Great Northern 44 Ton Locomotives

http://www.greatnorthernempire.net/index2.htm?GNEGNDieselRoster44T.htmhttp://www.greatnorthernempire.net/index2.htm?GNEGNDieselRoster44T.htm

Steve

I know that #50 was the assigned switcher at Helena, MT in the 1950's.  There is a picture of it in Helena on page 150 of the book The Montana Central Railway by Bill & Jan Taylor.  There may also be photos in GNRHS Reference Sheet 239 on the Montana Central, but I no longer have a copy to verify it. There is a picture of #51 on page 129 of Railroad History Bulletin 143 (R&LHS). Both pictures, while black and white, clearly show the units in the two-tone orange & green scheme. Given the build date of 1940 I am sure they were delivered painted black. 

GN purchased the two 44-tonners, numbers 5200 and 5201, built by GE (S/N's 12910 and 12911) in September 1940. They were re-numbered 50 and 51 in 1943.  These switchers never received a class designation from GN. According to the all-time GN locomotive roster in Railroad History Bulletin 143 (R&LHS), #50 was sold in late 1951 and #51 in early 1948. The picture in the Taylor book states it is 1955.  So, at least one of these references is wrong...   I hope this info helps...

Thanks GN, I'm back in town and had some time to chase some of the info down. Got the one photo of 51 you suggested in the 143 bulletin.  Sheet 239 from what I can find is about a water tower. I don't know if that is another article in the newsletter.

I don't have access to the other books and really don't know much about GN. Any idea what the unit would have switched in Helena, freight or passenger or both? I would still like to find #51 and where it served and what it worked.

Not having a designation seems to make this even harder to track. 

Steve I had the info on the links you posted. at least had luck with Google search for that part. 

Thanks for the assistance you guys

Jamie 

The photo above shows #50 switching a passenger train. The GN Helena station was a stub-end terminal, so backup moves were necessary and I assume the switcher helped with that, as well as switching mail & express cars. Other pictures show #50 doing local freight switching around Helena. GN had a few on line customers there, in spite of the major presence of NP.  FYI. 

It is interesting to see the loco with the horn still hood mounted, bell on the hood, and class lights.  Also there are no steps on the front right and rear left corners. How was someone going to get on those walkways?  Not much is done on those corners of the loco, but that is where the fuel fill is and the engineers window would need to be washers occasionally.   Without corner steps it would not have made a very good switcher.  With all the equipment on the front hood, it appears to be set up as a road engine. 

MTH or Lionel make these?

Kerrigan posted:

MTH or Lionel make these?

 

MTH.

http://mthtrains.com/20-20722-1

Rusty

David Johnston posted:

It is interesting to see the loco with the horn still hood mounted, bell on the hood, and class lights.  Also there are no steps on the front right and rear left corners. How was someone going to get on those walkways?  Not much is done on those corners of the loco, but that is where the fuel fill is and the engineers window would need to be washers occasionally.   Without corner steps it would not have made a very good switcher.  With all the equipment on the front hood, it appears to be set up as a road engine. 

GN 50 was the 3rd GE 44 Tonner built. It is a Phase 1a, the ladder to get on the walkway is over the middle of the rear truck. Roughly 2 dozen phase 1a's were built. Phase 1c has the conventional ladders at each corner.

Steve

Kerrigan posted:

MTH or Lionel make these?

 

MTH!  These are awesome!