Railroads & Locomotives Locomotives Locomotive profile: Sharknose diesel electric locomotive

Locomotive profile: Sharknose diesel electric locomotive

By Angela Cotey | March 6, 2020

| Last updated on August 22, 2021


Baldwin produced three versions of the distinctive cab units

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New York Central Sharknose RF16 type diesel electric locomotives at West Detroit, Michigan, in 1961.
New York Central Sharknose RF16 diesel-electric locomotives at West Detroit, Mich. in 1961. (J. David Ingles)

Sharknose

•YEARS BUILT: 1948-1953

•MANUFACTURER: Baldwin

•OPERATED ON: Baltimore & Ohio; New York Central; Pennsylvania Railroad; Elgin, Joliet & Eastern

•NAMES: DR-6-4-20, RF-16, DR-4-15

•QUANTITY: 187 total A&B units combined

•HORSEPOWER: 1,600 for RF-16 and 2,000 for DR-6-4-20

•KNOWN FOR: Distinctive nose/cab design by Raymond Loewy, based on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s streamlined T-1 steam locomotive

•STATUS: Two Delaware & Hudson units (former New York Central) stored at the Escanaba & Lake Superior

3 thoughts on “Locomotive profile: Sharknose diesel electric locomotive

  1. Here again they forgot to mention the Delaware & Hudson had the shark noses #1205 &1216 , but no B units , still cant beat the paint scheme with the lightning strips ,check it out and I think you would agree.

  2. Who wrote this!!! DR-4-4-15 (1500 hp), RF-16 (1600 hp) DR-4-4-15’s owned by EJ&E (quickly sold to B&O), B&O and PRR. RF-16’s owned by B&O, NYC, and PRR. There were also DR-4-4-15 and DR-6-4-20 units that were NOT shark noses (called baby face). The Pennsy DR-6-4-20 was also a shark nose (albeit with slightly different nose contours, A-1-A trucks and a much longer car body).

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