GE 44-ton switcher
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 General Electric 44-ton switcher -- Duluth, Georgia. |
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| Power type | Diesel-electric |
|---|---|
| Builder | GE Transportation Systems |
| Model | 44-ton switcher |
| Build date | 1940 – 1956 |
| Total production | 348 |
| AAR wheel arr. | B-B |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) |
| Locomotive weight | 44 short tons (40 metric tons) |
| Prime mover | Caterpillar D17000 (2 off) except: Hercules DFXD (2 off) 9 locomotives; Buda 6DH1742 (2 off) 10 locomotives; Caterpillar D342 (2 off) 4 locomotives. |
| Cylinders | 2 × V8 |
| Power output | 360–400 hp (270–300 kW) |
| Locale | North America, Australia |
The GE 44-ton switcher is a 4-axle diesel 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. 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 labour 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 a stipulation that locomotives weighing 90,000 pounds (41,000 kg) or more required a fireman in addition to an engineer. The 44-ton locomotive was born to skirt this requirement. Other manufacturers also built 44-ton switchers of center-cab configuration. 348 examples of this locomotive were built for North American railroads. Many remain in either in service, or in museums.
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[edit] Prime mover options
The locomotives were available with a choice of prime movers. Most were built with a pair of Caterpillar Inc.'s D17000 V8 180 horsepower (134 kW) engines, but three other engines types were used. Nine were built with a pair of Hercules DFXD engines, and were sold to Chattanooga Traction (2) and Missouri Pacific Railroad and its subsidiaries (7). 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, and were sold to Canadian National Railways (3) and the Danville and Mount Morris Railroad (1).
[edit] Australia
Forty-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.
[edit] Preserved Examples
United States
- The Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California is the home of Quincy Railroad 3. 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 Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad in Duluth, MN uses a loco formally used at the Lac de Flambeau paper mill.
- 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 McLellan Air Force Base.
[edit] External links
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