Obviously, the title is not referring to Hogan's Heroes nor a politically incorrect Oktoberfest, but rather Southern Pacific's short-lived and muy-costoso flirtation with diesel-hydraulic propulsion. In those less-sensitive times, railfans referred to SP's Krauss-Maffei hydraulics as Krauts, and Alco hydraulics as Alcohaulics. Propriety precludes me from relating what engineers called them. I'd go to prison if I repeated the Mechanical Department's descriptions of the beasts

At any rate, the SP's Hyraulic Experience lasted only seven years for the KM's and nine years for the Alcos. In 1961, SP and Rio Grande each purchased three dual Maybach engined (3540 total SAE horsepower) cab units. The latter gave up on them early, selling their units to SP in February, 1964, the same month that SP took delivery of the first seven of fifteen KM hood units. Alco got into the deal with three 4000 HP (at wheels) units later that year, both because Alco undercut KM in price, and because SP was already not overly enamored with the "labor intensive" (read: they required routine maintenance) Maybach engine. Here's the roster:



SOUTHERN PACIFIC DIESEL-HYDRAULIC ROSTER
Builder
Model
Original #
Second #
Third #
Built
Retired
Krauss-Maffei ML-4000 (Cab)
ML-4000 (Cab)
ML-4000 (Hood)
9000-02
DRGW 4001-03
9003-17
9100-02
SP 9021-23
9106-20
-
9103-05
-
6-61
6-61
2,3-64
1967-68*
1967
1967-68**
Camera Car 9113 SPMW 1166 8799 Rebuilt 2-69 ???****

Alco DH-643 9018-20 9150-52 9800-02 9-64 9-73***

*All KM cabs out of service by end of 1967
** All retiered in 1968 except 9117 & 9119 in 9-67.
*** 9801 stripped for parts in 1970 or 1971. 9800 & 9802 periodically stored in 1970's.
****9113 was rebuilt as a camera car toshot right-of-way fottage for SP's new locomotive simulator. One engine / transmission set was removed & one left in place, albeit disconnected. MU / control equipment was retained. After retirement in October, 1984, the SP gave her to the California State Railroad Museum.

Sources:
Strapac SP Annuals,
Faulty Memory

Alco DH-643

The face that only a mother, or a model railroader, could love: There's sure was a bunch going-on around the front end of an Alcohaulic, eh? Notice that the 9152 is coupled to an F-7 (# 6315), which was typical. Purportedely, F's took the lead with both brands of hydros in later years to keep cab crews happy, since immediately below the cab floor was a drive shaft that had a habit of letting-go. The F's also probably came in handy in setting-out the hydraulics when their driveshafts failed. The 9152 is sitting in no-man's-land in-between the Roundhouse tank car spur and the Car Shops in the fall of 1968, about the time that the last Krauss turned a revenue wheel.
9800 & 9802 in temporary storage, Roseville 2-7-70.

On to the Kraus-Maffeis!