MonCon (etc) Center Cab Question

[Allen Hazen]

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, GE built a series of big centre-cab (twin engine) locomotives for several purchasers: the Ford Motor Company (most of whose units later worked on the Wellsville, Addison and Galeton, and one of which survives at the North East railroad museum near Erie, Pennsylvania) and the Monongahela Connective Railroad (J&L-owned switching line in Pittsburgh) were the biggest purchasers. These were seriously big locomotives for the time: horsepower of 1000, 1100 and even 1500.
Does anyone have documentation on their electrical equipment? In particular on their traction motors?

The GE 726 traction motor seems to have been introduced about the time these locomotives were built. It was used on "HH-1000" (and some "HH-900") 1000 hp (900 hp) Alco switchers, and on the majority of Alco's Dl-100-series 2000 hp road locomotives (in particular, on all of the New Haven's Dl-109, which were billed as dual-service units). So it seems like an obvious candidate for GE to use in switching/transfer locomotives of the sorts of rating characterizing the big centre cabs.

In the interest of filling in the history, can anyone confirm that (some or all) of these locomotives had 726 motors? And, if so, what form of 726 they had? (We know that at least some Alco HH-1000 had 726C motors, and that the Santa Fe's Dl-107/Dl-108, originally built with 730 motors, were later re-equipped with 726F. GE documents suggest that the 726 sub-types went up at least to 726H. There are gaps to fill!)

[Allen Hazen]

I'm still hoping for replies! (There were a bunch of these large centre-cabs, and they weren't all of one design: even if we get data on one, I'd love to hear from anyone who can tell me about the others.)

I've found one thing on the WWWeb, courtesy of Don Strack of "Utah Rails". He links to a gallery of Kennecott Copper railroad images,
http://donstrack.smugmug.com/UtahRails/ ... VnVRgck/X2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The first few are of Bingham Canyon #802 (quickly renumbered Bingham Canyon #900). This locomotive was, I think, virtually identical to the Monongahela's 1100 horsepower units 162 and 163. One photo is of a page in a GE sales brochure illustrating it, with text below giving some details… including the fact that it had four Model 726 traction motors.

(Another shows it being scrapped in 1972: cab and hoods removed, but the generators and the big in-line C-B engines (model GS-6, I think) still on the frame.

[Allen Hazen]

Hmmm…. Looking again at the GE brochure page… It says the engines were type "GN-6", but also says they were supercharged. (I thought "S" meant supercharged: The Kalmbach "Diesel Locomotives: the first 50 years" says some of the centercab locomotives had GS-6 and some had GN-8 engines.)
It also says that each of the engines had an output of 750hp (at, f.w.i.w., 750 rpm), making this a 1500hp locomotive (or maybe -- depending on the convention adopted for stating power outputs -- the equivalent of what would now be called a 1230 hp locomotive: GE may have been giving the brake horsepower of the engines, but the usual American convention, after WW II, for rating diesel locomotives was the input to generators, typically about 82% of brake horsepower).