who made it and what was it used for?
JaRRell
Jarrell,
You and I have to pick up some “Guide to…” locomotive books. I’ve seen this before but I can’t tell you what it is. I know that Pennsy ran electric on part of their line but the paint is too light to be considered “Brunswick” green. Possibly a small, electric switcher of some kind?
Tom
While I am researching this, can you tell me where this photo came from?
I THINK I FOUND IT?
As far as I can understand, based on an encyclopedia of
Steam & Rail, this is called a SHUNTER. This appears to be of
European design, repainted for American usage.
Please Stand By …
Looks like something Pacfic electric would own.
It’s called a steeple cab. Having not researched this one specifically, I would say it was probably built by G.E. in the 19-teens or twenties. It is not European.
Most of the interurban electric railways used these for moving freight. I believe there is still an active electric railway in Texas that still has some of these in active service.
SPE did have some back in the day.
The euopeans did have similar locomotives that were mostly used for yard switching or “shunting”. The largest “steeple cab” is the Swiss “Krokodile” (around 12k horsepower) and was used in mainline freight service.
Steeple Cab ??? It has my interest none the less.
I know that the B & O had a similar type back in 1895’s
and possible this is an updated to that type of unit.
I will find this eventually in my library at some point, just
for my own knowledge.
A steeple-cab electric locomotive, possibly built by GE or Baldwin, for light freight and switching, set up to run under trolley wire or catenary (note both a trolley pole and a pantograph.)
Gary Collins
“Common sense ain’t!” – G. Collins
The first of these locomotives was made by GE I believe in 1920 and the second Chicago Aurora and Elgin Freight motors 3003 and 3004 were built in 1923 for the CA&E by Baldwin - Westinghouse.
I’m not sure when or where old #3 was made. Maybe home built. It’s just called a “plow locomotive” in the historical roster. This railroad paralleled the Chicago Great Western out of Chicago toward Wheaton, where the electric line split with one line going to Elgin and one going to Aurora. These were freight engines for the predominantly passenger based Interurban trains which were all over the country up until the mid 1950’s.
http://www.irm.org/cgi-bin/rsearch.cgi?eloco=The+Milwaukee+Electric+Railway+&+Light+Company=L3
http://community.webshots.com/photo/295496634/174715896VCxSlp#
http://community.webshots.com/photo/295496634/174716538alJZWg
General Electric steeple cab locomotive - Sacramento Northern # 653
“The 650-class General Electric steeple cab locomotives closed out electric operation on both the Sacramento Northern’s Oakland-Pittsburg section and at Yuba City-Marysville. They became the most photographed and best known of all SN’s cars and locomotives. The SN owned seven motors of this type, all with long and interesting service lives.”
Go to this site for more information:
That is very interesting. Now I know!
Thanks,
Jarrell
Now we all know, lol. I didn’t have a clue to what that was.