Pennsy GE E44s

[Slobo]

Pennsylvania Railroad E44s appeared to have 2 plates affixed to each side on the sill -- presumably a GE builder and maybe a type plate. I am trying to get a good pho of these playes and what they depict but have found nothing through Google. Can anyone assist?

Also, checked the E44 photos from the PA Transportation Museum but those plates seem to be long gone through the PC-CR repaints.

[H.F.Malone]

There's about a 99.999% chance that the plate was a "trust plate", denoting the actual owner of the locomotive and the equipment trust number--- that's how railroads bought locos and cars for decades. Once the equipment trust expired (like an installment loan to buy a car, but think a longer term-- like 15 years), the plates came off.

They (the trust plates) occasionally turn up in builder's plate collections.

That trust info is now usually stencilled on the equipment, because it's cheaper that a nice cast or engraved plate.

[Slobo]

Thanks. Looking at some early PRR photos from the early 1960s, it looks like a long narrow plate and a shorter plate on each side -- the group placed on the front left and rear right sills. I suspect the longer plate is indeed a trust plate as you say and the shorter probably the GE builders plate? Would love to get my hands on a detailed photo of those GE builder plates.

[H.F.Malone]

Most of the GE builder's plates (from about 1940 on, both industrial diesels and railroad electrics) up to the introduction of the U25B diesels were a stainless steel plate, with then lettering and data blocks etched in a very slight relief. The "variable" info-- date, serial number, weight, etc. was stamped in with metal stamps. A common size was 5" x 8", but there were some larger ones.

With the U25B in 1960, the GE plate was a 5" x 14" cast alumnium plate, with a very definite relief to the data blocks. The info was engraved, not stamped. And, there was one of these per loco-- on the fireman's side only.

[Slobo]

Thanks again! I'm familiar with U series GE builder plates marked "General Electric" and "Diesel-Electric Locomotive" on the second line.

Do you think for their non-diesels like the E44 a similar style plate would have been the case with maybe the 2nd line omitting the "DIESEL-", or a variation on the prior plates you describe?