AS-built 44 tonner in the snow

You can't get any more AS-built than this! This Graduate of Erie, PA was built in 1939 for the US Army.

Everything on this unit is basically original, except of course the brakeshoes and Lightbulbs.

In the last days of Winter 2006, a fresh snow had fallen of the the St. Louis area, and I wanted to get some video of trains in the snow. The action was dead in Illinois, but I came away happy with this view of the this little 44 tonner struggling with a cut of 4 loaded gondolas on the iced rail. The rythmic banging that is heard in this video is the critter loosing traction and stalling out. The Blat horn has never sounded so good, and the engine noise is that of a true early GE.

In Late 2006, however, this unit was set aside to be the backup power for a Trac-mobile, only amonth after it returned from NRE in Dixmore, IL for wheel work, She has not worked since.

Enjoy!

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• GE
• 44
• tonner

[NeoDerGrose]

44 tonnes, is that correct? Normaly with four axles it could weigh up to 100 tonnes. I'm just wondering because the power you can bring to the tracks depends on the weigh per axle.

[ALS2001]

@NeoDerGrose It was built as a 44 tonner to get under a rule that would have required more crew men on the train

[WindowsAndMacintosh]

Where is this in St. Louis? I live in St. Louis but I have no idea where this is.

[ALS2001]

@WindowsAndMacintosh Its been stored for the past 3 years at Amstead Rail in Granite City

[dgmarklin]

Cool! I like the 44s!

[dutchtrainmanserie22]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

[zaroff2277]

in soviet russia cars pull the train....

[fcentaur]

Great symmetrical locomotive, unusual for me.

[smokkapi]

i came. twice

[zencliff]

Is it GE or a Whitcomb? I thought that GE didn't build the 44 tonners until later. I know that WMATA has 2 Whitcombs in Greenbelt and they have that same sloped hood and angled front- tho the cab is scrunched.

[galbeadon]

I would like to sincerely thank and congratulate you for capturing this engine on video. I have not heard the sound of a GE 44t loco since 1965. I once lived in the San Fernando, Trinidad in the West Indies. The Trinidad Government Railways had 9 of these little diesel locomotives. The engines were numbered 52 to 60. The first two, 52 and 53, were purchased from the US Army after the war. No’s 54 and 55 came new from GE in 1953. No’s 56 to 60 all came second hand from NY NH & Hartford Railroad.

[fronzel99]

It looks kinda indestructible, but for being 70 years old you barely see its age... Does "AS" stand for Army service or what?

[steamman5320]

I can see the dual exhaust just fine... They are good engines when treated right.