GE 44-ton switcher


The GE 44-ton switcher is a four-axle diesel-electric 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 labor 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 the 1937 so-called "90,000 Pound Rule," a stipulation that locomotives weighing - 45 short tons - or more required a fireman in addition to an engineer on common carrier railroads. Industrial and military railroads had no such stipulation. The 44-ton locomotive was designed to abrogate this requirement. Other manufacturers like Davenport and Whitcomb also built 44-ton switchers for this reason.
GE built 276 of this locomotive for U.S. railroads and industrial concerns, four were exported to Australia in 1944, ten were exported to Canada, ten to Cuba, one to the Dominican Republic, five to France, three to India, six to Mexico, five to Saudi Arabia, one to Sweden, two to Trinidad, ten to Uruguay, and fifty-seven were built for the United States Armed Forces. Many remain, in service and in museums.

Prime mover options

The locomotives were available with a choice of prime movers. Most were built with a pair of Caterpillar's D17000 V8 engines, but three other engine types were used. Nine were built with a pair of Hercules DFXD engines; two were sold to Chattanooga Traction and seven were sold to Missouri Pacific Railroad and its subsidiaries. Ten were built with a pair of the slightly more powerful Buda 6DH1742, rated at each. The last four locomotives built had Caterpillar D342 engines, of which three were sold to Canadian National Railway and one to the Dansville and Mount Morris Railroad.

Military version

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. Most of these military variants were ballasted to an actual weight of 45 tons. A total of 91 Military 45-ton Drop Cabs were built with 31 of those sold to the Indian Railways. 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 in 1949, with the Iberian broad gauge of. 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 at Entroncamento.

Australia

Four were obtained under Lend-Lease by the Commonwealth Department of Munitions, St Marys, Sydney. After the war, all saw service with the New South Wales Government Railways as the 79 class numbered 7920 - 7923. In April 1945, 7922 was trialed by Australian Iron & Steel at its Port Kembla steelworks.
Two, 7921 and 7922 were reclaimed by the Federal Government and sent to South Australia hauling trains between Port Pirie and the Woomera Rocket Range. In July 1950, both were transferred to the Commonwealth Railways as DE90 and DE91 for use at Port Pirie and Port Augusta.
In 1974, 7920 and 7923 were sold by the Public Transport Commission to the British Phosphate Commission for use on Christmas Island.

Preserved examples

United States