By Kayla Barrett
Anniston Army Depot
ANNISTON, Alabama – Anniston Army Depot made history June 23 with the completion of its first-ever full locomotive overhaul, rolling out Locomotive Serial 1400 after years of hands-on work, dedication and depot-wide collaboration.
The milestone marks a major achievement not only for the Defense Non-Tactical Generator and Rail Equipment (DGRC) shop, the Army’s only locomotive repair facility, but also for the entire installation and U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command.
The overhaul of the 1959 locomotive, which came from Hill Air Force Base, began in 2020 and added roughly 50 years to its lifespan. The project required vision, extensive travel, resourceful problem-solving and a team of mechanics eager to learn.
“This wasn’t just about fixing a locomotive,” said Darryl Adams, supervisor of the DGRC overhaul and the program’s original leader. “It was about learning from the ground up, getting our hands dirty and making it move again.”
The locomotive will remain at the depot to support operations and ensure its advanced electronic components can be quickly serviced if needed.
Without technical data available, the restoration project came with many unique challenges, including part procurement and the lack of existing manuals.
“This is not a combat system. This is a locomotive with no tech data. That’s the biggest difference,” Mark Baker, a maintenance management specialist on the program, said.
COVID-19 caused additional delays, with the engine itself taking nearly a year to arrive. Identifying and sourcing parts was a challenge, as well. At one point, six team members traveled to 32 locations on temporary duty to gain hands-on training with locomotives and support inspections mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Team members relied on support from across the depot, including welders, the plumbing shop for fittings, the machine shop and even the sign shop. Safety standards such as brake inspections and load bank tests were a critical part of the project.
For Adams, the completion of the project marked both a professional and personal milestone. He first began disassembly work on locomotives in 2015.
“Working tirelessly together to see that the mission got completed, that’s what I’m most proud of,” he said.
Adams has a signature phrase, spoken in nearly every meeting, that best sums up why working on locomotives is so challenging: “They’re all the same, but different.”
With Locomotive Serial 1400 in the rearview, the team is now working full steam ahead on its next big project: Locomotive Serial 4630.
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