US Army 75-ton Drop Cab |
|
---|---|
By mid-August of 1944, Allied Armies were ready to undertake the arduous and grueling task
of pushing Nazi forces out of France, Belgium and back into Germany. Logistically, the U.S.
Army Transportation Corps would be charged with rebuilding the French Railway system and
keeping the advancing allied war machine supplied. Cherbourg and the Port of Marseilles in
southern France and rail lines extending to the northeast were destined to be a major conduit
of supplies and war materiel. In support of that mission, the USATC purchased ten 75-ton drop-cab
locomotives and ten 45-ton drop-cabs from General Electric and shipped them to France. It
should be noted that the 75T employs the same machinery as an 80-tonner (see graphic above).
First of the GEs arrived in early September. The newcomers were immediately placed in service
and maintained a rigorous schedule for the remaining nine months of the war. VE-Day arrived
in May 1945, and the Military Railway Service (USATC) had been successful in delivering forty
percent of military supplies and equipment the 750 miles across southern France and into Berlin.
After the war, most of the 45-ton dropcabs were shipped to state-side military units and / or
sold as surplus.
In contrast, the 75-tonners stayed long after the end of WWII to help with the rebuilding of the entire French rail network; they were eventually transferred to French ownership. The few GE 75s that survive today reside in museums or are privately owned. It should be noted that D4032 and D4036 locos were rebuilt and their Cummins LI600 engines were replaced with Baudoin engines. French railway historian Alexandre Gerbier has provided background info and photos of the surviving 75-ton drop-cabs. (Interestingly, there is photographic evidence of ten GE 75-ton drop cabs arriving at Cherbourg in 1944. USATC records reflect only nine. (?)
| |
A U.S. Army 45-ton Dropcab is loaded aboard a British railroad ferry which is headed for the port at Cherbourg at the end of July 1944. |
![]() U.S. Arny photo |
Serial ID: 27528
|
![]() Photo by Alexandre Gerbier |
Serial ID: 27529
|
![]() Photo by Alexandre Gerbier on 30 March 20223 |
Serial ID: 27531
|
![]() G. Germain photo / color correction by A.T. Gerbier |
Serial ID: 27532
|
![]() Builder plate from US Army 7233 |
Serial ID: 27533
|
![]() Photographer unknown /restored by AT.Gerbier |
Serial ID: 27536
|
![]() Photo by Sebastian Kieffert c.2018 |
Serial ID: 27537
|
![]() Photographer unknown / restoration by A.T. Gerbier |
| |
![]() Builder plate photo (D-4028) |
![]() Cummins LI600 engine access cover (D-4029) |
![]() Traction motor photo (D-4028)
Traction cog wheel (D-4029) |
![]() Controls photo (D-4028) |
![]() Electrical cabinet (D-4029) | This photo essay would not be possible without the direct help of Alexandre T. Gerbier ! |