Steam, diesel, and electric locomotive lineup
Three types of Great Northern motive power are shown at Appleyard, near Wenatchee, Wash. Left to right are GE class W-1 electric No. 5019, built in 1947; EMD FT diesel No. 416, built in 1944; and Baldwin class R-1 2-8-8-2 No. 2036.
Great Northern
2-8-8-0 steam locomotive No. 2023
A crew member looks out the fireman’s window as Class N-3 2-8-8-0 No. 2023 backs to Union Yard in Minneapolis to pick up an extra freight for Superior, Wis., in May 1952. Originally built as N-1 class compounds by Baldwin in 1912, these locomotives were later converted to simple and reclassified as N-2s, and later rebuilt in 1939–41, then receiving the final N-3 classification.
Russ Porter
4-8-4 steam locomotive No. 2584
Railroad President John M. Budd spoke at the 1964 dedication of S-2 class No. 2584, the last Great Northern 4-8-4, at Havre, Mont., where it’s still displayed. Baldwin built S-1 class Nos. 2550–2555 in 1929 and S-2 class Nos. 2575–2588 in 1930.
Classic Trains collection
E7 diesel locomotives
Great Northern’s first E7s, bought for Empire Builder service in April 1945, had a stripe with goat herald at front and script “Great Northern” lettering across the nose. This scheme didn’t last long, and the E units were modified to this appearance and reassigned to regional passenger trains.
Great Northern
NW3 diesel locomotive No. 5400
No. 5400, the first of seven such EMD NW3s built in three batches between 1939 and 1942, sports an all-black paint scheme with large logo. The model features a 12-cylinder 567 prime mover, steam generator, and FT-style trucks. GN was the only buyer for the model.
Classic Trains collection
RS2 diesel locomotive No. 200
This 1,500-horsepower RS2 was one of 12 such units on the roster, built by Alco in 1949 and 1950.Great Northern
VO1000 diesel locomotive No. 132
Baldwin-built VO1000 No. 132 handles a string of Pullmans from the coach yard to the Minneapolis station in June 1952. The railroad had 10 such units built in three batches between 1941 and 1944.
James G. La Vake
U25B diesel locomotives
GN hooked up new U25Bs for publicity photo purposes in 1964, but before long the GE road-switchers were running systemwide in company of Geeps and Fs. The railroad had 24 U25Bs, Nos. 2500–2523, that went to the 5400 series under successor Burlington Northern.
Great Northern
SDP40 diesel locomotive No. 322
EMD SDP40 No. 322 is geared for passenger service and includes a steam generator in its distinctive boxy rear end. The railroad had six such units, Nos. 320–325 built in May 1966; it also rostered eight SDP45s built in 1967.
Classic Trains collection
W-1 electric locomotive No. 5019
The W-1 class B-D+D-B electrics were 101 feet long over the couplers and weighed 360 tons. Built in 1947, the two 11,000-volt, double-cab motors were billed as the most powerful single-unit electrics in the world at the time. In its July 1970 issue, Trains dubbed the W-1 “the Big Boy of North American electrification.”
General Electric
All through September 2020 Classic Trains editors celebrate the history, legends, and grandeur of the Great Northern Railway.
This month, we hope you enjoy a photo gallery of GN steam locomotives, electric locomotives, and diesel locomotives through time.
You might also enjoy this history article; a photo gallery of passenger trains or Great Northern freight trains.
