LAL 20 "ARS-10"

While looking through the photos of LAL20 and "Traveler" from yesterday,
I noticed #20 has a "ARS-10" class designation on the cab:

http://www.protocol7.org/gallery2/v/LAL ... ewsIndex=1
ARS must mean "Alco Road Switcher"..and the 10 means 1,000 horsepower.

Looking through photos, none of the LAL Centuries have a class designation like that..it looks like only LAL 20 and 72 (the S2) have it.
72 has "AS-10" - Alco Switcher, 1,000HP.
http://www.railfan.net/railpix/submit/s ... /LAL72.jpg


Did the LAL start using this system "way back when" and then drop it for some reason?
looks like its the same system the LV and the PRR used.

here are the PRR classes:

http://prr.railfan.net/diagrams/PRRdiag ... &sz=sm&fr=

A C425 in this system would be a "AF-25".
I believe for "Alco Freight - 2500HP"

the LV also used this system..perhaps slightly modified from the PRR.
I never much cared for it...why not just call it what it is!
like "GP38-2" rather than "ESM-20"!
I suppose it was probably developed by the PRR so locomotive horsepower could be determined at a glance..
so it was probably usefull at the time.
and the LV adopted it because they were controlled by the PRR.

I have never seen it in use other than on the PRR and LV.
most railroads just put the actual loco type.. (if they use anything at all)
like RS1, C424, U23B, etc..

Scot

To revive an old thread:

Scot, I've seen some pictures of the number 20 where the paint scheme has changed ever so slightly. For example, I have seen pictures where the woeding on the side read "Livonia Avon & Lakeville RR" and in newer pictures and today it simply reads "Livonia Avon & Lakeville" Maybe at some point in time, the railroad considered doing this but backed out.

I did notice that on the set of HO scale Tiger Valley Models that I recently purchased there are decals for AS-25 which could only work for number 425 however, there is no designation of this sort of the 425. If there is I have not seen it.

Scott, the system you describe evolved out of steam classifications. Being that virtually every steam locomotive built being a custom job the railroads had to come up with their own designations for class, usually based on wheel arrangements. Since the management who bought the early diesels was the same that learned railroading in the steam era they did the same thing with the newer locomotives. The most famous railroad designation, GG-1, came about because it is two G class steam locos put together, 4-6-0+0-6-4. If you wanted to use builders designations with Alcos it can also get confusing, as in addition to the designations we are all familiar with there is also a series DL-whatever which is also just as correct. Even worse I believe some models carried the same DL number despite different designations. (Without looking it up, I think it is the RS-11 and 36 but I may be wrong).

The Reading did this as well if I'm not mistaken I belive the RCT&HS C630 5308 has ARS-14 on her or something like that.They did this with EMD's as well and I think their U30C's had somthing like that as well.

Scott: The Lehigh Valley RR had an "old" and a "new" classification system for diesel locomotives. The old system was used up until about the late 1950s when the new system went in effect. Seems that this does correspond to the increasing control by PRR interests.