Nostalgia & History > LLB: Big name, small loco

Keith Ardinger shot this in April 1966 ... it's a GE45T and Keith did a heck of a job with the exposure given the very bright background.

Got some history on this one for us 'FT'?

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Thought those with the connecting rods were 44 ton units. We had two of them on the Dodge City Ford and Bucklin and both were 44 ton by the information in them.

Great catch of a rare line.
Bob

On side-rod diesels like this one, are the drivers quartered?

dcfbalcoS1 Wrote:
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> Thought those with the connecting rods were 44 ton
> units. We had two of them on the Dodge City Ford
> and Bucklin and both were 44 ton by the
> information in them.


44 tonners are 4-motor units with a gearbox ratio allowing up to 35 mph. They are also "real" locomotives with a 64 volt electrical system and generally were built with a pair of Cat D-17000 V-8 diesel engines.

GE built many variations of 2-motor industrial locomotives with side rods or chain drives and were anywhere from 42 to 50 tons depending on the deck plate thickness. The most common is the 45-ton configuration shown in the photo. These industrial units had a 32 volt electrical system; 1503 generators and 733 traction motors with a different gear ratio that only allowed up to 20 mph and had two Cummins HBI 6-cylinder diesel engines.

Dick Samuels
Oregon Pacific Railroad



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/17 15:25 by EMDSW-1.

On the 'Quartering Drivers' question, I can't tell you but I wound think it would be a good idea!

Remember, the basic ID point of a GE 44-Tonner is that there is no end platform area at the hood for the crewman to run around.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

JimBaker Wrote:
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> On the 'Quartering Drivers' question, I can't tell
> you but I wound think it would be a good idea!
>
> Remember, the basic ID point of a GE 44-Tonner is
> that there is no end platform area at the hood for
> the crewman to run around.


That's because the BIG D-17000 Caterpillar engine, generator and cooling system wouldn't fit inside the hood otherwise!

Dick Samuels

I checked the GE 45-ton ex-USAF unit at Orange Empire after someone raised the question a few years ago, and yes, the drivers are "quartered".

Here is the history of the BSE 198:

Builder number 17724 11/42 US Army 7420 to USAF 7420 @ Oklahoma City Air Depot, to BSE - in 3/60 my shot taken 4/7/66 Medely, FL. @ Ideal Crushed Stone - later
name became Lehigh Cement as # 836. later sold to GE Chamblee, GA then to Degussa Inc in Theodore, AL - then to Tyson Foods at Crew, VA
Many interesting travels. That being the last known owner. If it hadn't come to Florida I would never have any shots of BSE at all.

Keith A (ft)

Thanks Keith .... a well-traveled 45T