Chicago South Shore & South Bend 802
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Fallen Flag Railroad Photos |
Built in:1948 by General Electric (ord#29931)
Out-of-service/Retired:1983
Type of car:locomotive ("Little Joe")
Current Owner:Lake Shore Railway Museum(North East, Pennsylvania)
Car History by Frank Hicks
Chicago South Shore & South Bend 802
Some of the largest single-unit electric locomotives ever built were the GE "Little Joes" that were built in 1948. General Electric built 20 of these streamlined locomotives for export to the Soviet Union, which at the time was expanding its electrified trackage. Increasing tensions in the Cold War and the designation of railroad equipment as strategic material, though, nixed the export. By that time, though, the locomotives were already under construction, and GE offered them at a reduced price to whomever would take them. The South Shore seized the chance to expand its heavy freight business and bought three units; five more were exported to Brazil and the Milwaukee Road snapped up the remaining dozen. The South Shore didn't actually call them "Little Joes" but rather 800's. Units 801-803 operated for three decades, until electric freight operations ended around 1980. In 1983, 803 was acquired by the B&ORRM because at the time the South Shore was owned by the Chesapeake & Ohio. However, since the locomotive wasn't actually native to the east coast, the B&ORRM sent it to LSRM on semipermanent loan in 1994. There, close to its birthplace at Erie, the locomotive is on static display.
Ownership History:Chicago South Shore & South Bend #802 1948-1983 / 1st preserved by Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum 1983-1994 / Lake Shore Railway Museum(North East, Pennsylvania) 1994-present
Facts and Figures
| Status:displayed inoperable | Gauge:4'8.5" |
| Construction:steel | Roof type:AR | Ended:DE |
| Length:88'10" | Width:10'7" | Weight:545600# |
| #Seats:n/a | #Wheels/Conf.:24 (2-D+D-2) | Total HP:5100 |
| Trucks:GSC | Brakes:8EL | Compressor:CP-39 (2) |
| Motors:GE 750 (8) | Voltage (if not 600DC):1500vDC |
Notes
Originally built for Russia; owned by B&O Railroad Museum
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