The A-3170 (LS-1200) is a diesel-electric switcher locomotive built between May 1950 and August 1951, by the Lima-Hamilton Corporation of Lima, Ohio, United States. Lima's original design was the A-3080, a 1,000 hp (750 kW) switcher, which became the standard for Lima's designs. A 660 hp (490 kW) switcher (proposed specification number A-3081) had also been designed at the request of American Rolling Mill Company, but none were built. By changing fuel rack settings, the A-3080 was upgraded to the A-3170 producing 1,200 horsepower (890 kW) from a turbocharged Hamilton T89SA four-stroke, eight cylinder inline diesel engine, a Westinghouse generator and 4 Westinghouse traction motors provided the 74,508 lbf (331.43 kN) of tractive effort.
Lima-Hamilton did not assign model numbers to their models but referred to them by specification numbers. Model designations such as LS-1200 were a railfan invention. Lima-Hamilton assigned A-3170 as the specification number for this particular unit. The Southern Pacific ordered 60 locomotives but agreed to receive 84 S12s from BLH instead.
Original owners
| Owner | Quantity | Road Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Armco Steel | 3
|
710, E109, E110 |
| Baltimore & Ohio Railroad | 24
|
320–329, 340–353 |
| Erie Railroad | 6
|
660–665, to Erie Lackawanna in 1960, same numbers |
| Chicago River and Indiana Railroad (New York Central Railroad) | 6
|
8406–8411 |
| New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad | 10
|
630-639 |
| New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate Road) | 4
|
309–312, to Norfolk and Western in 1964, same numbers |
| Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis | 6
|
1200–1205 (1200 ex Lima-Hamilton demonstrator 1200) |
| Wabash Railroad | 10
|
401–406, 408–411, to Norfolk and Western in 1964, same numbers |
| 69 |
Preservation
Two A-3170’s are preserved:
- ARMCO Steel E-110, the final locomotive produced by Lima- Hamilton, at the Illinois Railway Museum.
- Baltimore and Ohio 320, at the Whitewater Valley Railroad.
References
- Kirkland, John F. (November 1985). The Diesel Builders Volume 1: Fairbanks-Morse and Lima-Hamilton. Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-69-6.
- Hirsimaki, Eric (1986). Lima – the History. Hundman Publishing Inc.
- "The Yard Limit - Lima". Retrieved March 9, 2009.