Dear HO Modelers: Broadway Limited Imports has announced the future release of the Baldwin DR-12-8-1500/2 (known informally as the Centipede).

     It was the Baldwin Locomotive Works' first serious attempt at a production road diesel locomotive. The Baldwin type designation was DR-12-8-1500/2 meaning Diesel Road locomotive, with 12 axles (8 of which were driven), and two engines of 1,500 horsepower each. The trucks were configured in a 2-D+D-2 wheel arrangement. The nickname came from the numerous axles set in a nearly unbroken line, much like the legs of a centipede.

    Built between December, 1945 and July, 1948 the "Babyface" design reflected Baldwin steam and electric locomotive practice. The carbody rode on two massive articulated cast steel half-frames cast by General Steel Castings, linked at the middle with a hinged joint. Unpowered four-wheel trucks at each end guided the locomotive through curves for stability at speed. Internal wiring was passed through metal conduits exactly like those used on a steam locomotive, which proved troublesome in practice.

   The prototype 2-unit set was built in 1945 and toured American railroads. Orders followed from the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, and the National Railways of Mexico (NdeM). The two demonstrators (originally ordered by Union Pacific Railroad as #998 and #999) were never sold and were eventually scrapped. The "Centipedes" were very soon made obsolete as the state of the art overtook them. Reliability was an ongoing problem, and as they were built one at a time (like steam engines) each one was a bit different in the placement of wiring and equipment, which complicated even routine maintenance. The PRR units were eventually derated and relegated to helper service. None of the units are known to exist today in any shape or form.

Delivery Expected November 2009

dh