In late 1962, in an effort to improve its ever diminishing share of a tight USA domestic market and weak export opportunity, Alco introduced its Century locomotives.
Available in 4 and 6 axle models, the first of the latter was the C628, powered by a V16 251C diesel engine with 2,750HP available for traction. Alco’s Schenectady’s plant delivered 3 C628s to Hamersley Iron in 1965 and Alco’s Australian licensee, A.E. Goodwin delivered 2 more built locally in 1967. Shortly after, Alco announced its C636, with high adhesion bogies and powered by the V16 251F diesel engine with 3600HP for traction produced via an alternator rather than a DC generator, and A.E. Goodwin (and subsequent to Goodwin bankruptcy in 1972), Comeng delivered 39, 54, and 10 to Hamersley, Mt Newman and Robe River respectively with construction continuing through to 1980. In late 1969 Alco collapsed and their locomotive designs passed to the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) and from there the designation changed to M636, Later M636 were essentially identical to the C636 but featured Defasco type bogies. Robe River did purchase a number of second hand USA domestic C630s (powered by a V16 251E with 3000HP via an alternator) and C636 locomotives from the USA.
In 1980 Hamersely decided to overhaul their hardworking C/M636s and Comeng at Bassendean WA carried out this work on 34 of them over the following 5 years, including the ‘Pilbara’ cab modification after which they were classified as C636Rs or M636Rs. Following Comeng’s demise in 1988, Goninan took over the Comeng plant and, being a General Electric licensee, began converting Alco C/M636s into GE CM36-7s. These rebuilds became the first of many CM36 and CM40 conversions for Mt Newman (now BHP Iron Ore) and Robe (now Pilbara Rail and merged with Hamersley, and now owned by Rio Tinto). The last true 636s remained available for iron ore haulage service until early 2004 with Robe, and several featured Alco’s 251 ‘Power Plus’ improvements, raising the tractive power to 4000HP.
The construction of the Fortesque Metals Group iron ore line saw 4 of the former Hamersley/Robe 636s temporarily returned to service. Owned now by GTSA (part of the Coote Industrial Group), they were subsequently stored in 2010 following the arrival of Fortescue Metals EMD SD70s.
Approximate run time: 104 minutes.