Introduced in 1963, the ALCO Century 420 was part of the company’s “Century” series, a modern locomotive line developed to challenge EMD’s dominance in the road-switcher market. The C420 was powered by a turbocharged 12-cylinder 251C prime mover producing 2,000 horsepower, and featured a B-B wheel arrangement. Its most direct competitor at the time was the EMD GP18. EMD did not offer a 12-cylinder, 2,000-horsepower engine until the GP39 entered production in 1969. The compact 12-cylinder engine block gave the C420 its distinctive appearance, with a set-back cab and an extended short hood.
ALCO built 131 C420 units between 1963 and 1969, the year it ended locomotive production. The first buyer was the Lehigh & Hudson River Railway, which received two locomotives in 1963. The Long Island Rail Road purchased the largest number directly from ALCO, acquiring 30 units between 1963 and 1968. All of these were equipped with high short hoods containing steam generators for passenger service. Over time, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad operated the largest C420 fleet overall. Although it initially purchased 26 units, that number grew to more than 60 through mergers and acquisitions.
While the C420 never matched the sales figures of its EMD rivals, it represented a step forward in reliability and capability for ALCO. It proved versatile, handling both freight and passenger duties effectively. Enthusiasts came to appreciate its muscular performance and the unmistakable sound of its ALCO prime mover.
A number of C420s are still in active use today on short lines and tourist operations. The Arkansas & Missouri Railroad currently runs the largest working fleet. Surviving examples include both Phase 2a and Phase 2b variants. Phase 2a locomotives, built between December 1964 and September 1965, featured walkways with stanchions mounted into the top deck. Later Phase 2b units, produced from December 1965 to August 1968, used a revised design with stanchions mounted to the sides of the sill.
Though the Century 420 could not turn the tide for ALCO, it remains a distinctive and respected locomotive with a loyal following.
Delaware & Hudson
The Delaware & Hudson’s fleet of ALCO C-420s was entirely secondhand, drawn from Lehigh Valley, Long Island Rail Road and Lehigh & Hudson River sources. The locomotives were acquired during a period of severe motive power shortage following the creation of Conrail in 1976, when the D&H took on expanded trackage rights and bridge traffic without a corresponding increase in resources.
The majority of the fleet came from the Lehigh Valley. Eleven units, originally LV nos. 404–415, transferred to the D&H in 1976. Most arrived still wearing LV paint, either in the classic Cornell Red scheme or the later grey-and-yellow “Yellowjacket” livery. They were quickly patched with D&H markings and placed into service with few alterations. Over time, many were repainted into a succession of D&H schemes, including solid blue with yellow ends, blue with yellow zebra stripes and later the well-known lightning stripe scheme. A few units, notably 409 and 414, retained patched LV paint into the mid-1980s.
In early 1977, the D&H also leased several high-hood C-420s from the Long Island Rail Road. These locomotives remained in MTA blue and silver with only small D&H markings added. As they lacked dynamic brakes, they were generally assigned to the flatter northern end of the system. All were returned to the LIRR later that same year.
One of the most distinctive locomotives in the fleet was no. 410. Following collision damage in the early 1980s, the unit was rebuilt at Colonie Shops using a cut-down high short hood from a Norfolk & Western C-420. The rebuilt front end had squared-off lines more reminiscent of an RS-11 or RS-36. Combined with a fresh lightning stripe paint scheme, the locomotive became instantly recognisable.
The final addition to the fleet was no. 401, acquired from Conrail in November 1980. Originally built for the Lehigh & Hudson River as no. 29, it retained patched L&HR paint for several years before being renumbered 420 under Guilford ownership in 1984. It then received Guilford’s grey and orange scheme, becoming the only D&H C-420 to wear it. The rebuild also included ditch lights, further distinguishing it from the rest of the fleet.
Although the C-420s were never numerous, they became an important part of D&H operations during the difficult post-Conrail years and represented one of the last significant concentrations of ALCO four-axle road power in regular Class I freight service.
Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 401, formerly Lehigh & Hudson River no. 29, stands inside Colonie Shops in this atmospheric workshop scene. Acquired from Conrail in 1980, the locomotive retained its patched grey-and-blue L&HR paint throughout most of its D&H career until being repainted into Guilford grey as no. 420. The view highlights the rugged industrial character of the D&H’s maintenance facilities during the final years of regular ALCO road locomotive operations in the northeastern United States. © Randy Mower Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 401, formerly Lehigh & Hudson River no. 29 and later Conrail 2077, is seen from the former DL&W bridge at William Street in Buffalo, New York. The locomotive retained its distinctive patched grey-and-blue L&HR paint throughout most of its D&H career, making it instantly recognisable among the railroad’s fleet of blue-and-yellow ALCOs. Under Guilford ownership, the locomotive would later be renumbered 420 and become the only D&H C420 to receive Guilford grey and orange paint. © Tim Baldwin Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 401 stands at Mechanicville, New York, on 16 March 1983. Unlike the railroad’s other ALOC C420s, which came from the Lehigh Valley in 1976, no. 401 began life as Lehigh & Hudson River 29 before passing to Conrail as 2077 and joining the D&H in 1980. Still wearing a faded and heavily weathered blue-and-grey scheme, the locomotive shows the hard use typical of northeastern railroads during the era. Under Guilford ownership, it would later be renumbered D&H 420, and today the locomotive survives in service as Arkansas & Missouri no. 58. © Joseph R. Quinn Delaware & Hudson C420 401 leads train BM-1 out of the former DL&W yard at Conklin, New York, on 11 October 1981. Originally built for the Lehigh & Hudson River as no. 29, the locomotive still wears its patched grey-and-blue L&HR paint, making it one of the most distinctive units on the D&H roster. Behind the lead unit is a mixed ALCO and EMD consist typical of the railroad during the early 1980s, when secondhand power from several northeastern railroads worked side-by-side across the system. © Roger Durfee Delaware & Hudson train BM-1 waits to cross Conrail at BD Tower in Binghamton, New York, on 11 October 1981. Leading the train is former Lehigh & Hudson River ALCO C420 401 in its faded patched paint scheme, followed by a colourful mix of D&H road power typical of the period. The weathered Erie boxcar beside the right-of-way adds another reminder of the rapidly changing northeastern railroad scene of the early 1980s. © Roger Durfee Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 401 stands at Oneonta, New York, on 7 May 1982, wearing faded patched Lehigh & Hudson River paint. Originally built as L&HR no. 29, the locomotive had reached the D&H by way of Conrail and remained one of the most distinctive units on the roster due to its worn grey-and-blue appearance and lack of dynamic brakes. The locomotive would retain this unusual look until its eventual repaint into Guilford grey as no. 420 in 1985. © Michael Bates Delaware & Hudson C420 401, formerly Lehigh & Hudson River no. 29 and later Conrail 2077, leads a freight at Conklin, New York, in October 1982. Behind the patched former L&HR locomotive are rebuilt D&H ALCO C424s 451 and 461, along with a former Reading EMD GP39-2 . The battered grey-and-blue paint of no. 401 made it one of the most distinctive locomotives on the D&H roster during the early 1980s, standing apart from the railroad’s growing fleet of blue-and-yellow ALCOs. © Doug Lilly Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 420 stands outside the East Binghamton diesel shop on 15 September 1985, wearing Guilford’s grey and orange paint scheme. Formerly Lehigh & Hudson River no. 29 and later Conrail 2077, the locomotive had joined the D&H roster as no. 401 before being renumbered 420 under Guilford ownership. It became the only D&H C420 to receive Guilford colours, with additional modifications including ditch lights further distinguishing it from the rest of the fleet. © Unknown Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 404 leads a westbound freight past an eastbound Conrail train at Canaseraga, New York, on 4 April 1980. Trailing behind the C420 are a Chessie System GP40-2 and a Norfolk & Western GP30, creating a colourful run-through consist despite the gloomy spring weather. The eastbound Conrail train includes a striking string of new vans riding on auto-racks, adding an unmistakably late-1970s feel to the scene. © Mike Stellpflug Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 404 stands at Mechanicville, New York, on 17 November 1980. Originally built for the Lehigh Valley in late 1964, the locomotive became part of the D&H fleet following the formation of Conrail in 1976. By this date, it had received the railroad’s distinctive blue, grey and yellow lightning stripe scheme, although years of hard freight service were already beginning to show through the finish. Mechanicville remained one of the D&H’s most important yards during this period, with the C420 fleet handling a wide variety of road and transfer freight assignments across the system. © Joseph R. Quinn Delaware & Hudson train WR-7 passes BL Cabin at Moot Town Road, Port Crane, New York, on 7 October 1982. Leading the consist are C424 461, C420 404 and GP39-2 7603, with another unit trailing out of view. The well-worn C420 still carries the classic Delaware & Hudson blue-and-grey lightning stripe scheme. © H. E. Brouse Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 405 rests at Oneonta, New York, in March 1982, wearing the railroad’s attractive Champlain Blue paint scheme with yellow frame stripe and zebra-striped nose. Originally built for the Lehigh Valley in 1964, the locomotive became part of the D&H fleet after the formation of Conrail in 1976, helping to ease the railroad’s ongoing motive power shortages during the early 1980s. Oneonta remained a major D&H locomotive and freight hub during this period, with the veteran ALCO fleet still handling regular road assignments across the system. © Joseph R. Quinn Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 405 stands at Oneonta, New York, on 13 May 1982 wearing the railroad’s solid Champlain Blue paint scheme with yellow frame stripe and zebra-striped nose. Originally built for the Lehigh Valley in 1964, the locomotive was one of several former LV C420s absorbed into the D&H fleet following the formation of Conrail in 1976. By the early 1980s, these veteran ALCOs had become a familiar sight across the system, handling freight traffic throughout the D&H’s bridge route network. © Michael Bates Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 406 sits at Mechanicville, New York, on 14 October 1976, still wearing faded Lehigh Valley Cornell Red and yellow paint shortly after joining the D&H fleet following the creation of Conrail earlier that year. The locomotive had not yet been repainted into any of the D&H’s later blue-based schemes, giving the scene a transitional appearance typical of the immediate post-Conrail period, when secondhand power was rapidly patched and pressed into service to meet growing traffic demands. © Joseph R. Quinn Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 406 at Mechanicville, New York, on 10 October 1977, in recently applied Champlain Blue and grey paint with yellow striping. Only a year earlier, the locomotive had still been wearing faded Lehigh Valley Cornell Red following its transfer to the D&H after the formation of Conrail. © Richard Gassett Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 406 stands at Hudson, Pennsylvania, in February 1982, wearing the railroad’s striking blue-over-grey lightning stripe paint scheme. Originally built for the Lehigh Valley in 1964, the locomotive became part of the D&H fleet following the formation of Conrail in 1976 and was later repainted into one of the railroad’s most recognisable liveries. By the early 1980s, locomotives like no. 406 were regular performers across the D&H system, hauling bridge traffic through New York and Pennsylvania. © John James Graham Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 406 stands at Oneonta, New York, on 7 May 1982 wearing the railroad’s lightning stripe paint scheme. Originally built for the Lehigh Valley in 1964, the locomotive entered D&H service following the creation of Conrail in 1976 and became part of the railroad’s expanding fleet of secondhand ALCO road power. By the early 1980s, locomotives like no. 406 were regular performers on freight assignments across the D&H system. © Michael Bates Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 407 stands at Oneonta, New York, in March 1982 wearing the railroad’s Champlain Blue and grey paint scheme with yellow striping. Originally built for the Lehigh Valley in 1964, the locomotive became part of the D&H fleet following the creation of Conrail in 1976, when the railroad urgently required additional road power for expanding freight operations. © Joseph R. Quinn Delaware & Hudson train NE-87 rolls through Allentown, Pennsylvania, on 27 April 1976, powered by ALCO C420 408, EMD GP38-2 7322, ALCO C420 411, GE U23B 2313 and another trailing unit. The lead locomotive remains in full Lehigh Valley paint with no D&H markings yet applied, reflecting the hurried transfer of motive power following the creation of Conrail earlier that month. Scenes like this were common during 1976 as the D&H rapidly assembled additional locomotive power from former northeastern railroads to handle its expanding bridge traffic operations. © George Turnbull Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 408 stands at Oneonta, New York, in October 1982 wearing the railroad’s distinctive lightning stripe paint scheme. Just six years earlier, the locomotive had arrived on the D&H still carrying full Lehigh Valley paint in the chaotic weeks following the formation of Conrail. By the early 1980s, the veteran ALCO had become fully integrated into the D&H fleet, handling regular freight assignments across the system during the railroad’s busiest bridge traffic years. © Joseph R. Quinn Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 409 and RS11 5005 lead a southbound freight through Mechanicville, New York, on 11 December 1976. Unlike many of the former Lehigh Valley C420s acquired after the formation of Conrail, no. 409 retained its faded Cornell Red paint throughout its D&H career, giving it a distinctive appearance among the railroad’s increasingly blue locomotive fleet. The weathered LV colours and patched markings reflected the hurried nature of the D&H’s post-Conrail motive power expansion during the late 1970s. © Joseph R. Quinn Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 no. 419 stands at East Binghamton Yard, Conklin, New York, on 18 October 1986. Built for the Lehigh Valley as no. 409, the locomotive carries the renumber applied during the Guilford era to avoid conflicts with Maine Central GE U18B numbers. Despite the new numerals, the unit still wears its weathered Lehigh Valley red paint with patched D&H markings, a vivid reminder of the patchwork locomotive fleets that characterised northeastern railroading during the 1980s. © Paul R. Krankowski Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 412 stands at Oneonta, New York, on 24 April 1976 shortly after entering D&H service following the formation of Conrail earlier that month. The locomotive still carries much of its former Lehigh Valley appearance, with hastily applied D&H markings and patching reflecting the urgent need for additional motive power during the railroad’s rapid post-Conrail expansion. © Michael Bates Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 413 stands at Oneonta, New York, on 5 October 1979 wearing the railroad’s solid Champlain Blue paint scheme with yellow ends and frame stripe. Originally built for the Lehigh Valley in 1964, the locomotive became part of the D&H fleet following the formation of Conrail in 1976 and was among the former LV units repainted into the D&H’s evolving late-1970s image. © Michael Bates Delaware & Hudson ALCO C420 415 stands at Oneonta, New York, on 4 October 1979, still wearing patched Lehigh Valley Cornell Red paint. Unlike many of its sister units, no. 415 had not yet been repainted into one of the D&H’s blue-based schemes following its transfer after the formation of Conrail in 1976. The weathered locomotive captures the transitional appearance common across northeastern railroads during the late 1970s. © Michael Bates No. Serial Built Retired Liveries Notes Photographs Modelling 401 3463-03 7/1966 Sold 1987 Remained patched in Lehigh & Hudson River paint until Guilford Grey as #420 by September 1985. Built as L&HR #29, to CR #2077, sold as D&H #401 in 1980. Later renumbered to D&H #420 under Guilford. Now running as A&M #58. RRPA / RRPA Delaware and Hudson Model Railroad by Ken Karlewicz in Ex Lehigh & Hudson River Railway. Allagash Railway by Mike Confalone in Guilford Grey.404 3385-01 11/1964 Sold 1987 Champlain Blue & Grey Lightning Stripe by June 1977. Large Number by June 1982. Built as LV #404, to D&H on 4/1/1976. RRPA Atlas Champlain Blue & Grey Lightning Stripe 40 000 130 / 404 40 000 145 405 3385-02 11/1964 Sold 1987 Lehigh Valley Cornell Red & Yellow until at least September 1978. Champlain Blue Dip with yellow stripe along frame by July 1980. Built as LV #405, to D&H on 4/1/1976. Later renumbered to D&H #422 under Guilford. Now running as D-L #405. RRPA Atlas Blue Dip with yellow stripe along frame 40 000 011 / 40 000 110 / 40 000 330 / 405 40 000 348 406 3385-03 11/1964 Sold 1987 Champlain Blue & Grey Lightning Stripe Built as LV #406, to D&H on 4/1/1976. Later renumbered to D&H #416 under Guilford. RRPA Atlas Champlain Blue & Gray Lightning Stripe 40 000 132 407 3385-04 11/1964 Sold 1987 Lehigh Valley Cornell Red & Yellow until at least June 1977. Champlain Blue Dip with yellow stripe along frame by September 1977. Built as LV #407, to D&H on 4/1/1976. Later renumbered to D&H #417 under Guilford. RRPA Atlas Blue Dip with yellow stripe along frame 40 000 362 / 407 40 000 363 408 3385-05 11/1964 Sold 1987 Built as LV #408, to D&H on 4/1/1976. RRPA Allagash Railway by Mike Confalone and Delaware and Hudson Model Railroad by Ken Karlewicz in Blue & Gray Lightning Stripe. Atlas Champlain Blue & Gray Lightning Stripe 40 000 131 / 404 40 000 146 409 3385-06 12/1964 Sold 1987 Lehigh Valley Cornell Red & Yellow until at least August 1985. Patched as 419 by March 1987. Built as LV #409, to D&H on 4/1/1976. Later renumbered to D&H #419 under Guilford. RRPA / RRPA Allagash Railway by Mike Confalone in Lehigh Valley Cornell Red & Yellow. Atlas 40006081 410 3385-07 12/1964 Sold 1987 Lehigh Valley Cornell Red & Yellow until at least August 1976. Champlain Blue & Gray Lightning Stripe by March 1979. Built as LV #410, to D&H on 4/1/1976. Damaged and rebuilt with cut-down high nose from N&W C-420 with notched corners. RRPA Atlas Champlain Blue & Gray Lightning Stripe 40 003 997 / 410 40 004 019 411 3385-08 12/1964 Sold 1987 Lehigh Valley Cornell Red & Yellow until at least April 1977. Champlain Blue & Gray Lightning Stripe by August 1977. Champlain Blue Dip with yellow stripe along frame by May 1980. Built as LV #411, to D&H on 4/1/1976. RRPA Atlas Blue Dip with yellow stripe along frame 40 000 012 / 40 000 111 412 3385-09 12/1964 Sold 1987 Lehigh Valley Yellow Jacket Yellow & Gray until April 1977. Champlain Blue & Gray Lightning Stripe by June 1977. Built as LV #412, to D&H on 4/1/1976. RRPA 413 3385-10 12/1964 Sold 1987 Lehigh Valley Yellow Jacket Yellow & Gray until July 1977. Champlain Blue Dip with yellow stripe along frame by August 1978 Built as LV #413, to D&H on 4/1/1976. RRPA Atlas Blue Dip with yellow stripe along frame 40 000 013 414 3385-11 12/1964 Sold 1987 Built as LV #414, to D&H on 4/1/1976. Now running (in LV yellowjacket paint) as D-L #414. RRPA Delaware and Hudson Model Railroad by Ken Karlewicz in Lehigh Valley Cornell Red & Yellow.415 3385-11 12/1964 Sold 1987 Built as LV #415, to D&H on 4/1/1976. RRPA
Modelling
Atlas Master 40006081 – ALCo C420 w/ DCC and Sound Delaware & Hudson (D&H) 409 ex LV – N Scale (Midwest Model Railroad 07/01/25)
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