Baldwin - BLH Diesel Engines in photos -2

If you haven't seen our first installment in this series, please take a few minutes to find it and read it to get the whole story -- and the piece (all text) on the mechanical history of the 600 series engine won't hurt either. We are not going to show EVERY photo in our whole collection, but will show the majority.

Let's pick up our study of engine photos with the beginning of 600 series engines that were released for service .. in other words, right after the prototype engines.

This photo comes from the Baldwin magazine, first quarter 1946 in which the new 3000 HP locomotive for the Seaboard Coast Line is announced. The photo is of one of the two 1500 BHP 608SC engines constructed for use in this locomotive; this shot appears to be the only shot we are using here that is duplicated anywhere. (Kirkland's book uses a copy from the same negative, apparently.) Again, notable are the lube oil filters mounted to the side of the engine.

Bulletin 249 (no date) was an advertising brochure produced by Baldwin for its 600 series engines for all types of service. Even with no date, it's easy to tell that it's early because the two engine shots depict the engine-mounted lube oil filters like we've been seeing all along. This engine is the production version of the 606NA, which was rated 660 BHP.

Here, also from Bulletin 249, is the short-lived production 608NA engine, rated 1000 BHP. This engine was not built for long before Baldwin decided that a six cylinder turbocharged engine with identical rating was a better choice than this eight cylinder normally aspirated engine.

This smaller image is from Baldwin DE-100, Diesel Engine Manual / 600 Series. This was the very first manual for these engines, and shown is the early production 608SC engine identical to that shown earlier as depicted in the 1st quarter 1946 Baldwin magazine. 1500 Brake Horsepower, eight cylinders, turbocharged.

Now, we'll end up our look at these engines - at least externally - with the final round of engines built by Baldwin, which of course by this point was Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton. (Note; The company did build the Hamilton T69SA and T89SA engines after the merger, and also used Superior engines for export locomotives; we'll be showing those engine ranges in future articles.)

Baldwin 606 engine. Six cylinders, normally aspirated. 875 brake horsepower; 800 horsepower for traction.





Baldwin 606A engine; 1315 brake horsepower, 1200 horsepower for traction. Six cylinders, turbocharged. Final turbocharged six-cylinder variant shown in final Baldwin 600 series manual, DE-111A.



Baldwin 608A engine; 1750 brake horsepower, 1600 horsepower for traction. Most powerful engine employed in any Baldwin or BLH diesel locomotive.

SO, there's our quick look - mostly externally - at the range of Baldwin / BLH diesel engines to go along with the posted discussion on the development and progression of the 600 series engines. I hope you've enjoyed it.