General Electric 45 / 50-Ton Locomotives

U.S. Gypsum 45-Ton #104 at Alabaster, Michigan on 24 May 1967 -- R. Craig Rutherford photo


General Electric's 45-Ton locomotive was designed primarily for industrial users, as such the federal government's "90,000 Pound" law of 1937 had no applicability. The earliest version of the four-axle locomotive was built in 1939 and featured a thin-plate frame and two side-rod trucks; it weighed 43 tons. The following year, the builder standardized on a thicker frame for center-cab switcher construction in the 44-ton to 80-ton range. It should be noted that the 45-ton model was the only GE locomotive to commonly feature side-rod driven trucks which employed only a single traction motor; buyers of later 45-ton versions had the option of internal chain-driven trucks. As the locomotive model evolved during the production, period, a number of subtle changes occurred. Some of the revisions are identified herein later. The number of access ladders and their placement was often a customer preference, thus they are not a reliable spotting feature.

Total GE production of the 45-tonner reached slightly less than 350 units; the first of the 360-400 horsepower models appeared late in 1940. During WWII, a large number of 45-tonners were gobbled up by the U.S. Military, including many with "drop-cabs" for low clearance.

The 50-tonner can sometimes be more difficult to determine. Early versions of the model employed a narrow metal frame skirt between the trucks. In later years, the frame skirt was lost and a thin bedplate added beneath the hoods and cab footprint. The side-rod trucks were common-place, but not exclusive.

Here are a few tips on how to readily identify GE's 45/50-ton industrial switchers. Please note the years of production are arbitrary and provided only as a means of categorizing various models.

Time Line & Features of 43/45/50-Ton Center Cabs

(Dates are approximate)

Early 50-Ton (Prior to 1939) 
Southern New York #300 at Oneonta, New York 
Raymond Muller photo (13 May 1967)
    1. Thin frame deck
    2. Large boxy cab with air compressor tubes on roof
    3. Large headlight mounted above nose lip
    4. Cab and hood roof overhangs
    5. Flat-faced hood with louvers (no radiator opening)
    6. Single ladder each side centered on truck
    7. Open frame-trucks with friction bearings
    8. Built: 1936(?)
43-Tonner (March 1939 to July 1939) 
Wabash #51 at St. Thomas, Ontario
Rabo Sabo photo (September 2003)
    1. Fore-runner of the 45ton model
    2. Thin frame deck
    3. Large cab with square windows
    4. Headlight mounted above windshields
    5. Cab and hood roof overhangs
    6. Narrow hood with small screened grille
    7. Front hand rail extends from sides of hood
    8. Side-rod trucks
    9. One or two ladders, each centered on truck
45-Ton (December 1940 to March 1941) 
Oregon Steel Mill at xxxxxxx, OR
Photographer unknown
    1. Thin frame deck
    2. Shorter cab becomes standard
    3. Headlight mounted high on nose
    4. Cab and hood roof overhangs
    5. Radiator shutters instead of screens (become standard)
    6. Handrail supports protrude from sides of hood
    7. Side-rod trucks
    8. One or two ladders, each centered on truck
    9. Exhaust stack location standardized in front of cab
50-Ton (December 1940 to May 1941) 
U.S. Navy 65-00215 at Summerville, Maine
George Turnbull photo (October 1971)
    1. Closely resembles a 45-tonner
    2. Standard cab
    3. Radiator shutters
    4. Short bevelled-edge frame skirts (2-1/2 tons) between trucks
45-Ton (March 1941 to August 1943) 
France Stone at Bellevue, Ohio
RCraig photo (June 2007)
    1. Thin frame deck
    2. Standard cab
    3. Headlight sculptured into rounded-nose edge
    4. Standard radiator shutters
    5. Handrail entire width of locomotive
    6. Side-rod trucks
    7. One or two ladders, each centered on truck
45-Ton (September 1943 to August 1946) 
ACF Industries #Y69 at St. Louis, Missouri
R.R. Wallin photo (April 1971)
    1. Full-length frame skirt, becomes standard
    2. Standard cab
    3. Headlight sculptured into nose of hood
    4. Standard radiator shutters
    5. Handrail entire width of locomotive
    6. Side-rod trucks
    7. Single ladder each side centered on truck (two ladders for later builds)
"45-Ton" Drop Cab (October 1943 to Nov. 1944) 
USAF 8503 at Michigan Air National Guard Base 
Jim Koglin photo (June 2008)
  1. 44-tonner ballasted to 45 tons
  2. Dropped cab with no windows above hoods
  3. Headlight level with top edge of nose
  4. Standard equalized trucks (one traction-motor per axle)
  5. Handrail supports protrude from hood
  6. Air compressor moved to large deck-mounted box
50-Ton (Late 1945 to Mid 1946) 
CN 10 (nee Singer Mfrg) at ByTown Rwy Society (Ottawa) 
Michael Berry photo (October 2021)
  1. Standard carbody configuration
  2. Full-length frame skirt
  3. Side-rod trucks
  4. Air compressor box mounted on frame deck in front of cab (only a few built)
50-Ton Drop Cab (1943 to 1947) 
General Electric #7 at Pittsfield, Massachusetts
George Turnbull photo (April 1968)
  1. Standard carbody configuration
  2. Short bevelled-edge frame skirts (2-1/2 tons) between trucks
  3. Side-rod trucks
50-Ton (1947 to 1961) 
Penn-Dixie Cement at Petoskey, Michigan 
Denny Custer photo (August 1969)
  1. Standard carbody configuration
  2. Full-length frame skirt
  3. Side-rod trucks
  4. Thin (3/4") bedplate beneath cab and hoods
45-Ton (September 1947 to February 1961) 
US Gypsum #104 at Alabaster, Michigan
RCraig photo (May 1967)
    1. Full-length frame skirts
    2. Standard cab with rounded corners
    3. Small seal-beam headlight
    4. Radiator shutter area reduced in size
    5. Handrail entire width of locomotive
    6. Chain-Driven trucks
45-Ton (November 1959 to April 1975) 
Lehigh Portland Cement no# at Miami, FLA  
Photographer unknown (June 1971)
  1. Thin Deck Plate
  2. Squarish cab with small windows above hood
  3. Narrow tall hoods
  4. Engine exhaust moved well forward on top of hood
  5. Four sets of louvers on engine access doors
  6. Side-rod (or chain-driven) trucks
Notes and Reference sources:
  1. Critters, Dinkys & Centercabs by Jay Reed
  2. Flickr.com
  3. The Second Diesel Spotters Guide by Jerry A. Pinkepank
  4. Locomotive Encyclopedia (1956) by Simons-Boardman
Formatted by: R.Craig

Expanded: 4 September 2023 / New: 1 December 2019

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