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GE's 44-Tonner: Its Best-Selling Switcher

Last revised: August 27, 2024

By: Adam Burns

General Electric's 44-tonner was the builder's most well-known in its early line of industrial switchers with more than 400 produced between 1940-1957.

This compact workhorse was originally designed to comply with the "90,000 Pound Rule" of the time, which exempted railroads from requiring a full-time fireman for any locomotive weighing less than 45 tons.

This model was powered by two Caterpillar D17000 V8 diesel engines, providing a top speed of 35 mph. Despite its small size, the 44-tonner was known for its robust performance and durability and was often used for light-duty switching and yard work.

A total of 373 units were produced in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico making it a successful model for General Electric.  In addition, another 60 were built for the military and 43 more exported to other countries.

Its historic impact can still be seen today, with several units preserved in museums and others continuing to operate in industrial and shortline service.

Photos

Middletown & New Jersey 44-tonner #2 and its crew pose for a photo at the railroad's little engine house in Middletown, New York; January, 1977. Photographer unknown. American-Rails.com collection.

Early Switchers

GE's involvement with the railroad industry dates back to the 19th century and it helped construct very early diesel switchers.  In fact, the company is credited - alongside Ingersoll-Rand and Alco - in developing "the first commercial diesel-electic locomotive in the United States" in Jay Street Connecting boxcab #4 in October, 1918.

Long before the company began producing a successful line of road-switchers it had built an equally sucessful line of small switchers, aimed at both industrial and general railroad applications.

In his book, "Critters, Dinkys & Centercabs," author Jay Reed notes GE's first was the 25-ton model in 1938.  Ultimately, the company built a wide-range of such locomotives in both end-cab and center-cab configurations ranging from 4 tons to 144 tons.

The 44-ton was, without question, its most successful and could be found in all types of service - from industrial settings to large Class 1 carriers.  They proved a perfect little locomotive for almost anything.

Development

As Brian Solomon notes in his book, "GE Locomotives," the 44-tonner was developed specifically to avoid the "90,000 Pound Rule," part of a 1937 labor agreement aimed at protecting the firemen's job with any diesel weighing at least 45 tons.

The switcher featured a symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing carbody while also providing ruggedness and reliability.  The centercab carbody sported a raised cab with a tapered hood at each end. 

In his book, "Diesel Locomotives: Cyclopedia - Volume 2," author Bob Hayden notes their B-B trucks were an all-welded design, somewhat unique as most were produced from castings.

They were 33 feet, 5 inches long with the original variants utilizing a pair of Caterpillar D-17000 V-8 engines.  These were initially rated at 150 hp each and were later upgraded to as much as 190 hp each.

In addition, Louis Marre notes in his book, "Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years," ten 44-tonners were equipped with a pair of Buda 6DH1742 engines capable of producing 205 horsepower each.

Finally, the Phase IV and Phase V switchers boasted 400 horsepower.  Of the 373 44-tonners produced in North America and Mexico, the Pennsylvania wound up with the largest fleet totaling 46 units.

Reception

Interestingly, GE had always intended these switchers to operate in general common-carrier service merely by how they were designed. 

However, numerous private industries snapped up the model thanks to its modest horsepower, generally light weight, rugged traction motors, and short wheelbase allowing it to negotiate tight clearances and track curvature with a radius of 50 feet.

Alexander Railroad 44-tonner #3 heads east through Stony Point, NC with six boxcars and two loads of pulpwood bound for the Southern Railway interchange in Statesville during a fall afternoon in the 1960's. The little short line remains active today. Warren Calloway photo.

Phases

During its sixteen year production run, the switcher went through a number of changes and upgrades.  The very first 44-tonner produced was Chicago, Burlington & Quincy #9103, delivered to the railroad on September 4, 1940.

Phase I

The Phase I group included 79 locomotives built through October, 1942.  They included radiator louvers situated near the end of both hoods with access ladder centered over the forward left truck.

Phase II

These included a total of 43 units built between December, 1942 and May, 1943.  GE made two notable changes; the radiator shutters were moved to the hood ends and access ladders located along all four corners of the frame.

Phase III

A total of 34 locomotives were produced in this particular phase between November, 1943 and June, 1945.  This version is a bit harder to differentiate; its particular nuances included sets of "French doors" on the 'long' hoods rather than single-panel access doors.  In addition, the access doors under the cab are larger.

Phase IV

This constituted the largest single group totaling 171 units in all.  Production overlapped Phase III examples, running from March, 1945 through September, 1951. 

Their single variation was the small rectangular air intake at the top of the hood.   Finally, 62 in the series were rated at 400 horsepower instead of the then-standard 380 horsepower.

Phase V

This group was produced between November, 1951 and October, 1956 totaling 43 units.  They featured two notable distinctions, rectangular instead of rounded headlight casings and stiffening ridges stamped into the hood doors.

Of note was the final four examples in this series which were equipped with six-cylinder, Caterpillar model 342 engines capable of producing 200 horsepower each.  The final example was Dansville & Mount Morris #1, completed in October, 1956.

Production Roster

Canada

Export

Data Sheet and Specifications

Military Variants

The military was a big buyer of diesel switchers from nearly all of the major manufacturers.  The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army both acquired 44-tonners.  The former's were Phase V examples and included fourteen units that were two feet shorter to meet loading limits.

Finally, the latter's were even more interesting.  The Army acquired 46 examples with a lower cab to meet height clearances in foreign countries.  They also sported an oversized equipment box near the cab and typical foreign components like buffers and screw couplings.  Interestingly, they weighed in at 45 tons despite their "44 ton" rating.

Sources

• Hayden, Bob. Diesel Locomotives: Cyclopedia, Volume 2 (Model Railroader). Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 1980.

• General Electric, Apparatus Department. 380-HP, 44-Ton Diesel Electric Railroad Locomotive: For Yard Switching and Road Service. Schenectady: 1947.

• Marre, Louis A. Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years, A Guide To Diesels Built Before 1972.  Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 1995.

• Rail Heritage Publications.  Early Diesel-Electric and Electric Locomotives.  Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, 1983.

• Reed, Jay.  Critters, Dinkys & Centercabs.  Whittier: Rio Hondo, 2000.

• Solomon, Brian. GE Locomotives: 110 Years Of General Electric Motive Power. St. Paul: MBI Publishing, 2003.