Monon DS-50

Equipment History

The locomotive is a 600-horsepower SW1 diesel switcher that was built in 1942 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. It was the very first diesel locomotive on the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway, lending to the unit’s historic significance. It eventually found its way into private ownership with a long career in tourist railroad operations in the Hoosier State.

The locomotive was infamously “decapitated” in December 2018 while being transported by truck. The cab was completely destroyed after hitting a low bridge in Logansport, Indiana, where it sat for over two years awaiting disposition. The locomotive has been undergoing an extensive rebuild in the museum's shop.