Guatemala Diesel Locomotives – Draft Roster compiled by Dan Robirds

(Info supplied by John West, Bruce Pier, Buffalo Bob, Doug van Veelen, Steve Palmano and others. Limited information extracted from an unpublished roster created by John Kirchner and David Braun, via P.A. Copeland.)

IRCA to 1968, FEGUA to 1996, operated by FVM(RDC) to 2007, now FEGUA (no operations)

1 4wh G/M Baldwin 1927
Polochic Banana Co. 1; to IRCA; to FEGUA
Not listed on 1997 or 2003 inventory

298 4wh G/M 16T Whitcomb 1929
Polochic Banana Co. 3; to IRCA 3; to FEGUA 298
Not listed on 1997 or 2003 inventory

299 4wh D/M 6T Davenport 1934
W.R. Grace & Co.; to IRCA; to FEGUA
Not listed on 1997 or 2003 inventory

306-307 25 ton type GE
Nov 1997 inventory shows as needing repair – Lists weight as "50 pounds" (100,000 pounds?) and 27.22 metric tonnes (60,000 pounds) – actual weight?
2001 photo
Aug 2003 inventory, listed incorrectly as U3B
Former Bandegua or CAG?
Per their website, 306 has been added to the museum collection

309 55-65T type GE(Cat?)
Nov 1997 inventory shows as needing repair – Lists weight as "30 pounds" (30,000 pounds?) and 45.36 metric tonnes (100,000 pounds) – actual weight?
2001 photo
August 2003 inventory, listed incorrectly as U3B
GE records show 62 tons 308-309 with Cat engines built early 1969 as United Fruit – Central America 308-309 may be these engines - Former Bandegua, CAG or Tela?
Per their website, 309 has been added to the museum collection

600-605 C+B+C GE(Alco) 1950
Not used in regular service until labor issues settled in 1954
Originally owned/lettered CAG, leased to IRCA
All scrapped by 1997 (not listed on inventory)

606-611 C+B+C GE(Alco) 1956
Originally owned/lettered CAG, leased to IRCA
Nov 1997 inventory – incorrectly lists "600" only as derelict/scrap, all others scrapped
Aug 2003 inventory – only 606 listed, listed incorrectly as U5B
Now preserved in museum

700-704 50 ton GE(Cat) 1956
Nov 1997 inventory – lists as needing repair
700 operating in 1998
700 and 704 photo in 2001
Aug 2003 inventory – 700-704, 700 operative, listed incorrectly as U7B
Per their website, 700 has been added to the museum collection

705-706 50 ton GE(Cat) 1956
Originally lettered for El Salvador lines
To FENADESAL
Not on 1997 or Aug 2003 FEGUA inventory
No evidence seen in 2015/2016 videos/photos at FENADESAL

800-801 GA8 EMD 1960
EMD Demonstrators – resold circa 1961 to CyZ 800-801
Not on 1997 or 2003 inventory, no photos found after early 1960s

802-803 U6B GE(Cat) 1960 (re-engined 1962)
GE Demonstrators (as IRCA 802-803) – purchased by IRCA Dec 1961
Rebuilt to U8B at Guatemala City shops using Cat D398 engines supplied by GE 1962
Photos of 803 show hood changed to U5B/U8B style and cast floating bolster trucks
802 reported sold to FENADESAL, no known evidence yet found of this engine after rebuild
803 on Nov 1997 inventory, listed as needing repair
803 on Aug 2003 inventory, listed as U8B

815 45 ton GE(Cummins) 1951 (aqd. before 1968?)
Originally Southern Clay 453 (Georgia); to IRCA; to FEGUA
Not listed on 1997 or 2003 FEGUA inventory, no photos found

851-866 GA8 EMD 1965
Assigned primarily El Salvador – to FENADESAL
Not listed on 1997 or 2003 FEGUA inventory
Per videos of last 5 years, FENADESAL 851*, 853, 858*, 860, 862*, 864, 866 exist (*operable)
(It appears the shop complex and San Salvador is now an operating national railroad museum, and presumably most of the remaining rail equipment is there. There is an unidentified GA8 with the hood removed, plus 290 which appears to be of European origin, maybe more?)

900-916 U10B B&W(GE/Cat) 1971
Nov 1997 inventory – 900, 904, 906, 911, 914, 915 listed as derelict/scrap condition; others in need of repair
902 operating in 1998
On Aug 2003 inventory, listed as GE U10B, 914 & 915 not listed, 901,902,913,916,917 operative

1000-1009 MX620 BBD(MLW/GE) 1982
Nov 1997 inventory – all listed in need of repair
On Aug 2003 inventory, listed as Alco MX-620, 1002, 1006, 1008, 1009 operative



Compania de Desarrollo Bananero de Guatemala, S.A.(Bandegua) at Bananero (now a Del Monte subsidiary, was this ever United Fruit or Standard Fruit?)

302-303 50 ton GE(Cat) 1952 (aqd by 1967)
Originally United Fruit – Chiriqui Land Co.
303 in service 1983 with bowed frame

314 76 ton C-C GE(Alco) 1957 (aqd 1981)
built as US Army 3000, tested on D&RGW, sold to White Pass & Yukon 81, used as Skagway switcher, retired 1980; sold to BANDEGUA on 02 Feb 1981
Reported scrapped by 2005


Standard Fruit Company (aka "Dole")
Operations ceased soon after banana plantation on west coast severely damage by a hurricane in November 1961.

Roster?



United Fruit Company – Compania Agricola de Guatemala (at Tiquisate)

600-611 – leased to IRCA and originally lettered CAG, later sold to IRCA?
606-611 are listed in GE records as being purchased by Maritrop Trading Co. (then and still a United Fruit Co. subsidiary often use for purchasing) for IRCA. 700-704 are listed as being purchased by Maritrop Trading Co. on the same order (but does not specify for whom), the 705-706 have the added note for "El Salvadore" and were on a later order number (built/delivered with 700-704).

I don't know of any diesels specifically for CAG, yet they were supposed to be doing their own switching and had a 90 mile plantation rail operation – did they rely solely on steam until closed in 1964?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2016 11:00AM by Dan Robirds.