The discussion over Strasburg's "new" diesel prompts another question:

How many operable GE 44-tonners (and their cousins, such as 45-tonners, 65-tonners, etc.) are left out there? 348 44-tonners were built, and a lot of us seemed to take them for granted. As similar as they all look, it appears that there was a LOT of variation under the hoods of these switcher types, and the parts supply problem that affected the original-condition PRR 9331 shouldn't be as severe for a re-engined 44- or 45-tonner. But there are still other parts to reckon with.

If you're identifying the one your local museum/RR has, any chance you can tell us whether it's been re-engined?

The 44-tonner is an odd beast. Aside from its redundancy, as the founder of the A&B once told me, "It's like a cockroach - cut it in half and it still runs"... it is the only unit capable of breeding, as by all appearances there are more 44-tonners preserved than were ever built.

Western Railway Museum has three.

Visalia Electric 502 (fully operable)
Sacramento Northern 146 (non-operational)
Salt Lake, Garfield & Western DS-2 (non-operational)
They also have a Navy Porter 44/45 tonner, 2-motor with side rods.

The Southern Michigan Railroad Society (Clinton, MI) has one.

Western Maryland #75 (fully operable)
One of their members also owns a Davenport 44-tonner, the Ohio & Morenci 142.

The main difference between the 44-ton GE and the other, similar center-cabs built by GE, Vulcan, Porter, Atlas, Whitcomb, etc., (ranging up to about 120 tons in industrial applications) is that the GE 44-tonner had the Caterpillar D-17000 engine. The others, for the most part, had variations of Cummins diesels. For some reason, the Cummins engines were supportable longer than the D-17000.

Some other center cabs preserved include 70-ton Whitcomb no. 602, no. 7258, a 45-tonner, and no. 4, a 65-tonner, at the Wanamaker Kempton & Southern. The Middletown & Hummelstown has a pair of 65-tonners. The Arcade & Attica has a 65-tonner and a 44-tonner in service for freight, as well as their original 44-tonner stuffed and mounted. Penn Eastern has a ballasted 44-tonner (50-ton from the New York Dock Ry.) for freight service on its Kutztown line. PPL Electric has a couple of 65-tonners at its Brunner Island power station and anothr at its Montour plant, and Cass Scenic RR just took delivery of a 44-tonner for use as a shop switcher. There was a 45-tonner there at one time.

Stewartstown #10? Is that a GE 44 tonner?

The Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, Ill is home to a GE 45 tonner.

Original Aurora Elgin & Fox River Electric #5, was purchased in 1946 to replace two
"cab on flat" electric work/freight motors. AE&FRE #5 worked the line until the early
1970's when the line went under (to be at least partially resurrected as the Fox River Trolley Museum), and was sold to a nearby quarry operation. The engine's usefullness
at the quarry operation ended in 2001 and she was returned to home rails. (In and of itself an all-to-rare, and notable event)

She is operational to the best of my knowledge.


IRM is also home to another GE 45 tonner, ex US-Army 8537. She is also operational to the best of my knowledge.

Mid-Continent's ex-Pullman Plant Switcher (and currently the only operating loco there): http://www.midcontinent.org/collectn/DIESEL/ps4.html

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has a 45 ton Porter (2 motors-with side rods) that is operational and a 25 ton GE (2 axle, half a 45 ton GE) being restored and converted to broad gauge. The Rockhill Trolley Museum has a 25 ton GE that is operational.

There are several narrow gauge GE industrial centercabs (mostly from steel mills) on the tourist operations, including the East Broad Top, the Cumbres & Toltec, and the Durango & Silverton. Don't know any details on these, although I recall seeing at least 1 two axle centercab.

BTW, there is a company that specializes in parts for GE industrial engines, Western Star Rail Services, of Newark, Ohio. I dont think they have much for D17000 powered units, however.

Another major difference between the 44 ton and the 45 ton units is that the 44 ton units have 4 motors while the 45 ton units have 2 motors and chain or siderod drive to the other 2 axles.

I'll do my part for the list:

Central Pa. Chapter NRHS at White Deer, Pa. has a GE 45-tonner, chain-drive axles, from a steel plant near Harrisburg. It was operable several years ago, but probably hasn't operated in a decade or so because the collapse of their bridge over White Deer Creek means there's literally no room for it to operate, save for maybe a few hundred feet back and forth.

Across the river and to the south, ACF Milton HAD a GE 45-tonner or two, but I'm wondering if they're still there/operable. They're not preserved, but it's possible Central Pa. NRHS could play vulture......

Castro Point, according to my notes, got Santa Fe 44-tonner 462.

Small center cab diesels remain somewhat common in the industrial world. There are of course a lot of variations, and if you want to know the details of each I suggest reading Jay Reed's books - Critters, Dinkys & Centercabs, as well as his Comprehensive Guide to Industrial Locomotives.

http://www.sonic.net/~jayreed/

As far as "railroad" 44-ton types, the number of operating units has certainly dwindled. Middletown & New Jersey has two - one semi-operable and one inoperable, both I would describe as "endangered" given the present circumstances of that line.

If you scale up to 80-tonners (built primarily for military or industrial use), I believe the Valley Railroad and the Indiana Railway Museum each have a pair; those just happen to come to mind but no doubt there are quite a few others.

More rare than the center cabs are the GE-70 ton end cab locos built for railroad use and very popular with short lines in the 50's & 60's. An operating GE 70 tonner is getting pretty hard to find these days.

Alan Maples

Orange Empire has two GE center cab diesels, both from nearby USAF bases. 8580, which has the aforementioned Cat diesels (and which I understand our diesel experts are having trouble finding parts for also) and has four motors; and 41 (ex USAF 7441) which is Cummins powered and does run, and has two motors and side rods. The 44-ton Cat powered unit has a 70 volt electric system, like main line diesels, while the 45-ton Cummins equipped unit has a 24 volt system, like a big-rig truck. The 24-volt system has its advantages. Many years ago Montgomery Ward used to advertise that their brand of car batteries were powerful enough to jump-start an 18-wheeler. I have a photo showing another OERM member and myself hooking up my pickup and his car's Sears batteries in series to jump start the 45-ton locomotive.
I might also add that for many years, our trolley operation depended on a Cummins/GE generator set; stories varied as to whether it was from a GE or other brand of industrial switcher, or a self-propelled railcar (a.k.a. doodlebug).

As I understand the matter, the GE 44 tonners were designed for "railroad" service, and the "45 tonner" and "50 tonner" versions were designed for Industrial users. The 44-tonners had traction motors on all four axles, while the 45/50 tonners had only one motor per truck with the other axle connected by side rods or chain drive. As a result, the 44-ton are rated for 40 mph top speed, while the 45 or 50 ton were rated at only 20 mph. 44-tonners have a 74-volt electrical system, while 45/50 tonners may have either a 36-volt or 24-volt electrical sytems. The 44 tonners have larger air compressors and, as was mentioned above, the Cat D17000 V-8 diesel. The 45/50 tonners had Cummins Inline six-cylinder diesels.

I'm aware of several museums in the Great Plains with operable GE centercabs. The "Abilene & Smoky Valley" has an operable 44-ton, ex Ideal Cement Company #029 at Superior NE, exx US Army, exx Arkansas Valley Railroad #93. This might be the oldest GE 44 ton still operable (GE Serial 12913, built in September 1940, which was the first month of 44-ton production). Abilene also has an operable ex Ideal Cement exx US Army Whitcomb 45-ton centercab. The Midland Railway at Baldwin City KS has ex-Santa Fe GE 44-ton #460, which is nearing completion of a restoration to operable condition. The Railway Museum of Oklahoma at Enid has an operable GE 50-tonner, ex Vulcan Materials Company at Wichita KS, exx Chevrolet Motor Division at Tonawanda NY. The Oklahoma Railroad Museum at Oklahoma City has an operable 45-tonner, ex "Dodge City, Ford & Bucklin", exx US Army.

Dan Rohrback

The 18-mile Alexander Railroad (Statesville to Taylorsville, NC) still has a 44-tonner with original engine in active service on its roster (along with 2 Alcos). They just repainted rolled her out of the shop a couple weeks ago. Check out

http://www.tarheelpress.com/junebug/News.html

Under the "etc." section, we have a running 100 ton center cab at the PTHT. We got the front engine running in November of 2007. This after sitting idle for a lot of years. Once we replace a few broken springs in the suspension and the "O" rings in the brake stand, we will try to start the other end.

Later!
Mr. Ed

The Roundhouse Railroad Museum in Savannah, GA has purchased a pair of 44-tonners and has been prepping them to move. I never can remember where they are, but one is in a B&M scheme (I believe...its black with red stripes on the hoods, the other is green). Both should be operable by the time they arrive at the museum.

Wandering off the 44-ton subject a bit:
There are 2 in-service center cab units at the Marine Corps Logistics Support Base here in Albany...80 tonners, I think. A couple of photos:

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/5/5/0/2550.1116626160.jpg
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/1/1/5/5115.1114112640.jpg

Back in the New Georgia Railroad days the shop switcher was a GE 65-ton center cab acquired from the Hartwell Railroad. It was sold when the equipment was auctioned off in 1995, and went I know not where.

Tyburn Railroad, Fairless, Pa. runs:
a GE 44 tonner - Hoboken Manufacturers' RR 700, Hoboken Shore RR 700, New Hope & Ivyland RR (McHugh Bros. Line) 400, TYBR 400. Serial 20970, about 1947. We can get parts from Giles & Ransome, the local Caterpillar dealer, as long as we let them think they are for a bulldozer. G & R parts employees don't sell locomotive parts.
(It's twin, 701 Serial 20973, about 1947, became Adirondack RR (Sam Freeman) 107 when rebuilt at New Hope in the late 1970s, and was returned there inoperable for storage about 1987. Sam may have given it to McHugh who gave it to the New Hope Steam Rwy., a volunteer group, not the present New Hope & Ivyland. They did get one of the Caterpillars to run.)

and a GE 45 tonner with side rods, American Bridge, Trenton, N.J. (U.S. Steel 14), New Hope & Ivyland RR (McHugh Bros. Line) 390, TYBR 390. Serial 15149, about 1945. McHugh reengined it with Detroit Diesels. The Cummings Diesel engines have no rear bearings, they are supported by the truck transmission or locomotive generator, which must be specially made to fit and support the Cummings Diesel. Conventional wisdom has it that you cannot change Diesel brands, because it won't fit unless you design and make an adapter yourself from scratch. McHugh found that General Motors will supply the plans for the necessary adapter. He said that the cost of having his welder make 2, and buying 2 Detroit Diesels was less than the cost of buying 1 replacement fuel pump for a Cummings Diesel. The Cummings Diesels were donated to a trade school for a tax deduction.