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. These locomotives were acquired during a period of acute motive power shortage following the creation of Conrail in 1976, when D&H took on expanded trackage rights and responsibilities without a corresponding increase in resources.
The bulk of the fleet came from Lehigh Valley. Eleven units—originally LV nos. 404–415—were transferred to D&H in 1976. Most arrived still wearing their LV colours, either in the classic Cornell Red or the “Yellowjacket” grey and yellow scheme. They were hastily patched with D&H markings and placed into service with minimal modification. Over time, most were repainted into various D&H liveries, including the solid blue with yellow nose, blue with yellow zebra stripes, and eventually lightning stripes. Some units, such as 409 and 414, retained patched LV paint into the mid-1980s.
In early 1977, a small group of high-hood C-420s was leased from the Long Island Rail Road. These were still painted in MTA blue and silver, with only a D&H shield applied to the cab. Due to the absence of dynamic brakes, they were generally confined to the flatter northern territory. All were returned to LIRR service by the end of that year.
Unit 410 became a unique entry in the roster following a collision in the early 1980s. Repaired at Colonie Shops, it received a cut-down high short hood salvaged from a Norfolk & Western C-420. The resulting front end had squared-off corners more akin to an RS-11 or RS-36. This distinctive feature, along with a fresh lightning stripe paint job, made 410 instantly recognisable.
The final addition was no. 401, acquired from Conrail in November 1980. Originally from the Lehigh & Hudson River, it retained its patched L&HR grey and blue paint until 1984, when it was renumbered 420 and repainted into Guilford’s grey and orange scheme—the only C-420 to receive it. This repaint also included ditch lights, making it stand out from its peers.
Though the C-420s were never numerous and had relatively short service lives with the D&H, they were an essential part of the post-Conrail survival strategy and represent the final chapter of ALCO four-axle power in Class I freight service.
| No. | Serial | Built | Retired | Liveries | Notes | Photographs | Modelling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 401 | 3463-03 | 7/1966 | Sold 1987 | Guilford Gray 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 Gray. Atlas Guilford (Delaware & Hudson) (Gray/Orange) 40 002 334 / 420 40 002 357  |
| 404 | 3385-01 | 11/1964 | Sold 1987 | Champlain Blue & Gray 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 & Gray 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 & Gray 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 at 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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