Weekend "WE"search: Notes on the New Haven Railroad's DEY-3 & DEY-5 Switchers

New Haven class DEY-3 switcher #0967 with Valley Local freight at Fernwood Street, Wethersfield, CT in 5/1949.
John Wallace photo.

If you've read this blog for any time at all - and especially if you've perused the Valley Local website (be sure head over there if you haven't before) - you know that I really enjoy the historical research aspect of this hobby. And it's even better when you get to collaborate with a buddy. So, with the release of ESU's sound for the non-turbo Alco 539 prime mover, (and the resulting move up the modeling priority list for our Alco S-1s) Randy and I decided to do a little "we"search into the New Haven's Alco S-1 & S-2 switchers, which they designated class DEY-3 and DEY-5, respectively.

The first resource for all New Haven railroad locomotives is Jack Swanberg's seminal work New Haven Power, which provides encyclopedic coverage of all NHRR motive power throughout the history of the railroad. You'll also want to be sure and consult the series of books produced by Bob Liljestrand (Bob's Photos) that have covered NH engines. Volume 1 covers the switchers and road switchers, including the DEY units. While we reviewed these prototype resources, and more, during the course of our research, Marc Frattasio and Bill Chapin have aggregated all of this information and provided the definitive prototype resource for the DEY-3 and DEY-5 switchers in the Volume 35, Issue 1 edition of the NHRHTA's Shoreliner magazine.

Since we'll be modeling both types of engines for our layouts (as you can see above, the Valley Local needs DEY-3 #0967, and I also need a DEY-5 for the lower end local), I figured a quick reference of prototype information would be helpful. And if you have any interest in these engines, I hope you find these notes helpful too. But for the most comprehensive information, including lots of photos, be sure to consult the Shoreliner article and the books mentioned above.

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Image from NHRHTA Photo Library

General Information

The New Haven's DEY-3 and DEY-5 class switchers differed visually from standard Alco S-1s and S-2s in two primary respects:

• Cab Roof Profile

The New Haven cab is a low-profile version, to provide additional clearance when used in the electrified zone. The compound curves resulted in an overall roof height that was approx. 6" lower than the standard cab.
 Image from the Shoreliner article.

• Crosley 3-Chime Air Whistle

Instead of a standard air horn, the New Haven used brass (or bronze?) 3-chime air whistles.
Image from the Shoreliner article.

Classification System & Number Series

• "DEY" classification system started 1944
• Class DEY-3 (Alco S-1), number series 0931-0995
• Class DEY-5 (Alco S-2), number series 0600-0621

Prime Mover

• DEY-3
• Same primer mover as HH660 - 660hp McIntosh & Seymour Model 531
• Model 531 was designated 539 when in the S-1
• DEY-5
• Turbocharged Model 539, designated 539T, produced 1000 hp
• Same prime mover in Alco RS-1 (DERS-1b) and DL-109 (DER-1)
• Turbo produced a distinctive high pitched "chirp"
• Neither prime mover equipped with automatic air reservoir blowdowns, so no "spitter" sound

Delivery Dates

• DEY-3 (1941-1949), 65 units
• 1941 0931-0940
• 1942 0941-0950
• 1943 0951-0957
• 1944 0958-0970
• 1947 (Nov/Dec) 0971-0976 (green/orange scheme begins)
• 1948 (Jan-Mar) 0977-0983
• 1948 (Sept-Dec) 0984-0992
• 1949 (Jan) 0993-0995

• DEY-5 (1943-1944), 22 units
• 1943 (Dec) 0600-0601
• 1944 (Jan) 0602-0603
• 1944 (May-Nov) 0604-0621

DEY-3 Whistle Locations

• 0931-0950 had whistle mounted even with roof overhang
• 0951-0973 had whistle mounted about a foot forward of the roof overhang
• 0977-0995 had whistle mounted about 3.5' forward of the roof overhang

Paint Schemes (late 1940s)

• 0931-0970 delivered in all Pullman green with Dulux gold (yellow) lettering
• Hunter Green cab & orange hood started with delivery of 0971 November, 1947.
• Cab interior likely dark (Pullman?) green in pre-Nov. '47 units; light gray thereafter

Cab Signal Equipment

• The following units were equipped with Hartford Line cab signal equipment:
• 0967, 0981, 0605, 0606
• The following units were equipped with Shore Line signal equipment:
• 0610-0612
• The following units were equipped with Dual Cab Signal equipment:
• 0993, 0995, 0604, 0616, 0620

Radiator Shutters (louvers)

• First 40 DEY-3s
• 24 narrow vertical shutters set in a thin frame w/shallow protrusion
• Horzontal space/cutting across the shutters at mid-height
• Last 25 DEY-3s
• 11 wide vertical radiator shutters also with a horizontal spacer
• Rivet at each of the two quarter points of each louver
• Larger cross-section frame around the perimeter, resulting in deep protrusion
• First 9 DEY-5s (0600-0608) had horizontal radiator shutters
• Last 11 DEY-5s (0609-0621) had vertical shutters.

This is just a list of notes for prototype reference. For a nice narrative, including even more detailed information on later paint schemes, additional detail changes, and final dispositions, be sure to consult Marc and Bill's comprehensive Shoreliner article.

And of course - as always - if you have any additional information to share, please let me know in the comments or contact me directly. One of my main goals with this blog (and especially the website) is to provide a nice repository of information on the New Haven Railroad - but especially the Valley Line and its equipment and operations. Thanks in advance for any info you have to share - and for being a part of the "we" in WEsearch (sorry - couldn't resist one last time...)