Alco Site Historical Marker

This historical marker commemorates the American Locomotive Company (commonly known as Alco), which was one of the country's leading train locomotive manufacturers for much of the twentieth century. The company complex was located in this area and part of the site is now home to a large casino. Between 1901 and 1969, Alco manufactured over 75,000 locomotives, most of which were steam engines. It also produced automobiles and even attempted to become a builder of nuclear reactors. During World War II, Alco manufactured tanks, gun carriages, and munitions. After it closed in the late 1960s, the company's buildings were gradually demolished, allowing for the development seen today.

In 1901, eight locomotive manufacturers merged to form the American Locomotive Company. One of them was the Schenectady Locomotive Engine Manufactory (SLEM), which was founded in 1848 and originally located on a three-acre property where the historical marker is now. The other companies were smaller and located in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. In 1904, Alco bought a locomotive company in Montreal.

Alco soon established itself as a producer of high-quality steam locomotives. These included locomotives configured in the 4-6-4, 4-8-2, and 4-8-4 wheel arrangement. Alco's locomotives were the preferred choice for a number of the big railroad companies including the Milwaukee Road, the New York Central Railroad, and the Delaware and Hudson Railway. Alco also produced some of the largest locomotives ever built. The most famous was the "Big Boy," which were built in the early 1940s and weighed an astounding 612.5 tons (1.25 million pounds) with the coal tender car attached. They were designed to pull mile-long freight trains over the Wasatch Mountains between Utah and Wyoming for the Union Pacific Railroad, which bought 25 of them.

Alco also began to manufacture diesel-electric locomotives in the 1920s beginning with the very first one in 1924 for the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The company continued to develop diesel locomotive technology in the 1930s but struggled to compete with the advanced manufacturing processes and designs from competitors like General Electric (GE) locomotives. GE eventually overtook Alco as the leading producer of diesel engines. In the 1960s, Alco helped an Indian locomotive company develop the WDM diesel locomotives, which still operate today. After the war, Alco had fewer government contracts and was unable to invest in new technology compared to competitors like General Electiric. By the mid-1950s, it was clear that its days were numbered as were its locomotives, which were less reliable and harder to maintain than those of its competitors. The Worthington Corporation bought Alco in 1964 and ended locomotive production in 1969.

"ALCO's 1950's Nuclear Gamble." Nuclear Newswire October 18, 2019. https://www.ans.org/news/article-2159/alcos-1950s-nuclear-gamble.

"ALCo Site." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Locomotive_Company.

"American Locomotive Company (ALCO) Records." Accessed February 6, 2023. https://library.syracuse.edu/digital/guides/a/alco.htm.

Burns, Adam. "American Locomotive Company." Accessed February 6, 2023. https://www.american-rails.com/alco.html.

"Schenectady Railroad History - American Locomotive Company (ALCO) 150th Anniversary Covers." The Schenectady Digital History Archive. Accessed Februrary 6, 2023. https://www.schenectadyhistory.org/railroads/alcocovers.