At Hutchinson, Kansas in 1965. Built as a demonstrator for GE, served the two-mile H&N, which serviced salt mines. Now at OERM.

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?o ... 8-65Ja.jpg

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I've always thought this to be one of the ugliest steeplecabs I've ever seen. Nothing specific mind you, but it just doesn't "look" right. Maybe the way it sits so high, or the exposed wheels,,

On the other hand, better to have an ugly locomotive preserved than a beautiful one cut up for scrap !

Let's see if I recall all of this correctly:

General Electric built either three or four of this style of locomotive with inside axle bearings; and there were two different sizes of this style. One was sold to Lackawanna. Two others were built for stock and demonstration. and both ended up on the H&N (#1 and #3).

H&N #1 was later painted orange. After a stint painted red, white and blue for the bicentennial at Orange Empire, it has been returned to the orange.

The locomotive is very simple. It has a K controller, straight air (no automatic), and four motors usually seen on street cars. All of this on a cast frame.

Early days at Orange Empire:


After the repaint:

photos from the Orange Empire Website

Actually, I think the GE demonstrators may have been H&N #1 and #2. H&N #3 was the ex-Kansas City Public Service locomotive that was a very late-model GE steeplecab, with trucks similar to a 70-tonner. A photo from Dave's Rail Pix of H&N #3 is shown below. That locomotive is still around, too, in storage at the Middletown & Hummelstown.