| GE 44-ton switcher | |
|---|---|
| New York, Ontario and Western Railway 104 at the Southeastern Railway Museum, Duluth, Georgia. | |
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
| Builder | GE Transportation Systems |
| Model | 44-ton switcher |
| Build date | 1940–1956 |
| Total produced | 385 |
| AAR wheel arr. | B-B |
| UIC classification | Bo′Bo′ |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Locomotive weight | 44 short tons (40 t) |
| 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. |
| Engine RPM range | D17000: 1,000 (max) 6DH1742: 1,050 (max) DFXD: 1,600 (max) D342: 1,200 (max) |
| Aspiration | Normally aspirated |
| Traction motors | Four |
| Cylinders | D17000: V8 All others: 6-cyl |
| Cylinder size | D17000: 5.75 × 8 in (146 × 203 mm) 6DH1742: 6.5 × 8.375 in (165 × 213 mm) DFXD: 5.5 × 6 in (140 × 152 mm) D342: 5.75 × 8 in (146 × 203 mm) |
| Power output | 360 to 400 hp (270 to 300 kW) |
| Locale | North America, Australia, Saudi Arabia, South America, India. |
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 service and in museums.
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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 Dansville and Mount Morris Railroad (1).
During the Second World War GE produced a "Drop Cab" variant of the 44-ton locomotives for the US Armed Forces. These appeared similar to the standard 44-ton but had a lower cab for European clearances, and large boxes next to the cab, on the front right, and back left running boards, housing the air compressors (housed under the cab on standard versions). Most of these military variants were ballasted to an actual weight of 45 tons.[1] A total of 91 Military 45-Ton Drop Cabs were built with 31 of those sold to the Indian Government. Additional narrow gauge drop cabs were built to a 47 ton rating for the military and export.
Twelve Drop Cab 45-Ton locomotives were bought by the Portuguese Railway (CP - Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses) in 1949, with the Iberian broad gauge of 1668mm. Numbered 1101 to 1112, after some initial use as light road engines, they spent most of their lives as switchers at the southern region main stations. The series is withdrawn but one example is preserved at the National Railroad Museum (Fundação Museu Nacional Ferroviário Armando Ginestal Machado) at Entroncamento.
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.
United States
Canada
Sweden
Australia
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