? Wrote:
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> Weird how this engine produces two opinions:
>
> 1. They were the worst ever.
>
> 2. They were the best ever.
>
> Sounds like there was a cult following for them,
> and hate group against them.
>
> At least things were interesting 50 years ago.
> Today's industry is so darn boring.

Train fans loved them, rails who had to run them hated them...

SP LA Division Road Foreman of Engines Rollin Roberts is credited with the idea of a "center cab" diesel switch engine "like" the center cab PE electric locomotives. The only problem was that it was a diesel and not electric...

Alco built a real high cab, so there would be good visibility, and put in a real low exhaust stack so you could breath all of that exhaust right in your face all night long. The goofy cab interior had an almost infinite number of various hidden steps to bang you shins on in the dark, as an added design feature.

I remember foamers coming up and photographing these things and oohing and awing in marvel at these gawdawful piles of toxic particulate spewing rust...

They sucked from the endless stream of gaseous noxious exhaust fumes, and weren't even good switchers, either. They were bulky and slow to load, and slow to brake, so they were used more often on things like haulers instead, and those crews hated them too.

If you are in the business of actually switching rail cars, I'll take an SW 1500 any day (good vision, quick to load, adequate power, cleaner running, responsive, and good braking for a BB configuration), the exact opposite of the failed C415 "experiment"...