CNJ1000 The First Diesel Locomotive

Central of New Jersey No. 1000, the first commercial diesel locomotive, has received a cosmetic restoration. (B&O Railroad Museum)

The idea of combining an internal combustion engine with electrical generation for motive power found its first success in Central Railroad of New Jersey No. 1000. The 300 hp locomotive was introduced a century ago in October 1925. Today, it is preserved at the B&O Railroad Museum. B&O Railroad Museum

The diesel-electric railroad locomotive arrived at an opportune time in the 1920s. Steam power was labor intensive, dirty, and had expandability challenges. It would be discovered that the maintenance forces for diesel-electric locomotives were a fraction of those required for steam power. Coal created smoke and cinders, which many municipalities began to dislike. Additionally, the only significant steam power increases could be had through larger boilers, meaning additional weight that taxed railroad infrastructure.

As the industrial uses of internal combustion engines took off, the light bulb literally turned on at GE that the locomotive, independent of catenary lines and third rails, could house its own power plant. Then, through the use of an alternator, the mechanical energy generated by the [internal combustion engine] — in this case a diesel engine — could be converted to electrical energy that could drive the traction motors on the train’s wheels.

GE Demonstrator No. 9681 — CNJ No. 1000 — did yeoman’s work in the Bronx yard, and although noticed in the railroad community, its success did not spread quickly. Slowly the locomotive built a reputation for maneuverability and cost-effective operation. Other railroads took notice and began investing in this new power. The demands of World War II tipped the scales, with those roads that could order diesel-electric units doing so. The end of the steam era was not far off.