Product Description

American Locomotive Company (ALCO) (Schenectady, New York — founded 1901, exited the locomotive business 1969) was through the first half of the 20th century one of the principal U.S. manufacturers of steam locomotives and through the diesel transition a major U.S. manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives. ALCO steam power was specified by every major U.S. railroad through the steam era; ALCO diesel-electric road units competed with EMD and Baldwin through the 1940s-1960s.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that ALCO locomotives — both steam and diesel-electric — were specified with extensive asbestos materials:

  • Asbestos boiler lagging and pipe covering on steam locomotives (boiler shells, smokebox insulation, steam piping)
  • Asbestos engine-room thermal insulation on diesel-electric units
  • Asbestos exhaust insulation
  • Asbestos cylinder-head and exhaust-manifold gaskets
  • Asbestos electrical wire insulation on traction-motor and generator wiring

American Locomotive Company / ALCO Products has been named as a Manufacturer Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

  • Locomotive engineers and steam-era firemen
  • Railroad shop machinists rebuilding ALCO power
  • Boilermakers (IBB Local members) working steam-locomotive boilers
  • Diesel mechanics at ALCO-equipped shop facilities

If You Worked With ALCO Locomotives

If you operated, maintained, or rebuilt ALCO steam or diesel-electric locomotives during the asbestos era — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related illness — you may have legal rights.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956