For this first posting in the month of March, I decided to feature another photograph from the 1986 calendar published by the Louisiana State Railroad Museum, it being for their month of March. I’ve paraphrased the caption for the image below.

“May, 1948, and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad #32 is running light westbound past the New Orleans riverfront wharves. The practically new Baldwin prominently displays her rerailing frog and push pole, both used often on the tight curves and light track winding through the river industries.”

Photo from the collection of Harold K. Vollrath. Read more about this unique locomotive at The Baldwin Diesel Zone.

This is a Baldwin model 8-DE-900/1 E (Class 8-DE-900-1-E, 2 per the card) using a De La Vergne, Model VO Diesel engine. It’s an 8-cylinder, 4-cycle engine which delivers 900 brake horse-power at 600 rpm. This unit was 1 of 3 built in 1937 for the NOPB. It’s interesting to study this locomotive . . . a steam locomotive manufacturer’s vision of how to make a diesel electric machine. The hand fabricated, “make it fit” mentality is visible. I’m tickled at the location for the air reservoir below the cab. And note the ladder and railing arrangement at the front of the hood. Below is the Baldwin engine card for the locomotive:

A side note: The card lists the locomotive’s minimum radius with cars at 130 feet. In model railroading’s HO scale that works out to a 17.9 inch radius. For the locomotive alone, the minimum radius is 50 feet, equal to less than 6.9 inches (though you’d better remove the rerailing frog before attempting that!). Sounds like perfect power for a tiny HO layout.