General Electric's center cab locomotive concept during the 1940s and 1950s afforded the builder an effective means of producing a wide-range of 35 to 80-ton railroad and industrial -type switchers in standard and narrow-gauge configuration. It also facilitated the response to customers with special clearance, performance and extra-ordinary horsepower requirements. One such locomotive was the Super 88; rated at 940-hp, it clearly out-muscled all other center cabs to the exclusion of large Baldwin and Lima six-axle transfer power.

The 88 was driven by a pair of Cummins VT12 prime movers that were capable of producing a whooping 1200 horsepower; however in this application 940 hp was the max. Production of the limited-run model (only ten copies built) began in February 1956 and concluded in December of 1958. Although not initially viewed as an export model, seven of the ten 88s saw service beyond U.S. borders. (See accompanying roster).

At first glance, the Super 88 could be easily mistaken for a standard 80-ton model; but there are a few features that make a distinction easy:

• Leading edge of hood is nearly vertical rather than sloped
• There is no walkway at either end of frame
• Dual exhaust stacks are present on each engine hood (first three units built had a large single stack).
• Tall vertical air compressor box on walkway adjacent to cab

Prepared by: R. Craig Rutherford (1 April 2023)