LINCOLN SAND & GRAVEL #44

Builder: Davenport Locomotive Works
Build Date: 1940
Type: 44 Tonner
Status: Display

Lincoln Sand & Gravel No. 44 was built by the obscure Davenport Locomotive Works of Davenport, Iowa in 1940 for the John Morrell Meatpacking Company in Ottumwa, Iowa.

The 44 is one of only seven 44 Tonner type diesel locomotives that were built to this design. Intended for small industrial switching operations, the 44 spent the first few years of its life moving refrigerator cars (special boxcars designed for carrying perishable goods like meat) around the Morrell plant.

After a few years of working in Ottumwa, No. 44 was sold to the Lincoln Sand & Gravel Company in Lincoln, Illinois, who used it to switch hopper cars around at their quarry on the south side of town. In 1975, the locomotive was donated to the museum and placed into service pulling our excursion trains. Around this time, it received a temporary red, white and blue paint job to celebrate America’s bicentennial. For the next decade and a half, No. 44 continued to see frequent service at the museum. However, in the early 1990s, it was retired and placed on display due to mechanical issues and its inability to pull longer trains.

Today, No. 44 is usually displayed at the museum’s Nelson Crossing depot, allowing visitors to get an up close view of this unique locomotive.