Nostalgia & History > Critter Hunt #3, Michigan City

This is Pullman Standard Critter #7 in Michigan City, IN on December 26, 1963.  I always thought it was a GE 44 Tonner until the discussion yesterday on the Fruit Growers Express GE Critter.

Comments?

Marty Bernard

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Should be a 65Ton.

Uncle Joe,Seffner,Fl.

So Uncle Joe, what about it makes it look like a 65 Ton?

Marty Bernard

I beleive one of Emery Gulash's NYC collections on Green Frog has footage of a Pullman Standard GE centercab in Michigan City, I recall it had the same scheme but must not have been the same unit you have here as it had very visible/noticeable (and very cool looking) side rod action.

rantoul Wrote:
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> Did Pullman Standard have a plant in Michigan
> City...note the boxcar has no identifying marks? 


  Yes, they made various freight cars in Michigan City........

MartyBernard Wrote:
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> So Uncle Joe, what about it makes it look like a
> 65 Ton?

GE used a thicker deck plate to boost the weight of its small locomotives. Hard to tell in this view, but that would be the main spotting difference.

Yup, that is a 44 tonner.  No end platform, and I believe that is what sets the other heaver ones apart.

Thanks, Marty for this incredibly rare photo.  The Pullman plant sat where the outlet mall in Michigan City now sits, off highway US 12.  For an excellent brief history of the plant, with photos, go to and enjoy:

http://www.monon.monon.org/bygone/michigancity3.html
 

shortshep Wrote:

> Yup, that is a 44 tonner.  No end platform, and I
> believe that is what sets the other heaver ones
> apart.

That's the distinction Jay Reed gives in Critters Dinkys and Centercabs - the GE's 65-tonners were slightly longer than their 44-tonners, and as a result had narrow end walkways with handrails that go all the way around the edge of the frame rather than stopping at the sides of the hoods as on 44-tons. 

44-ton: http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/usn25.jpg
65-ton: http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/sirt184.jpg

Unfortunately, that spotting feature doesn't hold for 45-tons, most of which had wrap-around handrails: http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/tr_pstd170.jpg
but some did not: http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/clmk.jpg

The proportions of a 44-ton are a good bit different from a 45-ton, however.  The 45-ton appears physically smaller and more toy-like, and its lower hoods mean the end radiator shutters are almost square, while a 44-ton's are taller than they are wide.  Of course, some early 44-ton's had radiator shutters on the side of the hood instead of the end ( http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-c/clco18.jpg ), but that's not a problem because evidently all phases of 45-tons had the shutters on the ends.  And of course, if it has side rods, it's not a GE 44-ton.

In any event, I agree, Pullman Standard 7 shown above is a 44-ton.  Reed dubs this body style "phase II-4B," built between 1945 and 1951.