S-1

Part 9 ALCOs First Standard Switcher

Essex Terminal S-1 101 displays its early appearance in April 1947 at the roads terminal in Walkerville, ON. It is painted apple green with gold lettering. Note the unit has no radiator shutters, an odd frame around the numberboard and a rerailer hanging from brackets mounted on the outside of the sidesill. Decals: None. Lou Marre collection

T

he Essex Terminal (ETR) Railway is a terminal road in Windsor, Ontario, across the Detroit River from Detroit, Michigan. In business since 1902 and owned at times by U. S. Steel and Morton Salt, it is currently owned by local businesses. Its first diesel was also the first S-series unit to be exported by Alco. Before its Canadian affiliate, Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) began production of diesels, Alco built a single S-1 for Canadian Car & Munitions in Montreal. Numbered 101, it was delivered in December 1941, nine years before the 660hp model S-3 Alco-design switchers were built in Canada by MLW. In 1946, the unit

by George Melvin
became ETR 101 and served there at least into the 1960s.

The Green Bay & Western (GB&W) Railroad was a consummate Alco-diesel railroad. It owned nothing but Alco diesels from its first diesel until it was taken over by the Wisconsin Central in 1993 and operated by WC subsidiary Fox Valley & Western. The first diesel acquisition was a single HH600 built in October 1939 and numbered 101. The road was still buying 2-8-2 Mikados for road service

Essex Terminal 101 is seen again at Walkerville on May 30, 1961. While still in the green livery, the unit has received a yellow frame, steps and pilot and freshly painted black trucks. The cab side bears a logo for DOSCO, the Dominion Coal & Steel Co., the roads owner at the time. The shadowed lettering dresses up the lettering quite a bit. It has class light brackets on all four corners but no lights in place. Decals: None.
Lou Marre collection

42 MODEL RAILROADING

JUNE 2003