsepower, six-axle boxcab unit No. 58501 with the Knudsen Motor Company’s 12-cylinder diesel engine and a Westinghouse electrical system. However, due to its problematic performance in mainline duty, this experimental locomotive ultimately became a switcher to serve the Eddystone plant until the end of its life in 1941. Speaking of Westinghouse, diesel power was not the only Baldwin product line other than steam; it should be noted that Westinghouse and Baldwin began teaming up with each other in the 1890’s to manufacture straight-electric locomotives. More importantly, the latter established its own line of gasoline-mechanical industrial switchers within the next two decades; this was the company’s very first experience with internal-combustion power.
In the final year of the Roaring Twenties, Baldwin never hesitated to engineer its second diesel locomotive: a four-axle boxcab switcher No. 61000, dubbed “oil-electric”. Like its six-axle predecessor, the 61000 was also rated at 1,000 horsepower but its heart was a six-cylinder Krupp diesel engine imported from Germany. As a demonstrator, the second locomotive toured through several major U.S. railroads and turned out to have a more promising performance than the first. Unfortunately, No. 61000 was never sold to any customer because the Great Depression delayed Baldwin’s opportunity to develop a more successful diesel product line. It is no surprise that none of America’s largest steam builders would likely develop a proper diesel locomotive without acquiring companies that specialize in internal-combustion engines. For that reason, Baldwin bought I.P. Morris & De La Vergne, Inc. in 1931. It also acquired the George D. Whitcomb Company (eventually known as Whitcomb Locomotive Works) to expand its industrial switcher business. In 1936, Baldwin completed a 660-hp end-cab switcher No. 62000, the first unit to feature the De La Vergne VO diesel engine. It was the forerunner to what became the VO660 and the more powerful VO1000, both of which officially entered production three years later.
Baldwin’s biggest diesel experiment began in 1940 when it ordered eight of De La Vergne’s model 408 engines in an effort to build a 6,000-hp mainline locomotive. These V8 prime movers were rated at 750 horsepower and were essentially mounted sideways, a very rare engine configuration on any locomotive. Numbered 6000, the prototype was also attached to an unusual wheel arrangement, consisting of the first non-powered two-axle truck at the front, two sets of four powered axles in between, and the second two-axle truck at the rear. That gives a total of 12 axles (or 24 wheels) and eight traction motors! In fact, each of the eight planned 408-series engines was intended to power one axle. However, the assembly of No. 6000 was halted by World War II production restrictions and the locomotive turned out of the Eddystone factory by 1943 with only four engines ever installed. While most diesel models were prevented from being built during this time, Baldwin was permitted to continue manufacturing its VO switchers. In early 1945, not long before the war officially ended, the company designed a pair of six-axle passenger cab unit demonstrators, each possessing two of the eight-cylinder VO engines to produce 2,000 horsepower. Later that same year, Baldwin introduced a new prime mover line that would supplant the VO series. Known as the 600 series, it came in six-cylinder or eight-cylinder options and in normally aspirated or turbocharged configurations.
At the request of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, the running gear was recycled from Baldwin’s prototype No. 6000 to a new locomotive model, the DR-12-8-1500/2 (also nicknamed “Centipede” due to its unusual wheel arrangement). Instead of the De La Vergne 408 diesel engines used on the testbed unit, Baldwin assembled two 608SC prime movers on the Centipede, both of which had eight cylinders and were supercharged to produce 1,500 horsepower each. In response to the ALCO RS-1 model, Baldwin started its own line of road-switcher diesels that were initially rated at 1,000 horsepower but soon offered 1,500-hp types. These include the four-axle DRS-4-4-1000 and DRS-4-4-1500 as well as the six-axle DRS-6-4-1500 and DRS-6-6-1500. The latter three were designed to be 500 horses more powerful than the ALCO RS-1.
Another steam builder we will discuss is the Lima Locomotive Works. In 1869, nearly four decades after Baldwin, the Lima Machine Works was born in Lima, Ohio. Ephraim Shay’s famous geared steam locomotive convinced the company to build railroad products in addition to agricultural and sawmill applications. It joined the diesel market at a much later date than any other major locomotive builder in the U.S. because it had no plan to design its own diesel products until after World War II. As a similar case to Baldwin, Lima had to merge with an engine builder to gain experience, and the result was the General Machinery Corporation, located in Hamilton, OH. Since both companies were based in the same state, the married couple was renamed Lima-Hamilton in 1947. It was not until two years later when the builder’s first diesel locomotive was a 1,000-hp switcher, the LS-1000 or LH-1000. News broke in late November 1950 when Baldwin officially merged with Lima-Hamilton; ironically, the purpose of this consolidation was for non-railroad products (e.g., power shovels and cranes) instead of locomotives. As a result, the last L-H diesel was completed in less than one year. 1956 was Baldwin’s last year as a true locomotive builder and its final non-industrial-sized diesel-electrics were several S-12 switchers.
Like all other major diesel builders, Baldwin built cab units (DR, RF), switchers (VO, DS, S), and road switchers (DRS, RS, DT, RT). Lima-Hamilton also built a few switchers (LS or LH), road switchers (LRS), and transfer locomotives (LT) but no cab units. As usual, this comparison chart displays the locomotive model, engine type, number of cylinders per engine, and the total amount of horsepower. While most diesels shown in this chart are from Baldwin, there are very few Lima-Hamilton types that are also included. When it comes to prime movers, Baldwin had the De La Vergne VO, the short-lived 8-cylinder 408, the 6-cylinder 606, and the 8-cylinder 608. The latter two came in normally aspirated (NA) and supercharged (SC) versions. All Lima diesels were powered by Hamilton’s 6-cylinder T69SA or 8-cylinder T89SA. The top three most powerful B-L-H locomotives will be mentioned soon. Here are the screenshots snipped from this document, but you can also download a PDF copy of it for a full view. Click below to download the Baldwin & Lima-Hamilton Horsepower Comparison chart.
