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Con-Cor - 0001-002452 - Locomotive, Diesel, Alco DL-109 - New Haven - 717

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N Scale - Con-Cor - 0001-002452 - Locomotive, Diesel, Alco DL-109 - New Haven - 717
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Stock Number0001-002452
Original Retail Price$14.98
BrandCon-Cor
ManufacturerKato
Body StyleCon-Cor Diesel Engine DL-109
Prototype VehicleLocomotive, Diesel, Alco DL-109 (Details)
Road or Company NameNew Haven (Details)
Reporting MarksNH
Road or Reporting Number717
Paint Color(s)Green and Dulux Gold
Coupler TypeRapido Hook
Wheel TypeNickel-Silver Plated Metal
Wheel ProfileStandard
DCC ReadinessNo
Release Date1982-01-01
Item CategoryLocomotives
Model TypeDiesel
Model SubtypeAlco
Model VarietyDL-109
Prototype RegionNorth America
Prototype EraNA Era III: Transition (1939 - 1957)
Scale1/160



Specific Item Information: Unpowered dummy engine.
Model Information: Con-Cor first released this Kato-manufactured model in 1982. In 1995, Con-Cor produced a second release, this time manufactured in China. Unlike many Chinese retoolings, this one is essentially a 'clone' of the Japanese version and if you lift off the shell you will see the mechanisms of the two are pretty similar. To determine which version you have, just check the bottom of the fuel tank (where it will say either "Made in China" or "Made in Japan").

Both mechanisms use and older design, but it works reasonably well. The motor is a 5-poler hidden inside a block of metal. The chassis consists of three pieces: one upper half and two lower halve.. All twelve wheels provide pickup and there are no traction tires, with current flowing directly from the metal truck assemblies into the electrically isolated lower frame halves without the use of wires. Apart from the metal worm gears, all the rest of the gearing is plastic. Eight of the twelve wheels are geared. Couplers are truck-mounted Rapidos. A directional headlight is wired to the front of the chassis.

As there are only negligible visual differences between DL-105, DL-107 and DL-109, Con-Cor produced only one model as DL-109 to stand in for all three types. The DL-109 was the by far the largest run of the series with a total of 62 built. Unpowered dummy "A" units with directional lighting were also available for all released road names, although no "B" (DL-110) units.
DCC Information: No provision for DCC in either release.
Prototype History:
The ALCO DL-109 is one of six models of A1A-A1A Diesel locomotives built to haul passenger trains by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between December, 1939 and April, 1945 ("DL" stands for Diesel Locomotive). They were of a cab unit design, and both cab-equipped lead A units DL-103b, DL-105, DL-107, DL-109 and cabless booster B units DL-108, DL-110 models were built. The units were styled by noted industrial designer Otto Kuhler, who incorporated into his characteristic cab (US Patent D121,219) the trademark three-piece windshield design. A total of 74 cab units and four cabless booster units were built.

Alco's DL-109 marks their early entry into the passenger diesel market in 1940. With its sleek lines, knife-edged nose and long wheelbase, it was ideally suited for high-speed service, and with 2,000 horsepower under the hood, it could handle passengers or high-speed freight with ease. Because of its dual-service capabilities, Alco was allowed to construct the DL-109 in the face of wartime restrictions on passenger-only locos, and the units performed admirably round the clock, handling passengers during the day and freight trains at night. Using lessons learned with the DL-109, it was succeeded by the PA-1 in 1946. Full data sheet on The Diesel Workshop.

Read more on Wikipedia.
Road Name History:
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (reporting mark NH), commonly known as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in New England from 1872 to 1968, dominating the region's rail traffic for the first half of the 20th century.

Beginning in the 1890s and accelerating in 1903, New York banker J. P. Morgan sought to monopolize New England transportation by arranging the NH's acquisition of 50 companies, including other railroads and steamship lines, and building a network of electrified trolley lines that provided interurban transportation for all of southern New England. By 1912, the New Haven operated more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of track, with 120,000 employees, and practically monopolized traffic in a wide swath from Boston to New York City.

This quest for monopoly angered Progressive Era reformers, alienated public opinion, resulted in high prices for acquisitions, and increased construction costs. Debt soared from $14 million in 1903 to $242 million in 1913, even as the advent of automobiles, trucks and buses reduced railroad profits. Also in 1913, the federal government filed an anti-trust lawsuit that forced the NH to divest its trolley systems.

The line became bankrupt in 1935, was reorganized and reduced in scope, went bankrupt again in 1961, and in 1969 was merged with the Penn Central system, formed a year earlier by the merger of the also bankrupt New York Central Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad; Already a poorly conceived merger, Penn Central proceeded to go bankrupt in 1970, becoming the largest bankruptcy in the U.S. until the Enron Corporation superseded it in 2001. The remnants of the system now comprise Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, (parts of) Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, Shore Line East, parts of the MBTA, and numerous freight operators such as CSX and the Providence and Worcester Railroad. The majority of the system is now owned publicly by the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

Read more on Wikipedia and New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association, Inc.
Brand/Importer Information:
Con-Cor has been in business since 1962. Many things have changed over time as originally they were a complete manufacturing operation in the USA and at one time had upwards of 45 employees. They not only designed the models,but they also built their own molds, did injection molding, painting, printing and packaging on their models.

Currently, most of their manufacturing has been moved overseas and now they import 90% of their products as totally finished goods, or in finished components. They only do some incidental manufacturing today within the USA.

Important Note: The Con-Cor product numbering can be very confusing. Please see here in the article how to properly enter Con-Cor stock numbers in the TroveStar database.
Item created by: Alain LM on 2016-08-08 06:58:27. Last edited by Alain LM on 2020-11-22 11:02:53

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