Photo: Steve Lynch collection
Locomotive #399 spent its years on the Long Island Rail Road moving larger passenger and diesel locomotives in and out of the LIRR’s Morris Park shops for repair and maintenance, #399’s small size made it ideal for this work as it could just fit (along with a bigger locomotive) onto the diagonal transfer bridge used within Morris Park. It was built in August of 1958 by General Electric and is a class GS-1, better known as a 25 tonner.
Original specifications:
Builder: GE
Model: “25 tonner”
Class: GS-1
Prime Mover: Diesel
Horsepower: 150
Technical details:
#399 has a tractive effort of 30% adhesion or 15,000 lbs. Motive power is a 150 HP diesel with a generator which in turn powers a traction motor which drives the wheels via a chain drive system. The maximum allowed speed is 20 mph. mainly because of the chain drive that actually propels the locomotive. Locomotive #399 holds 75 gallons of diesel fuel and 5 gallons of lubricating oil and is equipped with a sand box that holds 6 cubic feet of sand. The locomotive has a train brake as well as an independent brake which was not standard when #399 was built but was added later by Long Island Rail Road. #399 is 8′-3/4″ wide,18′-2″ long, from coupler to coupler, and is 10′-3″ high from the rail head. The diesel prime mover was replaced by the Long Island Rail Road at their Morris Park shops. Locomotive #399 is in operating condition and all ancillary equipment such as lights, bell, horn, and windshield wipers are also fully operational.
Restoration
In 2011, Locomotive #399 received metal work and paint removal in/on her cab. Rotted metal was cut out of the back of the cab and replaced. The battery box was removed from inside the locomotive, to be replaced with a brand new one. The two doors of the locomotive have also received a full restoration with the removal of windows, old metal and replacement of rot. The locomotive’s handrails and grab irons were removed, restored and reinstalled.
Before
After
