Lithograph, Maine Central 2000 H.P. Diesel Passenger Locomotive, circa 1950
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Artifact Overview
From 1941 to 2005, General Motors produced diesel-electric locomotives through its Electro-Motive Division (EMD) subsidiary, headquartered in La Grange, Illinois. This lithograph features a 2,000-horsepower EMD E7A locomotive leading a Maine Central Railroad passenger train. Diesel locomotives required less maintenance and fewer crew members than their steam counterparts, which led to their widespread adoption after World War II.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Poster
Date Made
circa 1950
Subject Date
circa 1950
Creators
Creator Notes
Artwork by Ben Dedek.
Collection Title
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
85.15.1.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Lithography
Color
Multicolored
Dimensions
Height: 26 in
Width: 17 in
Inscriptions
Print reads under image: 2000 H.P. Diesel Passenger Locomotive. Designed and built by Electro-Motive Division, General Motors, La Grange, Illinois.
Artist name in lower right corner: Ben Dedek
Printed top center: General Motors Locomotive
Printed on locomotive: Maine Central
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Related Content
SetDiesel-Electric Locomotives
- 9 Artifacts
The diesel-electric locomotive offered many advantages over its steam-powered counterpart. It needed less maintenance, used less fuel and could be operated with a smaller crew. It also didn't require expensive support structures like roundhouses, coaling towers and water tanks. After World War II, the "dieselization" of American railroads was rapid. Of the 21,000 new locomotives bought between 1945 and 1955, fully 95 percent were diesel-electric.