Heckett Alcos
By Fred "Doc" ColbergNov. 18, 2002
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The company I work for down here is Heckett Multiserv. The
plant we are at is IPSCO Steel works in Montpelier, Iowa.
I started working for Heckett back in 1997. I hired on
with them specifically to keep the Vectran remote control
systems on the Alcos working, but as I came to soon realize,
there wasn't anyone there willing to keep the old things in
running condition either. Long story short, the next four years
were spent keeping at least three of them running 24 hours a
day, 365 days a year. A lot of long days, a lot of calls in the
middle of the night to fix one thing or another (that's where
the "doc" came from), a lot of time and effort put forth to
keep them out on the rails. Unfortunately all original number plates are long since removed. The only real history I know on them is that the S-4's were purchased from a coal mining company in either Tn. or Ky. sometime around 1994 or 1995. The S-1 and S-2 both have been owned by our company for a number of years and were shipped to our mill from a plant in Youngstown Ohio in 1998. All but the S-1 are still in working condition, one S-4 was destroyed in an accident in 1998 and has since been scrapped. I don't think it's going to be too much longer before all four of them are scrapped and lost forever. |
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#12 Alco S-1 ex Ohio Central Ohio Central Photos |
Alco S-2 |
Alco S-4
#13877 - Alco S-4 note IPSCO logo on cab
"Heckett Engineering acquired three former B&O Alco (S-4)
switchers (9018, 9088, 9105) from Whitaker Coal, via dealer Silcott."
source: Don Strack
Wreck of '98 - photos source: The Muscatine Journal
#13871 - Alco S-4
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Muscatine Journal June 11, 1998 |
Quad City Times June 11, 1998 |
All photos were generously submitted by Doc Colberg.
See more of Doc's photos on his Gallery Page.
For information on having photos hosted by the yardlimit see
the Photo Gallery information section in the yard office.
