The GE 70-ton switcher is a 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Electric between about 1942 and 1955. It is classified as a B-B type locomotive. The first series of "70 tonners" were a group of seven center-cab locomotives built for the New York Central Railroad in November 1942. These units differ from the later end-cab versions. Locomotives exported to Brazil were known as GE 64T and nicknamed "scooters".
Survivors
The Modesto and Empire Traction Company used nine of these reliable 70-ton locomotives on its railroad along with two former-Southern Pacific EMD SW1500s. The company has since retired and sold all of these locomotives except number 600. The GE locomotives are also used by the Santa Maria Valley Railroad. The Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad still has locomotives 50, 51 and 53. 50 and 51 are original to the line, 53 was purchased second hand. 50 and 53 are currently in shop being re-built for service. 51 suffered a catastrophic engine failure and is permanently out of service. It will be used for parts as necessary. DownEast Scenic Railroad's 54, ex Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad 54, originally Berlin Mills Railway 16 is also in service. The Oregon Pacific Railroad owns the former Southern Pacific 5100. The locomotive is painted in the historic Southern Pacific scheme and is currently out-of-service. The owns former Southern Pacific 5119. The locomotive currently sports its Modesto and Empire Traction Company paint scheme, but will be restored to its original 1955 Southern Pacific livery. 5119 is maintained in operational condition and is regularly used in excursion service over a section of the San Diego & Arizona Railway. Ex-Norfolk Southern Railway 703, GE builder #30015, ex-Southern Railway #703; to Naporano Iron & Metal ; to Lake Ontario Steel ; now at South Simcoe Railway and now powered by a Cummins VTA1710 V12 engine. The Denton Farmpark has the High Point Thomasville & Denton Railroad 202; it has been restored and is operational. As of 1-10-2020 #202 is repowered with a Caterpillar D398 V-12 diesel engine, after a crankshaft failure in the original Cooper Bessemer engine. It is back running, making money again for its owner. It is available for a ride during Christmas at the Country Christmas Train event. One modified 70-ton locomotive equipped with Cummins engine and PLC control system is in Mexico in full operational conditions and was operated by Ryder a logistic contractor at GM Silao Guanajuato plant for around 16 years until January 2013 when it was substituted by an EMD SW1504 and was sold to Ferrovias Del Bajio a Rail equipment rebuilder, seller, operator and leaser of rail equipment and now its part of its lease fleet. Two of the end-cab versions exist on display at the Whippany Railway Museum, Whippany, New Jersey, United States, originally purchased by the Rahway Valley Railroad, headquartered in Kenilworth New Jersey, as RV16 and RV17. They were placed into service in 1951 and 1954, respectively, and operated through the closing of the shortline rail business in 1990. Both are owned by the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey. Restoration was done on site in Whippany. Three end-cab versions are still known to be in operation at the WVA Manufacturing, LLC plant in Alloy, WV. The locomotives were purchased by the Union Carbide company some fifty years ago. They are still in operation with engine retrofits to accommodate modern maintenance. The Waterloo Central Railway which operates a tourist train has one of these marked engine 1556 and it runs their route from North Waterloo Ontario to Elmira Ontario a dozen times a week.
