Over the years, there's been a lot said regarding the oversized dimensions of Lionel's model of the General Electric 44 ton center cab unit. If viewed strictly as a model of the 44 ton unit, yes, it is grossly oversized; however, GE built center cab units of various sizes. From this perspective, Lionel's locomotive is a reasonably close match for some of the larger units.
That said, I present for your consideration the USN 65-00349 (Road Number 6), a GE 80 ton center cab unit:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.n...ture.aspx?id=2900387
http://www.rrpicturearchives.n...ture.aspx?id=2900386
This locomotive is presently assigned to the Navy's NWS Earle Railroad which links the "Mainside" base in Colts Neck and the waterfront complex in Leonardo, NJ. Due to an inability to reverse and being somewhat underpowered for the heavy loads typically encountered in Earle operations, the unit is now out of service. Following years of dominance of the Earle roster by original Baldwin locomotives, EMD and rebuilt Baldwin switchers with multiple unit capability now keep traffic on the Earle Railroad moving.
The similarities in dimensions between the USN 6 and Lionel's classic O gauge model are striking. The Lionel locomotive may be too large to accurately represent a 44 ton unit but as a model of an 80 tonner, it's not too shabby. Looking at these pictures makes me want to go out and get one of these models for repainting as the Earle 6!
Bob
