Diesel of the Day 7/28: Alco C420

The diesel of the Day for July 28th is the Alco Century 420. This is a fine locomotive developed by Alco for sale between 1963 and 1968; 131 were built. Once Alco had gotten past the tumultuous 244 engine, they were able to design and build a new line of diesels using their vastly improved 251 engine. This new lineup was called ‘Century’. The C420 is one of the baseline models, powered by the 12-251C four-stroke turbo V12 developing 2,000 horsepower. Alco was building excellent locomotives by the mid to late 1960s, but their market share had been consumed almost entirely by EMD and GE by this time. The C420 would be among the last diesels Alco sold. It has a distinctive appearance, with its long curved nose and pointed windshield structure. Several are still working for shortline railroads and museums, with a few more on static display. The photo shows nearly new Seaboard Air Line Railroad C420 number 119.