Here’s the perfect locomotive for your back yard – a 1950 General Electric switcher. Find it marked down more than 50% to just $17,000, listed here at Ozark Mountain Railcar. Its current home is Alberta, Canada. Weighing a mere 160,000 lbs (thus the “80 ton” nomenclature), these switchers are light compared to, say, a typical steam locomotive coming in at 600,000 lbs. Switchers don’t travel far – their job is moving railcars around a yard over short distances. This one is a B-B configuration, with two wheel sets; its wheels are smaller in diameter than what’s found on long-distance locomotives. From the mid-1930s through the 1970s, General Electric produced these 80-ton switchers largely for industrial use. Just like for the fanciest Ferraris, rail fans have created a production registry showing original ownership of many examples. Number 52 was made for Canada’s StelCo, served the company for a number of years, then was sold into private ownership.
GE switchers were originally powered by dual Cummins diesel engines with low horsepower and top speed ratings. Torque was considerable, as the job required plenty of start-stop action. The US military acquired a number of these locomotives starting in the 1940s, rebuilding most of them with turbochargers to haul heavy weapons. Switchers were sometimes outfitted with remote control, making runs around the yard without an on-board operator. This locomotive isn’t in running order but does have all its parts.
The “cab” is minimalism itself. Cab location is key to identifying the generations of 80-tonners, with the first of these models having a tall center cab with few windows. Later versions added windows and large “porches” around the locomotive body. Plenty of work awaits the restorer here, but every day, some museum or private owner is undertaking locomotive restoration. Several of these locomotives have already been restored, at least cosmetically, like this example used at the Nevada nuclear test site to haul nuclear-powered engines.
Of course, before a restoration can start, the dang thing has to be moved. If you’re wondering how that happens, this enterprising short line director acquired a GE 80 ton switcher formerly used by the US Navy but purchased out of private ownership, for use by the Valley Railroad. He recorded the loading operation, find the video here. For the price, our featured example might find a buyer who needs its parts, but I hope it’s restored someday. There’s something heartening about people tackling the enormous task of rebuilding a piece of history like this vintage locomotive.
Let me be the first to say……
These things handle like their on rails!!!
Ok, enough of the bad Dad Jokes.
This is a great find!!! I’m really enjoying everything thats been coming on here, from vintage Schwinns, Needlenose Peterbilts, air planes, a plethora of antique cars and trucks and locomotives too. I know that there is a limited audience looking to purchase a switcher but it sure looks like a solid restoration candidate.
Well, I think I’ll grab my checkbook, hook my trailer up to my
pick-up and go get her ! …..Love trains
Cheers 🍻 Michelle. 🎸 🎙 🚉
https://youtu.be/L4kvi5IG_KE?si=wujvVQ3otZBnGmb3
Merrily we scroll along, Lambo, Corvette, Hemi Cuda, ( yawn), then BAM, ( sound of empty trailer tandems skidding) what have we here? I can pretty much speak for most, we held a fascination with trains. They were bigger than fire engines. While many a father drummed the steering wheel waiting for these monsters to pass, I, on the other hand, marveled at how just a couple of these could pull an entire train. You could feel the power. The old man was uninterested, as usual.
A local outfit bought a 1950s supply train that went from Leadville, Co. to the Climax mine ( originally 9 miles and used a locomotive awaiting restoration) and restored a GP9 switcher, that may have been Detroit powered, pulls maybe 4 gondolas, some covered, about halfway, ( 4 miles) and back. I got to live a dream, of sorts, as the engineer, who had a remarkable resemblance to Charley Pratt( Smiley Burnette) and knew full well the reference. He let me sit at the helm( see photo), and while I expected the Millenium Falcon, it , as you can see, was remarkably straightforward. F-N-R, throttle, brake valve like a semi, couple gauges, and of course, the horn, but that’s it.
This is known simply as a” center cab 80 ton switcher”, I think, very popular in the 50s. I read, the engines are dual 470hp Cummins ( sounds a bit much for 1950) making 350Kw, whatever that is, to 4 traction motors. Top speed is about 35 mph, 1/4 mile times are not available. Stuff like this is so hard to find, most fell to the scrappers torch, but vintage RR is still very popular, and I hope someone in that business gets a hold of this. Transport by truck will be incredibly expensive. Great find.
Hi Howard. For some reason this page won’t let me comment, unless it’s in response to someone else’s comment. So I’ll piggy back on yours.
The local sugar factory ran three 47 ton locomotives, which looked a lot like this only with one engine. All Cummins HB 600s. The newest one was built in 1946. It had the new, improved compact Disc fuel system. The other two dated back before the war and they also ran that monster Disc system. They were all eventually “upgraded” to the PT system. I have to say that those Cummins engines sure had a lot sharper signature sound with the Disc System, compared to the PT System. I always thought the PT sounded rather anemic. I remember the “newest” locomotive, ran the Disc System well into the 70s. I was rather disappointed when it too joined the ranks of the conformists. It was quite interesting, watching those relics moving those cars around. They were like a team of workhorses leaning into the load…
Hi Geo, I know I rip on my old man a lot, but he really was a good father. He built a train board and with our Lionel train ( O gauge?) we had one of the nicest setups on the block. For added zing, we incorporated our HO road race sets. He made street lights and crossings, he got us a locomotive that smoked, and we pixxed away many an hour doing that. I got my kids a train set, hoping for similar enthusiasm, but I believe it’s packed away in a box at my ex-wifes.
If I’m not mistaken, the Cummins diesels are coupled to generators (see picture). The generators, in turn, produce 350 kilowatts of electricity (each?). That electricity is sent to 4 electric motors (tremendous torque output) that rotate the drive wheels of the locomotive.
In other words, diesel locomotives are really electric locomotives using diesel engines to generate the needed electricity.
That is right. They’re really diesel-electric power.
In the 1960’s my military MOS was 661.10 Locomotive Engineer, assigned to a Transportation Battalion Railway Operating (TBROS&DE). The army had steam and diesel electric locomotives operating at Fort Eustis, VA. When Reserve TBROS&DE battalions arrived for active duty training, the railroad old timers would practically fight to get behind the throttle of a Consolidation 2-8-0.
Comin’ in hard right at the end of 2024, this is one of the best of the year for me. Nice work as always, Michelle! I love it even more because we (I) learned the difference between the AAR wheel layout on a diesel locomotive and what I normally think of as the Whyte Notation for steam trains. I would have probably referred to this one as a 0-4-4 or 4-4-0, but it’s different on non-steam trains. That alone is priceless info.
As a train buff since I was able to walk I certainly go along with Howard and Scotty on this one. Didn’t let my enthusiasm dwindle when marrying a pretty lady who worked on the railroad along with her father and brother. Over the years we’ve chased down trains like the Big Boy engine and the Harrah museum’s two full trains out in their parking lot. On one trip from folk’s Oregon home back to college in the southeast going through the Rockies I looked down into a canyon and there were two Big Boys heading west with another one pushing from the rear. Wow factor really up on that one. Train looked like it was five miles long. That said, Happy Holidays guys!
Next time you are in Oregon, Bob, try to visit the Oregon Coast Scenic RR near Tillamook. That’s where restoration takes place for many trains that go elsewhere to run short lines, tourist lines or reside in museums. They restored the Skookum a few years ago, which has a great story (ok, I subscribe to Trains magazine, total nerd here). Every RR guy on the coast had a hand in it; we took a cab ride on the Wheeler tourist line and the engineer was working on the Skookum in his spare time.
https://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/community/skookum-back-on-the-track-after-64-years/article_257a7a76-3f8b-11e9-8e7f-3f16f015f2b4.html
Very interesting story on the Skookum restoration. Very similar situation with my present race car build as I’ve owned it twice, the second time took and we finally got going on the the build.
I estimate the zero to sixty time as….forever.
Well, I think I’ll grab my checkbook, hook my trailer up to my
pick-up and go get her ! …..Love trains
“Casey Jones you better watch your speed, trouble ahead, trouble behind, and you know that notion, just crossed my mind”.
a classic greatful dead song!
What is the price of scrap iron? There may be an upside here???
Some A-hole will say it, so I’ll be an A-hole and save you the time…”DROP AN LS in It”
And it buffed right out-
Man, those cheap manufacturers had sunk to a new low with these machines – didn’t even install the steering wheel.
I wonder if they’ll deliver?
I was a locomotive engineer for 42 years in the Detroit area, and I also was a member of the Cadillac/Lasalle club. There was a lot of big shooters from the auto industry in the club that were real big rail fans, better known as foamers. They were really impressed that I was a railroad engineer and was always asking questions about the different models of locomotive and what I thought. They knew all the nomenclature about all the engines and asked me what I thought. They all knew more than I did about inner workings of each locomotive. I told them, as long as the engine had fuel, air for the brakes and sand for traction I was happy. But I did prefer to run EMD engines over the GE engines, especially the older models. I retired in 2010 and we were starting to get a lot of wide body engines with control stands like a desk in front of you. That was a big change for an old head because the controls were all in a different spot, so you had to think every time you put your hand on a lever. Where the old control stand I could run without even thinking about it.
Did you have to push that stupid button every minute? I’d have to think there were engineers that found a way around that.
You mean the “Deadman’s Switch”? Yes. Some had a button, some had a whisker you had to brush your hand against every couple minutes. And no there was no way around it. The earliest version of a “deadman” was a peddle on the floor that you had to keep your foot on whenever the engine was in motion, we would stick a quarter in the mechanism to lock it down.
When you drive it down the road, will you need a driver’s license??
A few years ago I had my 55 Nomad at a central Minnesota car show. I struck up a conversation with a fellow showing his 55 Nomad. I ended up sharing a beer with him and he told me that he and his brother had followed their father into the locomotive refurbishment industry. The bought tired train engines and rebuilt them mechanically, electrically, and would often sell them back to any one of the big railroad systems after repainting them in that system’s colors. It was a fascinating conversation. He told me that at that time they had something like 71 locomotives in their inventory.
On the way home I wished I had asked him ” where do you store 71 locomotives?” Hard to keep in your backyard!
Well, rail fans, have you ever wanted to run an engine yourself? Perhaps shuffle a few cars around or take an engine around the fly track? You can do just that at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, CA. https://museum.wplives.org/ral/ It is located at a former Western Pacific locomotive facility. They let you crawl through engines, explore the old engine shop and just generally wander about and enjoy.
We’re lucky to have several great Rail Museums around our patch, including the Nevada Northern Railway in Ely Nevada, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, CA and of course the California State Railroad Museum here in Sacramento.
Wondering the same myself. On the pbone to FEDEX, UPS, USPS, DHL and Hanjin right now.
Among the various weird objects/vehicles that I have purchased in my life, probably the most out there one was a 1926 vintage Pullman heavyweight coach car, which I stored on a siding in anticipation of moving it on to a piece of property for conversion to a home. As fate would have it, I met a woman (my future wife) who thought that living in a railroad car (I lived in a caboose when we met) was a profoundly stupid idea. I wound up selling the coach car to a railroad museum. This is what happens when you have seen “Harold and Maude” too many times…
I hope your future wife at least likes the Harold and Maude movie, one of our all-time favorites. I thought that it reminds me of the dark humor in the movie MASH, both around the topic of suicide.
“Oh Harold, please!”
“I should certainly say so.”
Oh yeah, she loves it as much as me (I have seen it at least a dozen times). I grew up in the area where it was filmed, so no matter where I was in the country, all I had to do was watch it to feel at home. It’s the funniest movie about suicide that I’ve ever seen.
That is such a neat reply. Owning a Pullman and a place to put it is a serious Bucket List item. Cat Stevens was the perfect soundtrack…
I remember somewhere in Stockton some time back they were selling the number “10” Engine the yellow Charger ran into in Dirty Mary Crazy Larry.
Price was a measly 10G’s.
A couple of things. First, this engine was used to haul “nuclear engines” at “Nevada nuclear test site”???Am I naive, or is he pulling our leg? Second, did everyone watch the fascinating video labled “here” in the text? An engine similar to this one being loaded onto an EXTRA HD and LONG trailer, then the engine “trucks” loaded separately. If not, go back. Amazing.
The original story does not say that this locomotive was used in Nevada. It says that a locomotive like it was used in Nevada.
Three words: Rat Rod.
“…isn’t in running order but has all of its parts…”
This is probably an appropriate description of many Barn Finds viewers as well.
As a kid my Lionel train set had this locomotive pulling it. I grew up with construction toys including cranes, backhoes, draglines and dozers. I’ve always dreamed of with a lotto and buyout 80 acres and creating a museum of old machines that built America. Pre-hydraulic era those cable driven machines were a site to see in action. Of course a rail section with narrow gauge steam, modern gauge (I think it’s 42”gauge) and the old diesel electrics. Just a dream but you never know!
a classic greatful dead song!
Interesting that here at Barn-Finds the bigger the machine the bigger the discussion! Local 20 mile short line from Staunton to Harrisonburg in the Shenandoah Valley has I think 8 engines (I’ll have to count the next time I’m in town) some operate, some are in the restoration process. I often wonder if the freight revenue is just to cover the investor’s train habit!
Is it Staunton or Stanton PA (fictional?) that was in that very good runaway train movie where there was the curve? Denzel Washington, etc.