M&ET 613, ex SP 5119, is running well on the rails at PSRM, Campo, CA. The first picture shows the horn being mounted. It was sold without one. The loco will be back dated to its SP appearance in the late 1950s when it worked the SD&AE out of San Diego. The plan to run it in excursion pool service with other PSRM locomotives on a portion of the SD&AE Mountain Division maintained by PSRM.

The second photo is the 1955 GE builders photo.

Larry Rose of PSRM asked me to make this posting.

Here it is arriving at Campo on . And I thought that depot was big.

Anyone know where the rest of the M&ET 70 toners went?

A lot of detail is posted here:
http://www.altamontpress.com/discussion ... #msg-60937

I could not tell from the first photo posted of your move, that the locomotive was still on it's own wheels on that lowboy. You never would have gotton away with hauling that locomotive in one piece in most states, I am surprised that California allowed it.

I have been involved in the transporting of several GE centercab locomotives and we have had to break down every unit. No only have we taken the locomotives off their trucks, we have removed fuel, water, batteries, couplers, air reservoirs, etc. to reduced the weight. We have also had to keep them in the area of no more then 14 feet high.

One of the biggest problems with transporting locomotives by truck, is determining the weight you will have on each axle.

The largest we trucked was a GE 80 ton centercab locomotive. First we had to fit it on the trailer. A 33' 6'' long locomotive on a lowboy with 23 feet of deck. So, one end was in the well of the trailer, sitting on the deck, while the other end was up over the center of the second of three axles. The problem is, there is no way to know for sure what each axle will weigh. We had to apply for the permits with the state of Indiana, the state determined our route and it took 2 weeks to get the permits. We had 11 axles on the rig, so we determined it the best we could and even planned for more weigh, in case we got stopped and weighed.

After loading and traveling about 40 miles, we stopped at a truck stop for fuel and made use of their scales. We were 25,000 pounds over our permitted weight. It would have tied up the truck for another 2 weeks, even if they would have given us a new permit, so we went on down the road.

You never really want to believe the weigh that a locomotive manufacturer gives for a locomotive. We found out the hard way, that this 80 tonner had extra ballast. We got off lucky.

As per ownership of the GE 70 ton fleet, I did not know that Sterling Rail ever owned the locomotives, I was told all they did was broker them. I also thought that they were asking way too much for those locomotives.

Ozark Mountain Railcar tried to sell 3 GE 70 ton locomotives last fall with an on-line auction.. The highest bid they received was $15,000 for one of the three, the other two were $10,000 each. The bids were rejected and they still have those for sale. Way too much money for a locomotive you have to truck or flat car, then can not find parts to support.

In California, moving large objects on trailers must be okay with permits. The road
system is better, bridge heights are more than the standard 16 foot 6 inches, and
the trailer looked state of the art. Indiana is now getting more stringent in permits
as HVRM found out on it latest move of a Baggage/RPO. It just did not happen.

I am glad that PSRM was able to move the locomotive in such a timely manner
and without any mishaps or problems.

It is a memorial to the memory of Tanya Rose.

Tom Travis HVRM Restoration Dept

Here in Ontario, you can move most anything, if it is feasible. Special permits are required for oversize/ overweight loads, and with exceptionally heavy loads they will have engineers study bridges, sewer lines, retaining walls, etc to ensure the infrastructure won't be damaged by the load.

Often one or more extra axles will have to be added for at least part of the move- CN 4-8-4 #6213 in Toronto is a good example of this.

Overhead clearance is a biggie. Many bridges in our area aren't much higher than 14'6". Unlike wires, bridges are pretty hard to lift!

Our snowplow move last fall required several dozen wires to be lifted or temporarily detached. This was after several days of scouting the easiest route. Weight wasn't a big issue, unlike a locomotive.

A rig like the one moving the 70 tonner would be allowed here in Ontario, as long as the weight was spread out sufficiently and there were no immovable overhead obstacles.

Often, though, a structural/ house mover would be better equipped to move a locomotive. They could minimize the height above the road and could easily add/ subtract axles as required. We hired a house mover to move CN 4-6-0 #1112, and a house mover did the previously mentioned CN #6213 move in Toronto.

Congratulations on acquiring and moving this unit! I've always been partial to 70 tonners, having grown up with CN's Prince Edward Island fleet.

Steve Hunter
Cardinal, Ontario