As the first production run of an internal combustion locomotive began to unfold Ingersoll-Rand prevailed upon the AGEIR consortium to call these units Oil-Electric Locomotives. It was an attempt to market their highly successful oil injection system over the air injection designs that were prevalent at the time. Because Diesel was a German name they argued that calling these units Diesel-Electric Locomotives might curtail sales as it was too close to sentiments lingering from World War I. How valid this concept was is unknown... Ingersoll-Rand was so successful in marketing this terminology that when Westinghouse produced their Box Cab Diesel-electric demonstrator #7 during December 1928 it was boldly lettered OIL ELECTRIC across its sides, but it wasn't long before the term Diesel-electric came into common usage. As a result both Oil-Electric and Diesel-Electric are used interchangeably throughout this web site...
Demonstrations of AGEIR 60 ton 300 horsepower #9681 were conducted in switching service at the Phillipsburg plant of Ingersoll-Rand beginning in July 1925. The CNJ Railroad had been one of the rail operations to participate in the #8835 prototype demonstrator program and when they sent representatives to evaluate #9681 they were suitably impressed. The cab design was to their liking and the bulkheads separating the operator areas from the more centrally located main Diesel engine section were amongst other improvements noted over the prototype. They purchased the unit and became the first owners of a production Diesel-electric locomotive. #9681 retained its ALCO (#65979 ) and GE (#9681) Builders Numbers... and the unit was painted "gloss black" relettered (in "gold Gothic") #1000 for the Central R.R. of New Jersey... and delivered under its own power to the CNJ shops at Elizabeth Port. Car floats were a common practice in the New York City area and CNJ #1000 was delivered from Jersey City to the Bronx Terminal Yard by this means. #1000 entered service there on October 22, 1925 and spent its entire career of over three decades at this location. This unit was classified CNJ SD-3 and D3-O at various times. According to an account by N.W.James, a CNJ Director of Publicity, this AGEIR locomotive was overhauled and repainted with a "deep Sea Green" and the Jersey Central Lines "Miss Liberty" logo and lettering applied in "yellow"... during 1947. In 1957 this historic Box Cab locomotive was retired and went on display at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum located in Baltimore Maryland...
The second AGEIR locomotive completed was the 100 ton Box Cab unit from ALCO Order # S1494. This Diesel-electric was sold to the Long Island Rail Road as their #401, but Ingersoll-Rand records indicate that it did not enter actual service until February 1926. In an effort to simplify this web site presentation the chronology of dates when actual service was begun is being used. This allows for all of the 60 ton 300 horsepower units built on ALCO Order # S1484 to be covered as a group as they all entered service prior to Long Island #401...
Baltimore & Ohio purchased the second 300 horsepower Diesel-electric Box Cab locomotive built on ALCO Order # S1484 as their Road #1. It was assigned ALCO Builders #65980 and General Electric Builders #9682. The above Builders image lettered over the primer paint for the photographer offers a good view of the body plates curving over the roof line (beginning with ALCO Order # S1532 the entire roof panel curved over the body plates). This view also shows the guy-wire running between the two "Squat Pot" style exhaust system stacks... which is not always visable in images of the first four 300 horsepower AGEIR Diesel-electrics. Note: This unit has its lettering for #1 and #2 ends, as well as the "A" and "B" sides, overlayed in reverse of all other AGEIR 300 horsepower locomotives. Prior to delivery to the customer this unit received a coat of gloss paint and a small "OE" was overlayed beneath the "E" in "BALTIMORE" indicating it was an Oil-electric locomotive (the only AGEIR unit so marked). B&O #1 went into service at the West 26th Street Yard in Manhattan New York on December 26, 1925... As B&O Class DE... Reclassified as B&O DE-1 circa 1940... Renumbered #195 circa 1942 and then became B&O Class DS-1a... Received the updated roof exhaust system, uniquely modified roof vents, an "F" above the numeral "2" to indicate the front end... A new bell removed to its unique "B" side, and running lights along the lower sides... This unit became Road #8000 circa 1957 and reclassified again as B&O Class SA-1... As #8000 it was taken out of service during 1959 and reportedly sold to Max Soloman of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During mid 1960 this historic Diesel-electric joined the preserved locomotive collection at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis Missouri...
Lehigh Valley #100 completed the first production run of 60 ton
300 horsepower AGEIR Box Cab Diesel-electric locomotives on ALCO
Order # S1484 (ALCO issued Order # S1532 for the next six 300
horsepower units), which advanced the Diesel-electric into an
acceptable means of railroad motive power and out of its previous
prototype only period. This unit carried ALCO Builders #65981
and GE Builders #9683... The Builder's photographer had difficulty
exposing an image of this locomotive with its new coat of dark
glossy paint against a landscape with a fresh blanket of snow,
but the above image is the earliest encountered and deemed important
for this presentation. This view shows the "A" side
and is correctly lettered for the #1 and #2 ends (B&O #1,
Long Island #401, and Lehigh Valley #100 all had a small "A"
and "B" overlayed on the bottom center of the car bodies).
Note: This was the last 60 ton unit produced without end doors.
Lehigh Valley #100 entered service at the West 26th Street Yard
in New York City on January 7, 1926 and continued its career with
this railroad until December 1947 when it was retired and scrapped
at Sayre Pennsylvania...
The author of this AGEIR study was John Campbell, who developed the web pages, and who died in 2005. These pages are dedicated to his memory and to his tireless research. Comments and questions on this AGEIR material should be directed to the C&NWHS, which has assumed the responsibility for this information.
