Nice switcher photos JHZ563! What's the weight of that Pennsylvania Power & Light Company locomotive?
At the beginning of the steam-to-diesel transition era in 1937, railroad labor unions tried to preserve the jobs of firemen by negotiating the “90,000 Pound Rule” that required locomotives weighing more than 45 tons to have a two-man crew – engineer and fireman. To skirt this rule and avoid having to pay firemen, General Electric introduced its 44-ton diesel switcher locomotive in 1940, which could be operated legally by just an engineer.
GE produced 386 44-ton diesel switcher locomotives between 1940 and 1956. They were used on at least 26 Class 1 railroads and by many industrial operators. Most 44-tonners were powered by two Caterpillar D17000 V8 diesel engines, each developing 180 horsepower. An electric traction motor was mounted on each axle of the two-axle trucks.
The MTH Premier scale model of the GE 44-ton diesel switcher was announced in the 2015 Volume 1 catalog at a list price of $449.95 and went on sale in October 2016. As a fan of the New Haven Railroad, I purchased two examples (Item 20-20470) with road numbers 0807 and 0815. They are perfect for my 10’-by-5’ model railroad. These die-cast models are heavy for such a small locomotive, have realistic engine sounds, and are the best low-speed runners of any of my engines. The videos show #0807 running at 12 scale miles-per-hour under conventional control but it can creep even more slowly. MTH Northeastern caboose C-649 at the rear of the train is not prototypical.
GE 44-ton #0807 was delivered to the New Haven Railroad in 1945 and was geared for a maximum speed of thirty-five miles-per-hour. It operated on the New Haven at least through 1957 and was off the roster by 1961.
MELGAR
