| Built on 29 August 1942 as U.S. Army 7953, this little loco was one of only 11 Model 40 diesel-electric switchers built by the Electro-Motive Corporation and its successor, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. Built between August 1940 and April 1943, each 4-wheel unit weighed between 40 and 44 tons and was powered by two 150HP Detroit Diesel Model 6-71 truck engines. It looks like serial number 2285 spent its entire life in southeast Louisiana. Known owners included the Gulf South Warehouse Co. in New Orleans (which may have been its original assignment for the U.S. Army), American Creosote at Southport, and the Green Brothers' Coastal Sand & Gravel operation at Lacombe, where it was photographed in derelict condition. |