The GMD GMDH-1 was an experimental

diesel-hydraulic A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...

, center-cab, switching

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

built by

General Motors Diesel General Motors Diesel was a railway diesel locomotive manufacturer located in London, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro-Motive Diesel division of General Motors (EMD). In 1969 it was re-organiz ...

of Canada. Four examples were built. The first two locomotives were each fitted with a pair of 6-cylinder

Detroit Diesel Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) is an American diesel engine manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America, which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the mulitinational Da ...

series 110 engines giving , while the second pair had two

series 71 The Detroit Diesel Series 71 is a two-stroke diesel engine series, available in both inline and V configurations, manufactured by Detroit Diesel. The number 71 refers to the nominal displacement per cylinder in cubic inches, a rounding off of ...

engines developing . The first constructed, in December 1956, was serial #A1597, numbered GMDD 1001. It became the GMD

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

plant switcher in April 1958, and was retired in November 1975. The locomotive was given to the Canadian Railway Historical Association in July 1977, and passed into the collection of the

Canada Science and Technology Museum The Canada Science and Technology Museum (abbreviated as CSTM; french: Musée des sciences et de la technologie du Canada) is a national museum of science and technology in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum has a mandate to preserve and promote ...

in November 1986 after being restored by Al Howlett of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. The second locomotive, serial #A1713, was completed in September 1958, and was first numbered GMDD 600 as a demonstrator. It was later sold to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, where it was

RFFSA The Rede Ferroviária Federal, Sociedade Anônima (RFFSA, pronounced as ''Refesa'') () was the State-owned national railway company of Brazil created from ''Brazilian Federal Law #3.115'' on March 16, 1957, after several railroads were nationaliz ...

600 and later

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

6031. The unit is reported as having been subsequently scrapped. The third and fourth locomotives, #A1811 and #A1812, were constructed in September and October 1959 respectively; they were initially given GMDD 800 and 801. Both were sold to industry. #A1811 passed through a succession of owners. It was first sold to Electric Reduction Company (ERCO) in May 1961 as their #89; ERC sold it to S.G. Paikin through Malcolm Black Equipment Ltd, equipment dealers, in October 1972, who in turn sold it to Limestone Products in October 1973 as their #3-6902. It was sold once more to Malcolm Black Equipment Ltd in September 1979, who resold it in February 1980 to Raritan River Steel of (

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

) as their #3. It didn't last there, returning to Canada again through Malcolm Black Equipment Ltd and being rebuilt by Peacock Bros. of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

before passing in January 1981 to Hudson Bay Oil & Gas in Kaybob,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

as their #3. Hudson Oil & Gas became

Dome Petroleum Dome Petroleum Limited was a Calgary-based oil and gas company. Founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of the Toronto company Dome Mines Limited, Dome was built by Jack Gallagher, who remained with the company until 1983. In 1988 Dome was purchased by ...

and then

Amoco Amoco () is a brand of fuel stations operating in the United States, and owned by BP since 1998. The Amoco Corporation was an American chemical and oil company, founded by Standard Oil Company in 1889 around a refinery in Whiting, Indiana, a ...

Canada Petroleum, for whom the locomotive remains () operable. #A1812, meanwhile, was purchased by contracting firm Guy F. Atkinson Company as their #28151. It was re-gauged to gauge and shipped to

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

for the building of the

Mangla Dam The Mangla Dam ( ur, ) is a multipurpose dam situated on the Jhelum River in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir. It is the sixth-largest dam in the world. The village of Mangla, which sits at the mouth of the dam, serves as its namesake. I ...

, where it still resides.

References

GMDH-1 B-B locomotives Experimental locomotives Diesel locomotives of Canada Diesel locomotives of Brazil Diesel locomotives of Pakistan Preserved diesel locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1956 Standard gauge locomotives of Canada 5 ft 6 in gauge locomotives Diesel-hydraulic locomotives B′B′ locomotives {{Loco-stub

See also

References