by Allen Hazen
An article by C.A. Brown in "Shoreliner" (=New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association magazine) volume 11 number 3 (1980) about the New Haven's EF-4 electric locomotives (General Electric E-33, originally built for Virginian, who called them EL-3a) says that not only were the GE 752 traction motors used interchangeable with those on the Virginian's F-M "Trainmaster" diesels, but that the trucks themselves were:
"...the trucks of the the Trainmasters were sometimes interchanged with those
of an EL-3a. The Virginian had purchased a pair of spare Trainmaster trucks,
which could occasionally be found under an electric, while the slab-equalized
Adirondack Foundries truck used on the GE's were sometimes spotted under a
Trainmaster."
The article has a photo of an E-33 on Trainmaster trucks, coupled to a sister on GE trucks.
Does anyone know more about this interchange? Not all trucks and underframes are compatible: the Norfolk & Western's Alco C-630 diesels built on trade-in Trainmaster trucks had to have modified underframes to fit. (Location of ducts for traction-motor ventilation, I think, wouldn't have been right with a standard C-630 underframe, but I'm not certain of this.)
For comparison to Trainmaster trucks: the GE trucks used on the E-33 are 5' 9'' between end and middle axle, 7' 3" between middle and inboard axle, with the center pin between the end and middle axles, 3' 10.875" from the end axle.
"...the trucks of the the Trainmasters were sometimes interchanged with those
of an EL-3a. The Virginian had purchased a pair of spare Trainmaster trucks,
which could occasionally be found under an electric, while the slab-equalized
Adirondack Foundries truck used on the GE's were sometimes spotted under a
Trainmaster."
The article has a photo of an E-33 on Trainmaster trucks, coupled to a sister on GE trucks.
Does anyone know more about this interchange? Not all trucks and underframes are compatible: the Norfolk & Western's Alco C-630 diesels built on trade-in Trainmaster trucks had to have modified underframes to fit. (Location of ducts for traction-motor ventilation, I think, wouldn't have been right with a standard C-630 underframe, but I'm not certain of this.)
For comparison to Trainmaster trucks: the GE trucks used on the E-33 are 5' 9'' between end and middle axle, 7' 3" between middle and inboard axle, with the center pin between the end and middle axles, 3' 10.875" from the end axle.