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Chicago Great Western Diesel Roster

The Chicago Great Western diesel roster was a mix of EMD and Alco power for first generation power (along with an order of 10 Baldwin DS44-1000 switchers), although the railroad tended to stick with EMD for its second-generation power. For a complete/all-time Chicago Great Western diesel roster please click here. This list of surviving CGW diesel locomotives will be categorized by original numbers the railroad assigned its units and where they are today, whether in operation, cosmetically restored, or in some state of preservation at railroad museums and tourist railroads. Also, just as something to keep in mind if you are not aware, while some locomotives may be painted/preserved in CGW colors this does not necessarily mean that they are of CGW heritage (and likewise, some locomotives may be of CGW heritage that are not in CGW colors).

The Chicago Great Western is one of the lesser-recognized fallen flags because of its small size and the fact that among most of the other granger roads it was a David among Goliaths. Altogether the railroad consisted of less than 1,500 miles of trackage serving Chicago and points northwest and southwest including St. Paul/Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City. However, what the railroad lacked in size it more than made up for in customer service.

Always the innovator the CGW was constantly looking to streamline operations and not only find new customers but also retain the ones it already served. Alas, however, the railroad would succumb to the economics of a region so overpopulated with railroad tracks that by the 1960s demand was no longer able to support supply and the CGW merged with the Chicago and North Western in the late 1960s to save itself from a gloomy fate, such as what would happen with neighbor Rock Island roughly ten years later.

Electro-Motive Division (EMD)

· EMD TR2B #65-B: In operation on the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad as C&NW #1103.

· EMD FP7 #116A: Preserved by the Hub City Heritage Corporation as CGW #116A.

Of note, at least two former CGW diesel-rail cars survive in Arizona, #1000 and #1007.

Also, it should be noted that some former Chicago Great Western switcher and road units continue to remain in some state of operation and in active revenue service with Regionals, shortlines, and/or leasing companies. To learn more about the disposition of these locomotives please click here to visit The Diesel Shop.

While this list will continually be updated it certainly does not completely cover every surviving unit, which was on the Chicago Great Western diesel roster. So, if you know of any other survivors out there, whether they are parked and gleaming in a museum or sitting out in the weeds along a forgotten siding please let me know so we can keep this list growing, and you will be given full credit for your help.

For more reading and history on the Great Western you might want to consider The Corn Belt Route: A History of the Chicago Great Western Railroad Company by author H. Roger Grant, which gives an excellent and quite detailed history of the railroad. If you are a fan or historian of the CGW, or simply would just like to learn more about it, you will very likely enjoy this book.

You may also want to consider the book Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive by author J. Parker Lamb. As the title implies the book looks at the history and development of the diesel locomotives, covering 200 pages, from its earliest beginnings to the newest designs and models operated today. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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