I picked up my new Bachmann Spectrum GE 45-tonner at my LHS this morning. It’s a cute little guy, smaller than the 44-tonner. It runs smooth, and watching the side rods work makes it fun to watch. It will make an ideal industrial plant switcher for the mid-twentieth century period.
Mark
Sounds nice. Remove the shell and post a photo of what it looks like inside. If it is like the 44 ton, there are only two screws for removing the shell.
Rich
Mark,Years ago there was a 4 mile short line that used a 45 tonner.This line hauled 8-12 boxcars of cow hides a week…My Dad and I visited this line in 1955 and can’t recall its name but,it was located in Southern Ohio.
As a side note as a kid the thing I remember most was the large set of air horns that was located on the cab’s roof…The engine was Black with a Yellow frame.
This model has a bell but no horn. Now if I’m to add a horn, I need to decide whether it to put it on one of the hoods or on the roof. Decisions, decisions. But first I have to figure which end is the front. I think it has to do with the relationship of the piping around the tanks under the cab.
Mark
I don’t know, sounds like a lot of work. [:-^] Looks like this model has a whole four screws attaching the shell. I’ll try to work myself into the mood to get my photo gear out.
Mark
When I was still working on the floor at GE, we built units like that (side rod) for some steel mills as well. That was in the 70’s.
Did a bit of research comparing GE’s 44-ton and 45-ton diesel electric locomotives.
Construction: both types were built from 1940 to 1956.
Tractive effort: this depends on weight-on-drivers, so the 45-ton model could pull slightly more than the 44-tonner.
Horsepower: the 45-tonner normally came with two 150 h.p. diesel engines, for a total of 300 h.p. The 44-tonner usually came with two 180 h.p. diesel engines, and sometimes 200 h.p., for a total of 360 or 400 h.p.
Motors: 45-tonners with siderods had only one electric motor per truck, thus the use of siderods (some used chains) to transmit power to all axles.
With smaller engines and half the motors, the 45-tonner would be less expensive than the 44-tonner while pulling as much or more, say 20 loaded cars on level track.
Of course, the 44-tonner could pull faster and longer than the 45-tonner. Regardless, in most industrial situations where distances were short and higher speed irrelevant, the 45-tonner was the more cost-effective solution.
The 44-tonner was developed in response to demand for a switcher not requiring a fireman. The national railroad labor agreements at the time required a fireman for any locomotive weighing 90,000 lbs. or more. Nevertheless, I would think railroads not subject to those agreements, like most if not all non-common-carrier railroads, were able to use 45-tonners without firemen.
Mark
Here is a link to 45 ton pictures. There is also a site for the 44 ton.
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/diesel132.html
Rich
I didn’t know they were dong a 45 tonner with the siderods. Thanks for the heads up!!
The museum I was a member of has a 45 ton switcher with siderods that we acquired from the Air Force. The diesel engines got out of sync (among other problems), so it sadly has been indefinately sidelined. It got to the point where it was being operated with a broom handle tied to string that was attached to the throttle. It was fun to operate though.
This is my favorite paint scheme. (And no, it is not a Southern Pacific RR locomotive.)
Mark
A very similar 50 tonner (with side rods, etc.) has been at Keynes Bros. feed in Logan, OH in the past couple years. (unknown if it’s still there) I’d like to pick one these up in the future for similar operations on my layout.
Brakie, that short line wouldn’t by any chance be the Midway, would it? (just south of Columbus in Lockbourne)
My 45-tonner…with a Branchline 10-1-2 under construction in the background.
Mark
Couldn’t you get those 4 little screws out??[:-^]I’d sure like to see the mechanism on that thing.
Mitch ask:Brakie, that short line wouldn’t by any chance be the Midway, would it?
No,the Midland Railroad(owned by Columbus and Southern Ohio Electric) hauled coal to C&SOE’s Pickaway generating station…I believe it used a (yellow?) 44 tonner and was 4.09 miles long and cease operations in '72 according to my short line notes…
I looked at the Bachmann site but could not find this.
Is this DCC equipped? or not.
Some originals may have had just an air whistle and not an air horn.
How does it perform over switches etc?
Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Actually, it is supposed to be only two screws that need to be removed. Nevertheless, once those screws are removed, the shell will not lift off the body per instructions. There must be a trick to it.
Mark [D)]
Perhaps it is Bachmann’s practice to sell all the product before it is shown at the site.
The model is DCC equipped using Bachmann’s E-Z Command digital command control system. It doesn’t have sound, but there is a provision for a speaker.
I wouldn’t know. I don’t have a layout. The wheels meet NMRA specifications, so I see no problems unless it is with the turnouts. From the parts schematics, it appears the model has all-wheel electrical pick-up.
Mark
Bachmann has always been rather slow with document releases.
A Google search shows the 45 ton as DCC powered. MB Klein.
In the future you might consider dooing a Google search such as Bachmann 45 ton dcc. You will get hits. The forums are very good for exchanging info but the 'Net is loaded with all kinds of info.
Rich
I test drove a 45 ton unit painted in yellow and found it to be rather cute and a good running engine. I tested it with a basic tech 4 power pack at the store.
I probably will be picking up one of these for the industry under construction soon.
My only concern is those rods, I hope they hold up under constant switching that I have planned for it.
The only other concern is switches. Are they tolerant of plastic atlas switches or others with insulated frogs? Those sometimes stall out short wheelbase engines.