ALCO244

ALCO 244 Diesel Engine

Very much has been written about the ALCO 244 engine over the years. The developmental problems experienced with this engine are well known. What is never done today is to show just how one of these engines is actually constructed. So-- here it is!

Here, we see an entire 12 cylinder 244 engine and the lift rig used to remove it entirely from a locomotive. Given the date of the manual this is taken from, and the fact that, at the time, the ALCO-GE 1500 HP Road Switcher used belt-driven auxiliary generator and exciter, this assembly is being pulled from one of the 1500 HP Road Freight units. (ALCO-GE did not use model numbers at the time, and so we will not re-write history and use them here.)

This is the cylinder block for a 16 cylinder 244, used in the 2000 HP Road Passenger units. The main bearings are seen running along the bottom. The "shelves" on the side of this welded, fabricated block will receive casings to contain and support the camshafts, one each side. The studs to hold the cylinder assemblies are installed on the top.

This is the engine base for a 12-cylinder 244. The cylinder block is mounted on top of this piece; the large holes in the base sides allow access to the main bearings and connecting rods. The end cover assembly, nearer the camera, is used to mount engine driven auxiliaries such as the oil and water pumps.

Left, an entire cylinder assembly (liner, water jacket with piston and connecting rod inside) is lifted from a 244 block. Center, diagram of cylinder heads; the "shelf" on the left has holes in it through which the pushrods pass to operate the two intake and two exhaust valves per cylinder. Right, the rocker arms of the 244 shown with technician's hand and feeler gauge for scale.

Here is a piston from an ALCO 244 engine, shown as a technician inspects the gaps for the piston rings. 244 engine was 9 inch bore, with 10.5 inch stroke.

This piece is the generator adapter, used to mount and support the traction generator, and to house the camshaft drive gears. This separate piece, and its precise alignment needs, caused some degree of trouble and was deliberately designed out of the later 251 engine. Note that two of the four support feet for the engine are actually cast into the generator adapter, with the other two being on the engine base seen earlier.

Here is a complete 12 cylinder 244 exhaust manifold assembly, sitting on a jig for display and illustration. It is configured to mount a General Electric air cooled turbocharger. The jig represents the inner surface of the cylinder heads. The 244 used the "vee" area between cylinder banks for an intake manifold; elbow pipes ran between each cylinder head and openings in the cover plate for this volume.

This is the turbocharger support. It mounts the air cooled turbocharger to the engine, and supports and aligns the pipe directing air from the turbocharger into the engine. It also contains the turning, or "jacking" gear device, used to rotate the engine by hand. This is also referred to as "barring over" the engine. The turning gear must be engaged before use and disengaged before the engine can be cranked normally (using the main generator as a motor.)

244 cutaway at right. Intake air is orange. Water is blue. The red represents combustion chamber volume with piston at top dead center.

At left, completely assembled ALCO 12 cylinder Model 244 diesel engine with General Electric air cooled turbocharger and GT-564 direct current traction generator ready for installation in an ALCO-GE 1500 HP Road Freight Locomotive. Diesel engine dry weight without generator or auxiliary generator / exciter 31400 lbs. Weight with generator and aux. gen. / exciter 43075 LBS. Rated 1500 Horsepower for traction at 1000 RPM. Used by ALCO-GE from 1946 through 1950, at which time it was replaced by a slightly altered version rated 1600 HP for traction.

Now you have seen it --the famous, or infamous to some, 244 engine in detail. Upon inspection, the engine appears little different from many large diesel engines, built for many purposes. It was not unconventional design that caused the problems for ALCO !