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The museum was fortunate to be able to purchase
this GE 80-tonner from the U.S. Military via the Federal
Surplus Property program. At the time of its sale in 1999,
the engine was located at the Mechanicsburg, PA facility.
Like many other military 80-tonners, this unit was rebuilt
in 1989 by Chrome Locomotive. The rebuild included all new
engines, electrical gear, roller bearing trucks and whisper
cab. At the time the museum bought the engine, it had under
4000 post-rebuild hours on it. The museum hoped (and still
hopes) to make this our year round workhorse, thus allowing
us to take out of service and do some restoration work on EK6 and
RG&E
1941, our current workhorses.
Sadly, this engine suffered heavy running
gear damage in rail transit to the museum
and spent over two years in the storage in Northumberland,
PA while the museum attempted and failed to gain payment
for the nearly $80,000.00 damage done to the engine. This
included the destruction of two of the four GE 747 traction
motors, two gear boxes and one wheel set. Eventually, the
locomotive was shipped to the museum and arrived
on the property on December 30,
2001.
Currently, we are seeking leads and hopefully
donations of replacement parts for the engine along with
tax deductible cash donations to help us repair the engine.
If you have any leads or would like to donate the repair
fund, please feel free to contact
us for more details.
In the meantime, our electrical department
in conjunction with our motive power department has worked
to rewire the engine so it can function on the one good
traction motor and gear box left on each truck. So far,
it appears their work was a success. At the same time,
we have decided to make this engine the first marked for
our demonstration railroad. Thus it has become R&GV1654
and will soon be lettered as such.
- General Electric 80-ton industrial switcher
- Rebuilt 1989 Chrome Locomotive
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