#2669
GE 44-ton switcher
🇺🇸 United States ·built by GE Transportation· from 1940· Diesel-electric switcher locomotive (1940-1956)
.jpg)
7 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. General Electric 44-ton switcher: Harvey Henkelmann· Attribution
- 2. Central of Georgia Railroad- Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities (08): bubba73· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. JNR DD12 class: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
- 4. CP 1100 class: Phil Richards from London, UK· CC BY 2.0
- 5. Lbr-1950 ge-44-tonner 2009 lowville photo-by-russ-nelson CC-BY-SA-2.0: Russ Nelson· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 6. SRNJ 105 GE44T: Caseyjonz· Public domain
- 7. Visalia Electric Railway 502, GE 44-ton Diesel Yard Switcher: Centpacrr (Digital image)· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The GE 44-ton switcher is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Electric between 1940 and 1956. It was designed for industrial and light switching duties, often replacing steam locomotives that had previously been assigned these chores. This locomotive's specific 44-short ton weight was directly related to one of the efficiencies the new diesel locomotives offered compared to their steam counterparts: reduced labor intensity.
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 86 years ago, in 1940.
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1940–1956
- number built
- 386
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- GE Transportation, General Electric
- top speed
- 56 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- Bo′Bo'
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
family
Sources: Wikidata Q5513248, Wikipedia: GE 44-ton switcher (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.