GE 45-ton switcher

The GE 45-ton switcher is a four-axle diesel locomotive that General Electric built between 1940 and 1956. It had two 150 horsepower Cummins diesel engines, each driving a GE generator that fed one of two traction motors, one per truck, and early models drove the second axle on each truck with side rods while later ones used chain drives inside the trucks. It had a high weight to power ratio and good traction, and was rated to pull 20 loaded freight cars on level track. It was built with a short wheelbase for industrial plants and yards with tight clearances. Nearly all had a 20 miles per hour speed limit, and many are preserved or still in service.