http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=158795 - It would appear that the steam locomotives are not the only pieces of equipment to receive a proper restoration, as seen by this image of 44-tonner #9331. Wonder how long it will be until we see a photo special with this unit?

-Justin Franz

Now, is that the 44 that's always (almost) been there, or is this a new player?

Is this engine an original PRR unit?

Yes, this is the former SRC #33.

JKB

Yes it is an original PRR. unit.

Ed K. cp Laurel Run

Consider that Strasburg for years was a railroad that abided by the "uniform image" marketing philosophy, this is indeed a refreshing change of pace, although it's been ongoing for a while.

Unfortunately, they got the paint wrong. The formula for PRR "Brunswick" green (or its official moniker, which I think was "DLGE" or something) is one part green and a thousand parts black, not a hundred as it appears in 9331. <:-D

Hmm. Charleston Green is defined as one 55 gallon drum of gloss black, plus one pint of dark forest green. Brunswick Green is essentially the same thing. Yeah, that engine is too green.

FYI, we have a sister here in SC. PRR #9339 came south to Birmingham Rail & Locomotive, and from there went to the Foster Dixieanna Sand pit in Cayce, SC. When we got her in the early '90s, she was buried in sand up to her axles. FD laughed when we asked for the engine and considered it good riddance. Our mechanic had one end running before the unit even left the sand pit. The engine was fully functional within a couple months, and was our primary engine from 1993-1998 when the SW8s took over. She's currently o/s simply because of FRA glazing and brake work. For several years, I've been an advocate of spending part of a TEA-21 grant to get the 33 and ex-Navy #82 running again. Maybe I'll be able to convince someone of that. Surprisingly, the wheels are OK, despite being a sand pit engine. All she needs is a COTS, new FRA glazing, some attention to one of the motor nose mounts, and a little work on the compressor mount.

Our loco has MU recepticals, which are non-standard so we've never tried using them. I don't see any on the 9331. Was this something that was added to ours (or removed from SRR's), or did the PRR not have any logic to which 44-tonners had MU? Being only 8 numbers apart one would think the two units would be the same.

Why does your 44-ton loco need FRA glazing? Is it operated in freight service on a common-carrier railroad? FRA Part 223.3 states "This part does not apply to-(3) Locomotives, passenger cars and cabooses that are historical or antiquated equipment and are used only for excursions, educations recreational purposes or private transporation purposes."

Seems to me that your operation should qualify on those grounds.

HP

According to "Pennsy Power II," the PRR's 44-tonner fleet numbered 46 and were classed GS-4 (Where have I heard that class before?) and numbered 9312-9357. Several were fitted with m.u. connections later and reclassed GS-4m. Those included 9312, 9315, 9322, 9329, 9330, 9332, 9334-9336 and 9351.

They were purchased to replace the A-5s 0-4-0 engines, but they didn't have a chance, weighing 21 tons less than the A-5s and producing just 13,000 pound of TE as opposed to the steamer's 30,190 pounds. No contest! Even two GS-4's mu-ed couldn't outdo a single A-5s!

General electric Swicher - 4 hundred horsepower. That was another problem, Caterpiller, maker of the Diesel engines would have called them GS-3.8!

Technically speaking, unless some paperwork has been filed in the past ten or so years to say otherwise, Strasburg is still a common-carrier freight operator. The last I saw (and, okay, this was more than a decade or so ago), Strasburg was indeed operating a true mixed-train service once a week to handle honest-to-gawd freight (plastic pellets in covered hoppers for an intermodal service locally) every Friday morning. Now, what freight/mixed was being handled was being handled (when I rode it) with steam (#31/7312). Strasburg 33/9331 has indeed handled real freight in its Strasburg days, though.

Now, if you want to start arguing whether any of the steamers or 9331 has safety glazing, be my guest.

(Dammit, where's Kurt Bell the Strasburg trivia expert when we need him?)

RE: Part 223 glazing-- I was questioning the South Carolina loco, not the Strasburg loco.

Growing up in Rahway, NJ. I have fond memories of the GS-4's (44 tonners) on work train service. they usually parked the whole train set at McGraw's yard off New Brunswick Av. One night myself, and a couple of buddies got up on one, actually started it up, uncoupled it from the train, and moved it up the yard lead, and back. I was 16 at the time. Defanatly a criminal offence! But we got away with it.

Ed K. cp Laurel Run

When I think of PRR GE 44 tonners, I think of the one renumbered Penn Central 9999 and leased to the Union Transportation Company. I saw her nosing through the weeds near Cream Ridge, NJ just before Conrail (no I didn't have a camera).

How is it that a pair of 44 tonners can be MU'ed? Isn't the throttle mechanical linkage driving the two engines versus electrical relays or contacts driving solenoids on an engine governor? How is this possible?