General Electric 44T Question From the 1970s

[Erie Lackawanna]

In the late 1970s, there was a powder blue General Electric 44t most
often parked alongside Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in around the
Eddystone to Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania general area. It had a yellow
frame and, I believe, was lettered General Electric (maybe it was
something else Electric).

I saw this 44t from 1976 to 1980, but always from the train.

Is anyone on the list familiar with this unit?

Who owned it? Was it Philadelphia Electric? Was it someone else?

I have a blurry picture that I took that I can e-mail, if it would
help.

Any information is appreciated... thank you in advance.

Charles Freericks

[Erie Lackawanna]

Sorry to be replying to my own post, but I just did a long Google Earth search to try and find the buildings that were by the 44t.  I couldn't find them, which makes me think they've been torn down (they were fairly large brick two story factory/warehouse structures from the turn to the 20th Century.

I would also note, that the area around Sharon Hill could also have been right for the home of the 44t.

Thanks for any word from anyone who remembers the unit in question.

[Erie Lackawanna]

Okay - responding to my own post again - but in the hope that new info will cause others to go "Oh yeah, that's right..." and reply with some confirmation.

The engine may have been a GE 65 tonner in Chester PA, working the Westinghouse Plant there.

The engine may have been a GE 44 tonner in South Philadelphia, working the General Electric South Philadlephia Switchgear Plant there (near Brill Tower, south of Arsenal Tower).

The engine appears to have been ex US Air Force - but this is assumed from its paint scheme, and there is a feeling that GE may have also used this paint on some of its own units.

[rrandb]

If this was a small center-cab engine it probably was a 44-ton engine. I can find no record of a GE 65T center cab. while not meaning to change the subject do you remember why these engines were only 44-tons and why GE never built any 45-ton engines except for export? As for the GE lettering it could have been leased or sold by GE to the end user.

[Erie Lackawanna]

No problem on the subject change.  The reason they were 44t was a government rule that 45 tons neede a two man crew, right?

[nanaimo73]

That is correct. Perhaps your locomotive might be on this website.

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/diesel122.html

[rrandb]

No problem on the subject change.  The reason they were 44t was a government rule that 45 tons neede a two man crew, right?

  Very close but in fact it was a union arangement, the "90,000 pound rule" of the 1937 labor agreement that protected the fireman's jobs on any diesel above that weight. By the end of WW11 GE began turning out 45 tonners for a total of 475 domestic units with half as many again for export.

[Erie Lackawanna]

Mystery solved - I had posted this on another list and the mystery was solved by another reader.  It was definetely the South Philadelphia General Electric Switchgear Plant (which stood about where the SEPTA LRV facility is now - although not exactly).

The engine was a 1955 circa GE 45-tonner (the later 45-tonners looked a lot like 44-tonners) and was built by GE for GE.  The light blue paint was GE standard for their own engines, at that time.

It was fun solving this, sort of like finally getting a hard crossword puzzle (after thirty years).