EMD SW-8

Operational History

The SW-8 locomotive was manufactured by the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors from September 1950 to November 1953. A total of 303 units were produced. They came with an eight cylinder 567B 800 HP prime mover.

Our locomotive was built in February 1953 for the Wabash Railway carrying road number 130. After the Norfolk and Western merged with the Wabash Railway in 1964, it was renumbered to 3130. In 1982, the Norfolk and Western merged with the Southern Railway and the unit was again renumbered to 3730. The Norfolk Southern retired the SW8 in 1985 and sold it to the National Railway Equipment Company, a locomotive dealer. Pfizer Corporation of Groton, Connecticut purchased the locomotive and had it modified with a 567C, 900 hp, prime mover, along with updated electrical wiring. The locomotive was delivered to Pfizer in March 1991 and was sent to the paint shop to be repainted and renumbered to Number 2.

Museum History

A special transfer ceremony was held at Pfizer Corporation on March 19, 2002 where the locomotive was formally donated to the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum. The locomotive was delivered to the museum on Saturday March 23, 2002 by the New England Central Railroad. Later that same day a museum crew towed the locomotive onto museum property.