Help needed - GE 50 ton ng diesels

I am doing research on GE 50 ton narrow gauge diesels and desperately need help. These are the end cab units including SP#1 and the two from Panama now on the SVRR, not the center-cab steel mill units.

There were at least 13 orders for these 50/52 ton units designated by GE as B-B 100/100 4GE747 (or 104/104) 450/400 hp.

It has been confirmed that they were built for Southern Pacific, Chiriqui Land Co.* (Panama), IRCA (Gautemala), Northern Ry. of Costa Rica* and Manila RR (Philipines). (*multiple orders) THere is also information that they were built for Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Dutch Guiana (now Suriname); but I only have s/n and road numbers for the Venezuela units.

I recently realized there was an "extra" locomotive that does not match any of the records. Does anyone have information on the following?

Chiriqui Land Co. #56 (Northern Div.)

Chiriqui Land Co. (Northern Div.)/Bocas Fruit Co. #803

GE s/n 31143 built Aug 1952 (see photo in Centennial Treasury of GE Locos 2 or GE Industrail Locos books by Kerr, no lettering or number, caption says 31143 for Chiriqui Land Co.)

GE s/n 31146 built Aug 1952 (model? buyer?)

Thanks to Steve Peck, Steve Palmano, P.A. Copeland, Joe Dale Morris and John West for their assistance. (Joe Dale Morris is working on a new SPng book for this fall; Rich Yoder models is taking reservaations for brass O/On3/On30 model of SP#1 based on information from Joe Dale Morris and the engines at SVRR)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/2008 12:35PM by Dan Robirds.