Broadside images of the early AGEIR Diesel-electric locomotives are uncommon and this Builders view is an exception to the practice of 3/4 exposures looking from the end of these units. Chicago & North Western #1000 was the first 300 horsepower Diesel-electric built on ALCO Order #S1532 and the fourth 60 ton AGEIR production unit. Beginning with C&NW #1000 changes occurred in car body construction which included doors on both ends and an "F" was applied to the #1 end (a practice which continued for many decades on Diesel locomotives). This was the last AGEIR unit to use the "Squat Pot" exhaust stacks which were replaced by automotive/truck styled roof mounted exhaust systems beginning with the second unit completed on Order #S1532 (Erie RR #20). In order to maintain a weight balance on all of the driving wheels the modified PR Ingersoll-Rand Oil-electric Diesel power plants were off-set towards the #1 end with the direct connected generator and exciter at the #2 end (the noted exception being Baltimore & Ohio #1). The C&NW Ry referred to their units as "generator end" and "other end" when recording locomotives statistics...
Chicago & North Western Ry #1000 was constructed with ALCO Builders #66679 and General Electric Builders #10023 and was completed during April 1926. As with the first four AGEIR units, assigned to the New York City area, C&NW #1000 was acquired to comply with the City of Chicago ordinance curtailing the use of steam locomotives in that community and was delivered by Ingersoll-Rand on May 2, 1926. CNW #1000 was the first 300 horsepower AGEIR Diesel-electric purchased to operate outside of the New York City Car Float services... It served successfully as a switching engine at a number of locations on the Chicago & North Western System and was retired and scrapped during March 1956...
This drawing from the C&NW Ry Diagram Book represents the correct dimensions (except height) for all three of their AGEIR Diesel-electric units even though it is basically a diagram for #1000. Note the "F" positioned on the generator end of this drawing... which is not supported by photographs taken over three decades. All of the 300 horsepower AGEIR locomotives ( 6 - six units) constructed on ALCO Order # S1532 were built to 60 ton ratings (including C&NW #1000), but C&NW #1001 & #1002 were built on ALCO Order # S1543 and all of these 300 horsepower AGEIR locomotives ( 6 - six units) were built to actual 66 ton ratings. After a number of years in service these three AGEIR 300 horsepower units were all rated at 130,000 lbs (65 tons) by the C&NW...
C&NW #1000 came equipped with the fin tube convection radiator system that General Electric had been using for many years going back to early Rail Motor Car production... An identical 300 horsepower Diesel-electric was delivered to the Reading Railroad exactly one month after the C&NW received their first unit. Reading #50 (later #98) was subject to conditions which caused regular overheating and it was returned to Ingersoll-Rand where a motor driven fan system was installed. The success of this means of cooling caused a redesign of the roof mounted radiators which were used in construction of C&NW #1001 & #1002... which also shortened the overall height which is indicated in the above diagram...
C&NW #1000 & #1001 came equipped with gasoline powered Mianus air compressors for starting the Ingersoll-Rand Oil-electric power plants, but #1002 was constructed with a 32 volt 100 amp-hour re-chargeable storage battery which activated the modified main generator for this purpose... These locomotives could negotiate 67 degree (90 foot radius) trackage curves and had Peter Smith heaters installed to help the operators deal with Upper Great Lakes winter weather conditions...
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.