ABOUT THE PROJECT

Three historic GE 44-tonners in the northeast are getting a new chance at life, thanks to the sacrifice of a fourth donor unit. This ambitious restoration project is the result of a partnership between four non-profit organizations.

Middletown & New Jersey Railroad No. 2, Hoboken Manufacturers Railroad No. 700, and New Haven Railroad No. 0814 are all 44-tonner locomotives constructed by General Electric in the mid-1940s. Owned by Operation Toy Train of New York, the Tri-State Railway Historical Society, and the Danbury Railway Museum (respectively), all three are important surviving examples of early diesel-electric industrial switching locomotives, produced using relatively new technology at a time when U.S. railroads were still primarily powered by steam.

While none of the three locomotives are currently operational, all three are in good shape and are excellent candidates for restoration to operating status. Unfortunately, spare parts for these over 75-year-old locomotives are rare. However, the Delaware & Ulster Railroad owns a fourth 44-tonner that cannot economically be made operable again, but it is still largely complete and retains many of its original mechanical and electrical components.

The Delaware & Ulster has graciously offered to donate its former Western Maryland Railway No. 76 as a contribution towards the restorations of Nos. 2, 700, and 0814. In return for the contribution of No. 76, volunteers from the other three organizations are providing support services to the Delaware & Ulster Railroad as it conducts repairs and restoration work on its own antique railroad equipment.

Operation Toy Train, Tri-State, and Danbury split the cost to move No. 76 from its storage location in Roxbury, New York by truck to the Port Jervis Transportation History Center in Port Jervis, New York between March 24 and 27, 2023. Now that the locomotive is in Port Jervis, internal components will be removed by these three organizations. The parts present on No. 76 fill important, major voids in the outstanding parts lists for all three restoration candidates. As Nos. 2, 700, and 0814 all require different parts, the contribution of No. 76 will directly facilitate the restoration of all three locomotives to operation in the next few years. (The Danbury Railway Museum also owns another 44-tonner, GE demonstrator No. 1399, that is already operational. It, too, will be the benefactor of several parts from No. 76 to improve its reliability and keep it in service well into the future.)

After mechanical and electrical parts are removed, the shell of No. 76 will remain on display at the Port Jervis Transportation History Center under Operation Toy Train’s ownership. It will be repainted in the colors of the local New York, Ontario & Western Railway, representing a piece of Port Jervis history that has otherwise been lost to time.

Operation Toy Train of New York, the Tri-State Railway Historical Society, and the Danbury Railway Museum have each launched fundraising campaigns to cover the restoration costs for their respective locomotives, including the acquisition and installation of parts salvaged from No. 76 and the repainting of each to its historically accurate paint scheme.