Artifact of the Month
Diesel-Electric Locomotive RSD-1 on exhibit at the TC Museum.
Diesel-Electric Locomotive RSD-1 on exhibit at the TC Museum.
Diesel-Electric Locomotive crossing a bridge during World War II.
This locomotive was built in 1941 and was one of seventy locomotives built by the American Locomotive Company-General Electric (ALCo-GE) and used on the Trans-Iranian Railroad during World War II. They were part of US Army operations to transport supplies through Iran to the Soviet Union from 1943 to 1945.
Following the war, the locomotives were shipped back to the US where they continued to work either hauling freight on military installations, used for training, or were sold to railroad companies. After the war this locomotive was shipped back to the US and sold to the Alaska Department of Transportation (ADOT). Following its work with the ADOT, it saw service with other government agencies until it was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in the early 1980’s. The Smithsonian transferred ownership of the locomotive to the US Army in 2011.