Little Joe (electric locomotive)
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 A Little Joe preserved at Illinois Railway Museum. |
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| Power type | Electric |
|---|---|
| Builder | General Electric |
| Serial number | 29913–29932 |
| Total production | 20 |
| AAR wheel arr. | 2-D+D-2 |
| UIC classification | (2'D)+(D2') |
| Length | 88 ft 10 in (27.08 m) |
| Width | 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) |
| Height | 14 ft 5 in (4.39 m) |
| Locomotive weight | 545,600 lb (247.5 t) |
| Electric system(s) | 3,000–3,300 V DC 1,500 V DC (South Shore) |
| Curent collection method | Two pantograph |
| Traction motors | GE750 (8 off) |
| Top speed | 68 mph (109 km/h) |
| Power output | One hour: 5,530 hp (4.12 MW) Continuous: 5,110 hp (3.81 MW) |
| Tractive effort | 75,700 lbf (337 kN) |
| Career | Milwaukee Road (12) South Shore (3) São Paulo Railway (5) |
| Number | E20, E21, E70–E79 (Milwaukee) 801–803 (South Shore) |
| Nicknames | Little Joe (Milwaukee) 800s (South Shore) Russa (São Paulo) |
The Little Joe was a type of railroad electric locomotive built by General Electric for export to the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1946. Having built 20 locomotives of this type, they were prohibited from delivering them to the Soviet Railways (SZhD) due the relations between the US and USSR deteriorating into what became known as the Cold War. Fourteen were built to the Soviet broad gauge of 5 ft (1,524 mm) and the final six were built to 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge. The Little Joes had twelve axles, eight of them powered, in a 2-D+D-2 arrangement. They were designed to operated on SZhD's 3,300 volt DC catenary.
The Milwaukee Road's Electrical Engineer had offered to buy all twenty, plus the spare parts inventory for $1 million, little more than scrap value.[1] However the Milwaukee's Board of Directors would not release the money. After the start of the Korean War, the Milwaukee needed more loomotives on their Transcontinental mainline, so the Board of Directors returned to GE to discover that eight locomotives and all the spares had been sold, and that the price for the remaining twelve locomotives was $1 million.[1] Of the eight sold, three had gone to the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (the South Shore), and five to the São Paulo Railway of Brazil.
The Milwaukee Road used two for passenger service, designated EP-4, and the remaining ten for freight, designated EF-4. They were used on the railroad's electrified Rocky Mountain Division in Montana and Idaho to take the place of older GE boxcab electrics that had been operating there since the 1920s. Three were received already built to standard gauge, while the rest were converted to standard gauge in the Milwaukee's shops. They lasted until the end of electric operation on the Milwaukee in 1974. The Milwaukee's railroaders referred to them as Little Joe Stalin's locomotives which was eventually shortened to simply Little Joe.
The South Shore, while primarily a commuter railroad between Chicago, Illinois, and northwestern Indiana, used them in freight service. They had to be modified to operate on 1500V DC catenary. In service on the South Shore the "Little Joe" name was not generally used; the locomotives were referred to as "800s." Two of the three lasted until 1983, making them the last electrics in regular mainline freight service on a US common-carrier railroad. Today, freight trains are pulled by diesel-electric locomotives.
The São Paulo Railway converted its locomotives to its 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) gauge. They became known as Russas, and stayed active though each re-organization of the Brazilian railways, finally ending up with FEPASA in 1971. They continued to operate until 1999, becoming the last representatives of their class in revenue service. It was at this point that FEPASA was privatized, and electric operation was immediately ended.
Contents |
[edit] Original Buyers
| Owner | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad | 12 |
| Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad | 3 |
| São Paulo Railway | 5 |
[edit] Survivors
South Shore #803 is preserved in operating condition at the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM), where it is occasionally run. South Shore #802 is preserved and on public display at the Lake Shore Railway Historical Museum in North East, PA, 10 miles from the Erie, PA, GE Locomotive Assembly Plant that constructed the Little Joes. Milwaukee #E70 is on static display at Deer Lodge, Montana. There are reports that the Brazilian locomotives may be stored unserviceable.
[edit] External links
- Little Joe specifications
- Chicago South Shore & South Bend 803 specification page at IRM
- Lake Shore Railway Historical Museum, home of Little Joe, CSS&SB #802
[edit] References
- ^ a b Holley, Noel T. (Nov 1987). Milwaukee Electrics, 1st edition, Hicksville, NY: N J International. ISBN 0934088144.
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