By Eric Berger
PORT JERVIS, NJ — Three historic General Electric 44-tonners built in the 1940s will be restored to operating condition thanks to a partnership of four non-profit organizations, the groups announced on January 26. Collaborating on the project are Operation Toy Train of New York, Tri-State Railway Historical Society, Danbury Railroad Museum and Delaware & Ulster Railroad.
Each of these organizations owns a 44-tonner; three will run again and one will serve as a parts source. The locomotives that will be fully restored are New Haven 0814, Middletown & New Jersey 2 and Hoboken Manufacturers Railroad 700, owned by DRM, OTT and TSRHS, respectively. Each of them needs at least one major internal part, all of which are available in the parts unit.
That engine was built as Western Maryland 76 and was later operated by Delaware & Ulster, which has donated it in exchange for support and assistance from three organizations in conducting its own repair and restoration efforts. The 76 is largely intact but in poor condition after decades of outdoor storage and avoids being scrapped thanks to this project.
Middletown & New Jersey 2. Courtesy of Doug Barberio.
“These donated services and the efforts of these experienced volunteers will save the Delaware & Ulster tens of thousands of dollars in expenditures over the next several years, far more than the sale or scrap value of our inoperable locomotive,” said Todd Pascarella, D&U general manager.
Among the projects D&U is looking forward to is the restoration of its Brill Model 250 doodlebug, built in 1928 as New York Central M-206, later M-405. It arrived on D&U in June 1983 and was popular while in service.
After the needed parts are harvested, the Delaware & Ulster locomotive will receive a cosmetic restoration for display at the Port Jervis (NY) Transportation History Center in the paint scheme of New York, Ontario & Western, a local Fallen Flag known as “the Old & Weary” long before its demise in 1957. Its first diesels were five 44-tonners built in 1941-42.
“We are grateful that we’ve been able to work with three other amazing organizations to not only restore our own M&NJ 2 to operation but ensure that every piece of the 76 will serve a purpose going forward,” said Rudy Garbely, a director for Operation Toy Train of New York. “Collaborative efforts like this are the future of railroad preservation, and it’s an honor to work with this fantastic group of leaders in the industry to achieve a common goal.”
Plans call for major work to begin late this summer, when the 76 will be trucked from Roxbury, NY, to its new home in Port Jervis. There, volunteers from each organization will work together to remove its internal parts. They will also work together on the installation of parts on each recipient.
New Haven 0814. Collection of New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association.
New Haven 0814 was built in February 1945, and at one time was used to shuttle employees between New Haven station and Cedar Hill yard. It was sold to General Dynamics in the late-1950s, which deployed it at its Electric Boat division as “Carol.” It was joined in 1974 by “Diane,” the ex-Union Pacific 903999, built in 1947 as 44-ton demonstrator GE 1399 and the only 44-tonner purchased by UP. Both were donated to DRM by General Dynamics in 2006. The currently-operational 1399 will benefit from the deal as well as it will get some spare parts from D&U 76.
“We have been searching for spare parts for 1399 and the missing parts to restore our New Haven 0814 for years,” said Jose Alves, DRM president. “Being able to share this opportunity and restore two other locomotives at the same time is an amazing bonus, and it speaks to the overwhelmingly supportive nature of the people involved that we were able to bring this many organizations together successfully to make this project a reality.”
Middletown & New Jersey 2 was built in 1947 as American Cyanamid 5, assigned to the company’s Calco Chemical Division in Bridgewater, NJ, where it handled cars to and from Central Railroad of New Jersey, Reading and Lehigh Valley. It later went to the M&NJ in the 1960s, where it worked for decades. The railroad was purchased by Regional Rail LLC in 2009 and the engine was assigned to an East Penn switching contract in Manheim, Pa., its final assignment prior to being acquired by OTT in a 2021 deal with Regional Rail that also saw another 44-tonner, Tyburn Railroad 400, go to Tri-State Railroad Historical Society. That engine was built as Hoboken Manufacturers 700 in 1947. It was moved to the United Railroad Historical Society’s Boonton, N.J., facility and is being restored by Tri-State volunteers.
Each of the three organizations has launched fundraising campaigns to cover the restoration costs for their respective locomotives, including the acquisition and installation of parts salvaged from 76 and the repainting of each to its historically accurate paint scheme. Grants, corporate donations, and contributions from private donors are welcomed. To learn more about the project or to donate, visit www.44Tonner.org.
