The GE 44-ton switcher is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Electric between 1940 and 1956. It was designed for industrial and light switching duties, often replacing steam locomotives that had previously been assigned these chores.
D17000: 5.75 in × 8 in (146 mm × 203 mm) 6DH1742: 6.5 in × 8.375 in (165 mm × 213 mm) DFXD: 5.5 in × 6 in (139.700 mm × 152.400 mm) D342: 5.75 in × 8 in (146.050 mm × 203.200 mm)
This locomotive's specific 44-short ton weight was directly related to one of the efficiencies the new diesel locomotives offered compared to their steam counterparts: reduced labor intensity. In the 1940s, the steam to diesel transition was in its infancy in North America, and railroad unions were trying to protect the locomotive fireman jobs that were redundant with diesel units. One measure taken to this end was the 1937 so-called "90,000 Pound Rule," a stipulation that locomotives weighing 90,000 pounds (41,000 kg) – 45 short tons – or more required a fireman in addition to an engineer on common carrier railroads.[citation needed] Industrial and military railroads had no such stipulation. The 44-ton locomotive was designed to abrogate this requirement. Other manufacturers also built 44-ton switchers of center-cab configuration.
GE built 276 of this locomotive for U. S. railroads and industrial concerns, four were exported to Australia in 1944, 10 were exported to Canada, 10 were exported to Cuba, one was exported to the Dominican Republic, five were exported to France, three were exported to India, six were exported to Mexico, five were exported to Saudi Arabia, one was exported to Sweden, two were exported to Trinidad, 10 were exported to Uruguay, and 57 were built for the United States Armed Forces. Many remain, in service and in museums.
The locomotives were available with a choice of prime movers. Most were built with a pair of Caterpillar's D17000 V8 180 horsepower (134 kW) engines, but three other engine types were used. Nine were built with a pair of Hercules DFXD engines; two were sold to Chattanooga Traction and seven were sold to Missouri Pacific Railroad and its subsidiaries. Ten were built with a pair of the slightly more powerful Buda 6DH1742, rated at 200 horsepower (150 kW) each. The last four locomotives built had Caterpillar D342 engines, of which three were sold to Canadian National Railway and one to the Dansville and Mount Morris Railroad.
Military version
During the Second World War, GE produced a "Drop Cab" variant of the 44-ton locomotives for the US Armed Forces. These appeared similar to the standard 44-ton but had a lower cab for European clearances, and large boxes next to the cab, on the front right, and back left running boards, housing the air compressors (housed under the cab on standard versions). Most of these military variants were ballasted to an actual weight of 45 tons.[1] A total of 91 Military 45-ton Drop Cabs were built with 31 of those sold to the Indian Railways. Additional narrow gauge drop cabs were built to a 47-ton rating for the military and export.
Twelve Drop Cab 45-ton locomotives were bought by the Portuguese Railway (CP - Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses) in 1949, with the Iberian broad gauge of 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in). Numbered 1101 to 1112, after some initial use as light road engines, they spent most of their lives as switchers at the southern region main stations. The series is withdrawn but one example is preserved at the National Railroad Museum (Fundação Museu Nacional Ferroviário Armando Ginestal Machado) at Entroncamento.
Arcade and Attica Railroad in Arcade, NY shifted all operations to diesel in 1941 with the purchase of 44ton No 110. Six years later a wreck forced them to send the engine back to Erie for repairs. At that time they purchased a second engine (ARA No 111) and scrapped their last remaining backup steam engine. ARA 110 today is a static display while ARA 111 remains operational for freight duties as a backup locomotive, occasionally hauling the railroad's excursion trains (often triple-headed with the railroad's other two GE centercab switchers for their annual WWII weekend, #112 and #113). Freight duties are currently handled in tandem by 65-ton #112 (1945 b/n 27886, U.S. Navy, acquired 1988) and 80-ton #113 (1959 b/n 33489, ConEdison, acquired 2014).
The Charlotte Southern in Charlotte, MI. operates the last 44 ton GE ever built. Ex-Danville & Mount Morris #1. List in the Diesel Spotters Guide (Kalmbach Publishing).
The New York Ontario & Western Railroad Historical Society, Owns one, NYO&W #105. Currently being Repaired & Restored for Operation by the end of 2018. It is at Steamtown National Historic Site, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.[3][4] This unit was SRNJ #105 Prior to 2017, when the NYO&WHS had acquired it, and it was transported by truck to Scranton.
The North Florida Railway Museum has 44-Tonner #12945 on display in Reynolds Industrial Park located, Green Cove Springs, FL. The locomotive is currently being cosmetically and mechanically restored.
The Pacific Locomotive Association in Sunol, CA owns ATSF 462 which is out of service awaiting restoration. It is stored at PLA's Brightside Yard in Niles Canyon, CA.
The Media:The Railway Museum of San Angelo in San Angelo, TX displays the GE 44 ton repainted and lettered in Santa Fe Tiger Strips as number 461 was formerly the U.S. Air Force 1241, serial number 31879, formerly based at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas. Build date February 1953.[5]
The Toledo, Lake Erie, and Western owns one Whitcomb 44-tonner, #1, Ex-Dundee Cement 951901, and née-Ann Arbor Railroad #1. Currently, it is sitting in its yard in Grand Rapids, Ohio, along with a Baldwin 0-6-0 steam locomotive. Both are currently being restored.
The Walkersville Southern Railroad currently has three 44 tonners; those being Great Northern #51, Former Strasburg/Pennsylvania Railroad 9331, and Former Pennsylvania 9339. Three additional examples are expected to arrive on the property by the fall of 2020. Currently, two are privately owned ex-Pennsylvania Railroad 44-tonners, 9339, acquired from the South Carolina Railroad Museum in 2011 and ex-PRR 44-Tonner 9331, acquired form Strasburg Railroad in 2013.
The Western Railway Museum near Suisun, CA. is the home of Sacramento Northern 146, Visalia Electric 502 and Salt Lake, Garfield and Western (Saltair) DS-2. The 502 is operational. The 146 is now undergoing restoration, Saltair DS-2 is on display and may be restored later.
DE91 which was 7922 with the NSWGR which was sold to Commonwealth Railways is preserved at the National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide, South Australia. It was cosmetically restored in 2014 to the Commonwealth Railways Blue Black livery.
Spain
Hunosa Nº2, which used to work at the Sueros Coal Washing Facility in Mieres, Asturias, is in operational condition at the Asturian Railway Museum in Gijón, Asturias.
^(1) Harwood, Herbert H. Jr. (April 2000). (PDF) (3rd ed.). Fairfax Station, Virginia: Northern Virginia Parks Authority. p. 137. ISBN0615114539. LCCN 77104382. OCLC 44685168. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2017. 47: GE 44-ton (380 hp); built 12/41; c.n. 15041. W&OD's first diesel. Sold 1950 to Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville (#30); resold to Cargill, Inc., Houston, Texas 1967In Appendix K of Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority - Pre-filed Direct Testimony of Mr. Hafner, Mr. Mcray and Mr. Simmons, 30 November 2005 (Part 5), Case No. PUE-2005-00018, Virginia State Corporation Commission. Obtained in "Case Docket Search". Virginia State Corporation Commission. Retrieved 28 September 2017. (2) . Number 30. The Fonda Johnstown & Gloversville Railroad. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016. Photographs of the former W&OD 47 as FJGRR 30, on the Great Western Railway of Colorado and as BJRY 44. (3) Zygmunt, Chris (8 June 2012). . LocoPhotos: Comprehensive Locomotive Archiving. Burlington, Iowa: Jack Hilton. Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014. Lineage: ex GWR 44, ex Cargill, ex FJG 30, ex WOD 47 (4) Zygmunt, Chris (8 June 2012). . RailPictures.Net. Burlington, Iowa. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013. (5) . Rail System Plan: Appendix A. Ames, Iowa: Iowa Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2014. (6) Lewis, Edward A. (1996). Burlington Junction Railway. American Shoreline Railway Guide (5th ed.). Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Company. p. 53. ISBN0890242909. LCCN 96215170. OCLC 35286187. Retrieved 23 December 2017. (7) Miller, Gerry; Sink, Tom; Zygmunt, Chris (8 June 2012). . RailPictures.Net. Burlington and West Burlington, Iowa. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2014. (8) Rumbut, Kris (11 September 2014). . Pictures of BJRY 44. Burlington, Iowa: RR Pictures Archive.Net. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015. (9) Mackey, Dan (5 August 2018). . Burlington, Iowa: Flickr. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
^"Ontario & Western Railway Historical Society, Inc".
switcher, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, september, 2012, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources GE 44 ton switcher news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message The GE 44 ton switcher is a four axle diesel electric locomotive built by General Electric between 1940 and 1956 It was designed for industrial and light switching duties often replacing steam locomotives that had previously been assigned these chores GE 44 ton switcherEngine 7069 at the Georgia State Railroad Museum Savannah GeorgiaType and originPower typeDiesel electricBuilderGE Transportation SystemsModel44 ton switcherBuild dateSeptember 1940 October 1956Total produced386SpecificationsConfiguration AARB B UICBo Bo Gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeLoco weight44 short tons 39 long tons 40 t Prime moverCaterpillar D17000 2 off except Hercules DFXD 2 off 9 locomotives Buda Engine Co 6DH1742 2 off 10 locomotives Caterpillar D342 2 off 4 locomotives RPM rangeD17000 1 000 max 6DH1742 1 050 max DFXD 1 600 max D342 1 200 max Engine typeD17000 V8 dieselAll others 6 cyl dieselAspirationNaturally aspiratedTraction motorsFourCylindersD17000 8All others 6Cylinder sizeD17000 5 75 in 8 in 146 mm 203 mm 6DH1742 6 5 in 8 375 in 165 mm 213 mm DFXD 5 5 in 6 in 139 700 mm 152 400 mm D342 5 75 in 8 in 146 050 mm 203 200 mm Performance figuresPower output360 to 400 hp 270 to 300 kW Tractive effort27 000 lbf 120 1 kN 30 CareerLocaleNorth America Australia Saudi Arabia South America India France Sweden This locomotive s specific 44 short ton weight was directly related to one of the efficiencies the new diesel locomotives offered compared to their steam counterparts reduced labor intensity In the 1940s the steam to diesel transition was in its infancy in North America and railroad unions were trying to protect the locomotive fireman jobs that were redundant with diesel units One measure taken to this end was the 1937 so called 90 000 Pound Rule a stipulation that locomotives weighing 90 000 pounds 41 000 kg 45 short tons or more required a fireman in addition to an engineer on common carrier railroads citation needed Industrial and military railroads had no such stipulation The 44 ton locomotive was designed to abrogate this requirement Other manufacturers also built 44 ton switchers of center cab configuration GE built 276 of this locomotive for U S railroads and industrial concerns four were exported to Australia in 1944 10 were exported to Canada 10 were exported to Cuba one was exported to the Dominican Republic five were exported to France three were exported to India six were exported to Mexico five were exported to Saudi Arabia one was exported to Sweden two were exported to Trinidad 10 were exported to Uruguay and 57 were built for the United States Armed Forces Many remain in service and in museums Contents 1 Prime mover options 2 Military version 3 Australia 4 Preserved examples 4 1 United States 4 2 Canada 4 3 Sweden 4 4 Australia 4 5 Spain 5 References 6 External linksPrime mover options EditThe locomotives were available with a choice of prime movers Most were built with a pair of Caterpillar s D17000 V8 180 horsepower 134 kW engines but three other engine types were used Nine were built with a pair of Hercules DFXD engines two were sold to Chattanooga Traction and seven were sold to Missouri Pacific Railroad and its subsidiaries Ten were built with a pair of the slightly more powerful Buda 6DH1742 rated at 200 horsepower 150 kW each The last four locomotives built had Caterpillar D342 engines of which three were sold to Canadian National Railway and one to the Dansville and Mount Morris Railroad Military version EditDuring the Second World War GE produced a Drop Cab variant of the 44 ton locomotives for the US Armed Forces These appeared similar to the standard 44 ton but had a lower cab for European clearances and large boxes next to the cab on the front right and back left running boards housing the air compressors housed under the cab on standard versions Most of these military variants were ballasted to an actual weight of 45 tons 1 A total of 91 Military 45 ton Drop Cabs were built with 31 of those sold to the Indian Railways Additional narrow gauge drop cabs were built to a 47 ton rating for the military and export Twelve Drop Cab 45 ton locomotives were bought by the Portuguese Railway CP Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses in 1949 with the Iberian broad gauge of 1 668 mm 5 ft 5 21 32 in Numbered 1101 to 1112 after some initial use as light road engines they spent most of their lives as switchers at the southern region main stations The series is withdrawn but one example is preserved at the National Railroad Museum Fundacao Museu Nacional Ferroviario Armando Ginestal Machado at Entroncamento Australia EditForty seven locomotives were bought by the US Military and four of them were exported to Australia All saw service on the New South Wales Government Railways as the 79 class before two of them were sold to Commonwealth Railways becoming the DE class Preserved examples EditUnited States Edit Arcade and Attica Railroad in Arcade NY shifted all operations to diesel in 1941 with the purchase of 44ton No 110 Six years later a wreck forced them to send the engine back to Erie for repairs At that time they purchased a second engine ARA No 111 and scrapped their last remaining backup steam engine ARA 110 today is a static display while ARA 111 remains operational for freight duties as a backup locomotive occasionally hauling the railroad s excursion trains often triple headed with the railroad s other two GE centercab switchers for their annual WWII weekend 112 and 113 Freight duties are currently handled in tandem by 65 ton 112 1945 b n 27886 U S Navy acquired 1988 and 80 ton 113 1959 b n 33489 ConEdison acquired 2014 The Burlington Junction Railway of Burlington IA owns an ex Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Fonda Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad and Great Western Railway of Colorado 44 tonner BJRY 44 that operates about once a month in West Burlington Iowa 2 The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento runs the Sacramento Southern Railroad Number 1240 formerly the U S Air Force Number 1240 out of McClellan Air Force Base The Charlotte Southern in Charlotte MI operates the last 44 ton GE ever built Ex Danville amp Mount Morris 1 List in the Diesel Spotters Guide Kalmbach Publishing The Chehalis Centralia Railroad operates former Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 6 The locomotive is used for yard switching MOW and as a backup The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad operates two 3 foot gauge 44 tonners for switching and maintenance numbered 15 and 19 which came from the Oahu Railroad The Danbury Railway Museum in Danbury CT has two of these locos one under restoration ex New Haven Railroad and one currently operational ex Union Pacific The Delaware amp Ulster Railroad currently has former Western Maryland 76 in storage at their yard in Arkville New York The Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum in Parrish Florida owns and operates former US Navy 65 00345 originally assigned to NAS Jacksonville The Heber Valley Railroad in Heber City UT has one of these in operation giving daily tourist trips down Provo Canyon in Utah The Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville IN owns former Nickel Plate Road 44T 91 The New York Ontario amp Western Railroad Historical Society Owns one NYO amp W 105 Currently being Repaired amp Restored for Operation by the end of 2018 It is at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton Pennsylvania 3 4 This unit was SRNJ 105 Prior to 2017 when the NYO amp WHS had acquired it and it was transported by truck to Scranton The North Florida Railway Museum has 44 Tonner 12945 on display in Reynolds Industrial Park located Green Cove Springs FL The locomotive is currently being cosmetically and mechanically restored The Pacific Locomotive Association in Sunol CA owns ATSF 462 which is out of service awaiting restoration It is stored at PLA s Brightside Yard in Niles Canyon CA The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard still operates USN 65 00566 The Media The Railway Museum of San Angelo in San Angelo TX displays the GE 44 ton repainted and lettered in Santa Fe Tiger Strips as number 461 was formerly the U S Air Force 1241 serial number 31879 formerly based at Carswell Air Force Base Texas Build date February 1953 5 The Roundhouse Railroad Museum in Savannah Georgia acquired the ex B amp M No 119 and ex US Army 7069 from the Claremont Concord Railroad in 2010 The Southeastern Railway Museum at Duluth Georgia has the former New York Ontario and Western Railway 104 pictured and Hartwell Railway 2 The Southern Michigan Railroad Society in Clinton MI operates former Western Maryland Railway unit 75 on tourist trips between Clinton Tecumseh and Raisin Center along the former Jacksonburgh and Palmyra Railroad It also preserves former Detroit and Mackinac Railway 10 The Southern Railroad of New Jersey currently rosters two 44 tonners Numbers 410 amp 412 The Stewartstown Railroad operates a former Coudersport amp Port Allegheny 44 tonner The Timber Heritage Association in Samoa California owns the Arcata and Mad River 101 a 44 tonner which used to haul lumber loads from Korbel to Arcata California on the Arcata and Mad River Railroad This unit is operational and is part of the planned Humboldt Bay Scenic Railroad for tourists using the non operational Northwestern Pacific Railroad around Humboldt Bay The Toledo Lake Erie and Western owns one Whitcomb 44 tonner 1 Ex Dundee Cement 951901 and nee Ann Arbor Railroad 1 Currently it is sitting in its yard in Grand Rapids Ohio along with a Baldwin 0 6 0 steam locomotive Both are currently being restored The Walkersville Southern Railroad currently has three 44 tonners those being Great Northern 51 Former Strasburg Pennsylvania Railroad 9331 and Former Pennsylvania 9339 Three additional examples are expected to arrive on the property by the fall of 2020 Currently two are privately owned ex Pennsylvania Railroad 44 tonners 9339 acquired from the South Carolina Railroad Museum in 2011 and ex PRR 44 Tonner 9331 acquired form Strasburg Railroad in 2013 The Wanamaker Kempton and Southern Railroad owns and operates one on excursions on the weekends The Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola California is the home of Quincy Railroad 3 No 3 was leased by the Virginia and Truckee Railroad in Virginia City Nevada in 2002 when its two steam locomotives went down for restoration It was sent back when the railroad got another GE switcher This 44 ton engine replaced steam power on this shortline railroad The WPRM is also home to Quincy 4 an Alco S1 switcher that replaced QRR 3 The WPRM recently received a donation of 44 tonner Tidewater Southern 735 The Western Railway Museum near Suisun CA is the home of Sacramento Northern 146 Visalia Electric 502 and Salt Lake Garfield and Western Saltair DS 2 The 502 is operational The 146 is now undergoing restoration Saltair DS 2 is on display and may be restored later Canada Edit Southern Prairie Railway 6 in Ogema Saskatchewan Canada has purchased former Maine Central Railroad 15 from Conway Scenic Railway in New Hampshire and intends to use the 1945 44 tonner to offer tourist trips down the Red Coat Line in Southern Saskatchewan The Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum 7 in Musquodoboit Harbour Nova Scotia features a former Canadian National Railways 44 ton unit Port Stanley Terminal Rail operating out of Port Stanley Ontario rosters one example Serial number 28349 formerly of the Greater Winnipeg Water District is number L3 and named Winnie 8 Sweden Edit The two 44 tonners from the ironworks in Hofors and Domnarvet are preserved by a railway society in Falun Dalarna Australia Edit 7921 which was sold to Commonwealth Railways as DE90 is preserved by the NSWRTM at Thrilmere and renumbered as 7921 DE91 which was 7922 with the NSWGR which was sold to Commonwealth Railways is preserved at the National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide South Australia It was cosmetically restored in 2014 to the Commonwealth Railways Blue Black livery Spain Edit Hunosa Nº2 which used to work at the Sueros Coal Washing Facility in Mieres Asturias is in operational condition at the Asturian Railway Museum in Gijon Asturias References Edit Pinkepank Jerry A 1973 The Second Diesel Spotter s Guide Milwaukee WI Kalmbach Publishing Company p 158 ISBN 0 89024 026 4 1 Harwood Herbert H Jr April 2000 Rails to the Blue Ridge The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad 1847 1968 PDF 3rd ed Fairfax Station Virginia Northern Virginia Parks Authority p 137 ISBN 0615114539 LCCN 77104382 OCLC 44685168 Archived from the original PDF on 28 September 2017 47 GE 44 ton 380 hp built 12 41 c n 15041 W amp OD s first diesel Sold 1950 to Fonda Johnstown amp Gloversville 30 resold to Cargill Inc Houston Texas 1967 In Appendix K of Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority Pre filed Direct Testimony of Mr Hafner Mr Mcray and Mr Simmons 30 November 2005 Part 5 Case No PUE 2005 00018 Virginia State Corporation Commission Obtained in Case Docket Search Virginia State Corporation Commission Retrieved 28 September 2017 2 GE 44 Ton Number 30 Number 30 The Fonda Johnstown amp Gloversville Railroad Archived from the original on 8 August 2016 Retrieved 29 June 2016 Photographs of the former W amp OD 47 as FJGRR 30 on the Great Western Railway of Colorado and as BJRY 44 3 Zygmunt Chris 8 June 2012 BJRY 44 LocoPhotos Comprehensive Locomotive Archiving Burlington Iowa Jack Hilton Archived from the original on 18 September 2014 Retrieved 17 September 2014 Lineage ex GWR 44 ex Cargill ex FJG 30 ex WOD 47 4 Zygmunt Chris 8 June 2012 Burlington Junction Railway No 44 with 2013 02 24 comment by Jack M Jakeman This was the locomotive that the railroad was started with RailPictures Net Burlington Iowa Archived from the original on 21 December 2013 Retrieved 20 December 2013 5 Profiles of Railroads Operating in Iowa Rail System Plan Appendix A Ames Iowa Iowa Department of Transportation Archived from the original on 5 February 2012 Retrieved 17 September 2014 6 Lewis Edward A 1996 Burlington Junction Railway American Shoreline Railway Guide 5th ed Waukesha Wisconsin Kalmbach Publishing Company p 53 ISBN 0890242909 LCCN 96215170 OCLC 35286187 Retrieved 23 December 2017 7 Miller Gerry Sink Tom Zygmunt Chris 8 June 2012 Photographs of BJRY 44 RailPictures Net Burlington and West Burlington Iowa Archived from the original on 30 October 2013 Retrieved 17 September 2014 8 Rumbut Kris 11 September 2014 BJRY 44 Pictures of BJRY 44 Burlington Iowa RR Pictures Archive Net Archived from the original on 25 May 2015 Retrieved 25 May 2015 9 Mackey Dan 5 August 2018 BRJY 44 Burlington Iowa Flickr Archived from the original on 7 June 2019 Retrieved 7 June 2019 Ontario amp Western Railway Historical Society Inc RailPictures Net Photo Search Result Railroad Train Railway Photos Pictures amp News Pictures of ATSF 461 Southern Prairie Railway Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum PSTR Locomotives Extra 2200 South Issues 51 March April 1975 and 52 May June 1975 https www strasburgrailroad com dig deeper equipment roster Equipment Roster http rgusrail com utshferc htmlExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to GE 44 ton locomotives GE44 ton roster http www thedieselshop us GE 44Ton Military HTML GE44 ton pictures Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title GE 44 ton switcher amp oldid 1114051290, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
