First U.S. railroad to dieselize?

[Blutorse4792]

I know that the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern was completely dieselized by May, 1949. Were there any big (i.e. not a little industrial operation that replaced its steam switcher) railroads that dieselized before that?

*EDIT* Looks like they beat the Monon by a month.

 

[jordon412]

I read somewhere that the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was the first 'major' railroad to dieselize. I can't find where I got it at the moment to give you the exact date. However, the Southern Railway was the first 'Class 1' railroad to dieselize, in 1959.

 

[wva-usa]

I read somewhere that the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was the first 'major' railroad to dieselize. I can't find where I got it at the moment to give you the exact date. However, the Southern Railway was the first 'Class 1' railroad to dieselize, in 1959.

The Dec. 5, 1949 issue of Life magazine ran an article on the GM&O with a introductory summary that read, "The GM&O puts all its steam engines to the torch, becomes first major U.S. railroad to dieselize 100%." You can view the article via Google Books...

Googling "first U.S. railroad to dieselize" will give you tons links to various claims about being "the first". The Wikipedia article on dieselization provides info regarding dates for several dozen major U.S. railroads.

According to the article, Railroads During World War II, "The first Class 1 railroad to fully dieselize was the New York, Susquehanna & Western, which replaced 29 steam locomotives with 16 Alco diesel-electrics between 1942 and the summer of 1945."

 

[SD45T-2]

I love the little table based FA in the Life Article.

 

[bl4882]

I don't know if it was the first, but the Western Pacific was one of the first. It bought heavily into the EMC FTs.

Bernie

 

[H222]

I read somewhere that the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was the first 'major' railroad to dieselize. I can't find where I got it at the moment to give you the exact date. However, the Southern Railway was the first 'Class 1' railroad to dieselize, in 1959.

I think the ATSF dieselized before that, or at least took all steamers out of mainline action in 54 or 55. In 57 (?) there were 2 steam engines that worked as bankers in their entire roster

Jamie

 

[wva-usa]

I think the ATSF dieselized before that, or at least took all steamers out of mainline action in 54 or 55. In 57 (?) there were 2 steam engines that worked as bankers in their entire roster

Jamie

The AT&SF didn't achieve 100% dieselization until 1957 according to the book Out of Steam: Dieselization and American Railroad, 1920-1960. The AT&SF's first diesel, an Alco switcher, was purchased in February of 1935, but the road's last operation of steam locomotives didn't occur until August of 1957.

I don't know if it was the first, but the Western Pacific was one of the first. It bought heavily into the EMC FTs.

Bernie

The same book states that the WP purchased their first diesels in 1939 but didn't achieve complete dieselization until 1953.

 

[illinoiscentral]

It completely depends on a lot of factors and what individuals define as what is a Class I railroad...

NYS&W was hardly a Class 1 by any means, but again, its all in who you ask. Commonly, its bee accepted the Southern Railway the first true Class 1 to dieselize fully. Retired the last steam engine in 1952. This was due to a lot of factors. Southern's money maker, the CNO&TP "Rathole" Division at the time featured somewhere around 15 tunnels on its grade. Long, curved and low in clearance they nearly choked the crews on steam engines. The CNO&TP was the first division to be fully dieselized on SOU.
Southern was also on this big 'be the leader in technology' kick in the late 40's and early 50's, so it goes without saying.

Cheers,
Woody

 

[wva-usa]

It completely depends on a lot of factors and what individuals define as what is a Class I railroad...

The term "Class I" normally refers to a formal definition of what constitutes a "Class I" railroad. How some "individual" might define the term is irrelevant.

Although the definition for "Class I" in the U.S. has changed over the years, the classification was always based on annual revenues. In the present time (2013), for example, the Surface Transportation Board classifies railroads as follows:

• Class I - $250 million or more
• Class II - $20 million or more
• Class III - $0 to $20 million

However, in 1939 a Class I railroad was defined as having operating revenues of at least $1 million annually. The figures changed to $3 million in 1956, $5 million in 1965, $10 million in 1976, $50 million in 1978, and $250 million in 1993.

In 1900 there were 132 Class I railroads. Today there are seven. So yes, believe it or not, many railroads that you personally might not consider to be a "Class I" railroad may have been in fact a "Class I" railroad during another era.

NYS&W was hardly a Class 1 by any means, but again, its all in who you ask. Commonly, its bee accepted the Southern Railway the first true Class 1 to dieselize fully. Retired the last steam engine in 1952. This was due to a lot of factors. Southern's money maker, the CNO&TP "Rathole" Division at the time featured somewhere around 15 tunnels on its grade. Long, curved and low in clearance they nearly choked the crews on steam engines. The CNO&TP was the first division to be fully dieselized on SOU.
Southern was also on this big 'be the leader in technology' kick in the late 40's and early 50's, so it goes without saying.

Cheers,
Woody

You can't use today's definition of "Class I" when making historical comparisons. The question isn't whether the the NYS&W is a Class I today, but whether it was a Class I during the era in question. Doing otherwise would be "moving the goal posts"...

 

[jadebullet]

At the time of dieselization, the Susy Q was considered a "class I" railroad.

As for the first railroad to purchase a diesel, it was the Central Railroad of New Jersey, with an AGEIR Boxcab, followed closely behind by the Reading, which owned the CNJ, with its AGEIR Boxcabs being the second and third diesels.




Edit: Also, the EJ&E was beaten by the Lehigh and New England by about a month in 1949.

 

[jordon412]

I thought that Dan Patch Lines bought the first internal-combustion locomotive. I think it was an oil-electric; not certain.

 

[wva-usa]

I thought that Dan Patch Lines bought the first internal-combustion locomotive. I think it was an oil-electric; not certain.

Three manufacturers, ALCO, General Electric, and Ingersoll-Rand, came together under agreement to build the first production run of Diesel powered railroad engines in North America. These units were initially termed Oil-Electric Locomotives. At a later date this consortium acquired the acronym AGEIR, which is used today when indicating the builder of all locomotives constructed by this group's joint procedures. The rest of the story...

 

[magickmaker]

I know that the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern was completely dieselized by May, 1949. Were there any big (i.e. not a little industrial operation that replaced its steam switcher) railroads that dieselized before that?

*EDIT* Looks like they beat the Monon by a month.

Western Pacific was the first railroad to fully dieselize. In 1953, after purchasing four GP-7's, they retired their last steamers, making them the first railroad to fully dieselize their fleet.

http://www.wplives.org/locomotivepages/wp707.html

 

[jordon412]

It seems that the railroad that was first to dieselize is not certain, based on the numerous different claims that this railroad was the first to dieselize. Perhaps we may never know for certain what railroad was truly the first to dieselize.

 

[jadebullet]

Western Pacific was the first railroad to fully dieselize. In 1953, after purchasing four GP-7's, they retired their last steamers, making them the first railroad to fully dieselize their fleet.

http://www.wplives.org/locomotivepages/wp707.html

EJ&E, Wabash, and Lehigh New England were dieseled in 1949, and the NYSW dieselized before them.

 

[wva-usa]

Western Pacific was the first railroad to fully dieselize. In 1953, after purchasing four GP-7's, they retired their last steamers, making them the first railroad to fully dieselize their fleet.

http://www.wplives.org/locomotivepages/wp707.html

Your page you linked to actually says, "This resulted in WP becoming the first railroad in the west to fully dieselize" (emphasize added).

 

[magickmaker]

If you want to be totally technical about it, the first railroad to fully dieselize was, if memory serves, a line in upstate New York that connected into Canada. When the SW-1 first came out, the company's managing director wrongly thought that the high gear ratio of the locomotives meant that they were just as powerful as steamers, so they scrapped off their fleet and bought a large number of the small switchers. The company operated like that for at most a year before purchasing a number of heavy steam engines from various companies to make up the difference that their fleet of SW's couldn't. So technically, they fully dieselized, but returned to steam when Diesel proved to not meet their needs.

 

[jordon412]

Kalmbach Books book Modeling the '50s - The Glory Years of Rail features a list showing which year railroads were completely dieselized. They are listed below in earliest to latest:

Gulf Mobile & Ohio - 1949

New Haven - 1952

Southern Railway - 1953

Boston & Maine - 1956

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (Santa Fe) - 1957

New York Central - 1957

Pennsylvania - 1957

Southern Pacific - 1957

Baltimore & Ohio - 1958

Nickel Plate Road - 1958

Northern Pacific - 1958

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (Burlington) - 1959

Union Pacific - 1959

Canadian National - 1960

Canadian Pacific - 1960

Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range - 1960

Illinois Central - 1960

Norfolk & Western - 1960

 

[wva-usa]

Since some might find this interesting, I thought I'd post a link to this 1949 Life magazine article: Diesel Locomotives -- Now in mass production, they begin to replace the old iron horse

Several large color photos of 1st generation diesel locos on the Santa Fe and other interesting stuff...

And on the topic of diesels and the Santa Fe, here's a 1941 article from Popular Science on the Santa Fe's "first all-diesel freight engine".