DL-109

Reading FP-7s #s 900 and 901. (Photo by the so-called “old guy” years ago with the Kodak Hawkeye camera I inherited from my father.)

Eons ago, I think Fall of 1961, I rode a railfan excursion with my paternal grandfather and sister, on what at that time was Reading (“REDD-ing” not “READ-ing”) Railroad’s Wilmington branch.
The railroad still exists, but now is some shortline.
The old Reading line out of Wilmington, DE is fabulously scenic.
It follows the valley of the Brandywine River (Creek, whatever) up into Pennsylvania.
It even has a fabulous horseshoe curve near Granogue (“greh-NOHG”).
It was tight enough to see the end of your train as you negotiated it — we were in the last coach.
The railroad wound all over as it climbed the valley out of Wilmington. The Brandywine had a drop in elevation that was harnessed by E. I. du Pont de Nemours to make gunpowder. It was the basis of the mighty DuPont Company.
The railroad didn’t start with the Brandywine, but merged next to it.
Two Reading FP7s, #s 900 and 901, were on the point.
I think these two units still exist and are operable, although owned by a rail preservation society.
They were gorgeous; black with a single narrow green stripe and gold pinstriping.
It was a fabulous trip. Rode all the way up the river to where the branch merges with another line that skirted St. Peters.
Lunch was in a park, if you cared hike through brambles to the picnic area.
We didn’t.
The crew was giving walk-through tours of the FP7s. (We all did this.)

Reading GP-7 #662, to drag us back to the junction. (Photo by the so-called “old guy” years ago with the Kodak Hawkeye.)

A single GP7 coupled to the back of the train to drag us back to French Creek Junction.
On the way up, we passed through Coatesville (“COATS-ville”) and under the mighty Pennsy arches. In Coatesville was the Lykens Steel plant.
New-Haven DL-109s were on the property for scrapping.
I had never seen a DL-109 before — didn’t even know they existed.
May not have been a DL-109 even; may have been something else. Alco had a DL-100 series; e.g. the DL-103, DL-107, and even the DL-110; although only one was made (the 110 was a B-unit). —Probably someone on the train said they were DL-109s.
Apparently it was Alco’s first attempt at a diesel passenger locomotive — “DL” stands for Diesel-Locomotive.
Before the gorgeous PAs, certainly one of the best-looking diesel locomotives of all time.
The DL-series had a three panel windshield — I suppose to distinguish it from earlier EMD E-units — and was styled by Otto Kuhler.
It also had A-1-A trucks like the later PAs and the EMD E-units; that’s center axle unpowered.
It also used two engines like the EMD E-units; but they were only six-cylinder 539s; same motor as the RS-1.
The E-unit used two V12s. —The Alco PA was only one engine, a turbocharged V16 of 2,000 horsepower.

New York, New-Haven & Hartford DL-109 #0749 at Old Saybrook, CT, 1950.

The DL-100 series was also 2,000 horsepower, but two engines.
Pretty as it was, the Alco PA wasn’t very reliable. Something would go wonky and cripple its train, tieing up the railroad. —Something would have to be sent to rescue the train.
I never even heard of the DL-100 series. So I have no idea how reliable they were.
That excursion on the old Reading Wilmington Division was something I’ll never forget, and my first knowledge of the Alco DL-100 series.

RE: “‘Old guy’ with the Kodak Hawkeye.......” —My macho, blowhard brother-from-Boston, who is 13 years younger than me, calls me “the old guy” as a put-down (I also am the oldest). The “Hawkeye” is my first camera, inherited from my father. It used VeriChrome-Pan 120, but generated rectangular negatives.

“FP-7s” are four foot longer versions of the EMD F-unit freight-diesel — a passenger version thereof. “EMD” is Electromotive Division of General Motors, GM’s manufacturer of diesel railroad-locomotives. Most railroads used EMD when they dieselized; although many now use General-Electric diesel railroad-locomotives.

The “GP7” was first in a series of EMD road-switcher units, a long hood with the engine cab toward one end, but not at the end (like a switcher). —Railroads came to prefer the road-switcher format over cab-units, because visibility was better in either direction, as opposed to only forward with a cab-unit (e.g. an F-unit, or an FP). The primary locomotives purchased nowadays by railroads are road-switchers, except now the hood in front is lopped off in height to increase visibility forward. —The GP units were four axles. Another EMD version of road-switchers is the SD unit — but they are six axles. GPs (“Geeps”) are no longer available; it’s all six-axle units. (“GP” stood for General-Purpose; “SD” stood for Special-Duty.)

“Alco” is American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, NY. For years, American Locomotive Company was a primary manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives. (It was originally a merger of many steam locomotive manufacturers.) —With the changeover by railroads to diesel-locomotives, American Locomotive Company brought out a line of diesel-electric railroad locomotives much like the railroads were switching to, and changed its name to “Alco.” Alco tanked a while ago; they never competed as well as EMD.

The “PAs” were Alco’s second attempt at a passenger diesel-locomotive.