Traction Motors

There is a DS-4-4-750 in my area and I was wondering what type of traction motors it would have, Westinghouse or GE 752's. It was built as demonstrator 750....

That one was built with Westinghouse model 362 motors.

I'm rather curious as to why you ask about the motors of this particular locomotive. Please forgive my asking, but do you have a vested interest in it?

I hope that helps you. Are there any other questions you have?

Matthew Imbrogno
-Mechanical Volenteer, Arizona Railway Museum
www.azrymuseum.org

Matthew has answered the question, so this is superfluous, but...
The DS-4-4-750 was a late 1940s model (it was replaced in Baldwin's product line by the S8 about 1950). All Baldwins of its era would have had Westinghouse motors: Baldwin only started using GE 752 motors when Westinghouse decided to get out of the heavy rail electrical business. At a guess (the exact information would be in Kirkland's "The Diesel Builders: volume 3: Baldwin" and probably also in the Dolzall and Dolzall Baldwin book from Kalmbach), the first Baldwins with GE electrical gear would have been built in 1954.
It's nice to know that a historic unit like a BLW demonstrator is still in existence!

Later this week I am going to play cards at the local V.F.W. with another rails father. According to him the guy that owns it passed and his family wants rid of it and an ex-GN coach attached to it. I dont want to get anyones hopes up because being a railroad employee and being around this stuff long enough I know how hard it is to get a project off the ground. I am going to look into it to hopefully save it from the scrapper. My first obstacle is the fact that the UP tore out the switch to the track its on. I have access to my friends railroad spur a short distance away but even if I get it there I still wont know what to do with it. It is all intact and stored properly (stacks covered, windows boarded up etc) but hasnt ran since the mid 80's I am guessing. Thats when Weyerhaeuser retired it. If you know your Baldwins then you will also note thats when the OC&E RS-12's found their way to the E&LS as Weyerhaeuser retired them en masse. There was another demonstrator the 752 (Weyerhaeuser 102) and two S-8's that were less fortunate and were scrapped here in town. If I can help it I would like to keep this one from meeting the same fate. All I can do is try maybe for some grants as our county and state are very fond of the OC&E/Weyerhauser rails to trails state park. I am not hoping for much but if it dont pan out at least I can say I tried. Heck maybe I will win a Baldwin in a game of Texas hold em'.

Hey thanks for the information about it! The last thing I ever want to see is any more Baldwins being scraped. Here's a few ideas for you. The first thing I'd do is let as many railway museums around the area know about it as you can reach. Most museum's are set up as a charitible 501 c3 educational organization, and a donation of equipment can be fully deductible, even partially/fully tax credible. This would be a major incentive for anyone who wants to get rid of something to donate it instead of selling it. Museums are very good at finding way's of moving something that has been given to them out of their prisons. Even if they have to run a shoe-fly track and jump it on the rails with rerailing frogs, they'll find some way to get it out. If a historical group gets one, I'm quite confident it will be safe.

Please impress upon the current own that this is an important piece of equipment, and a rare example of the ever deminising number of surviving Baldwin locomotives. Offer to them that the locomotive could be made into a lasting monument to the previous owner, being renamed for that person and then given to one of those groups who are interested in it's preservation. If all else fails, a locomotive would make one hell of an all-in-over-the-top bet!

Good luck at the game!
Matthew Imbrogno

Well I didnt do very well at Texas hold em but lets just say the gears are in motion for getting that locomotive to a safer place. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

Well I'm glad to hear that you got them interested in preserving it. I think I may speak for everyone here when I say that I hope all goes well, and it gets to a safe home.

-Matthew Imbrogno

The tracks where its resting is part of the OC&E trail. They want all the locomotive and ex-GN coach out of there so they can pave it and put in picnic tables. A little further west, probably 200 feet or so a new road is going to cross it. The fellow we talked to yesterday maintains the right of way which as I mentioned a state park now. He said his boss really wants all of it out of there and he dont care how. It sounds like I am gonna get the locomotive for free and my partner gets the car. There is probably around a mile and a half or so of yard track left. We said we would take care of the rail for them too. The plan is to scrap the rail and sell the ties that are decent to fund having to rent a crane. My partner has a cat, which we can tow them over to the UP interchange. I have all the tools required to perform the scrapping operations if they let us. We may have to rent a crane to lift them over onto the UP yard tracks since I am sure putting in a temporary switch wont fly. I have a safe storage track for the locomotive but I fear dealing with the UP is going to be the greatest obstacle. My partner has access to a lowboy but I dont know the capacity of it. The first order of business if we obtain the equipment will be towing up to the UP interchange, that way the state can do what they want because it will all be out of the way. If you would like to see pics of the locmomtive check out High Desert Rails and click on OC&E/Weyerhaeuser woods line. There you will find pics of it and sister Baldwins. As mentioned before I will keep everyone posted, who knows maybe soon I will be on here looking for Baldwin parts...

(does his best Napoleon Dynamite voice).......LUCKY!!!! I am guessing Brooklyn roundhouse is in your mind? Sounds like a decent project. Holler at me, if you need any assistance..............

I pm'ed you GA with a little more info. If anyone gets the chance check er out on High Desert Rails and let me know what you think.