While an abundance of coal or a faith in future innovations in steam technology may explain why railroads like Norfolk & Western and Union Pacific didn’t buy FTs, neither reason explains one big non-buyer: Southern Pacific. SP had a lot … Continue reading
If 22 railroads bought FT locomotives, which ones didn’t? The main ones were coal haulers, such as C&O and N&W, and other railroads with innovative steam programs, such as Pennsylvania and Union Pacific. These railroads thought they could make steam … Continue reading
Great Northern was actually the second railroad (after Santa Fe) to receive a new FT locomotive, number 5700, which was delivered in May 1941. There doesn’t seem to be a data card for that locomotive but here is a painting … Continue reading
World War II slowed production of Diesel locomotives. GM was allowed to keep producing them provided it didn’t interfere with its production of Diesel engines for the Navy. However, it wasn’t allowed to design new locomotives, so the FT remained … Continue reading
General Motors’ FT is one of the most momentous locomotives in history as it convinced all but a few die-hards in the railroad industry that Diesels would replace steam locomotion. The first four-unit FT was completed in late 1939 and … Continue reading
I previously noted that GM artists first made a “foundation drawing” of each class of locomotive and then painted color schemes over that drawing. However, it is apparent from the data cards presented yesterday that multiple foundation drawings were made … Continue reading
Fourteen railroads bought a total of 117 E6 locomotives, and Palumbo provided nine data cards, two of which were from the same railroad. I’ll present about half today and half tomorrow and do so in the approximate order in which … Continue reading
Before 1940, railroads were used to custom ordering their locomotives, and initially General Motors followed that model, individualizing each run of Diesels for its purchaser. The smooth-faced E1 was sold only to Santa Fe; the bulbous-faced E2 was sold to … Continue reading
From about 1935 to 1940, Leland Knickerbocker and Paul Meyer worked for General Motors Art & Color Department helping to style locomotives made by GM subsidiary Electro-Motive Corporation. In 1941, when GM combined EMC and Winton Engines to form Electro-Motive … Continue reading
About a dozen Railway Age covers after 1953 are unsigned and cannot definitely be attributed to Bern Hill by another criteria. Here, I’m going to look at these covers to see if they look like Hill’s style or that of … Continue reading
