Diesel (1940s-1950s)

In 1941, the Central Vermont Railroad acquired its first diesel-electric engine. Both the abandonment of steam power and the embrace of modern aesthetics ushered in radically different engine designs.

Seen below is an engine leased from the Canadian National Railroad. The elaborate mechanics of the steam powered engine have disappeared, including that defining smokestack. The engine has lost its tubular shape and taken on a more rectangular, streamlined form. The distinctive circular shape of at the front of the engine has been replaced by a more modern cabin with windows. The wheels are not as prominent and are partially obscured beneath the car. This design more closely resembles the railroad passenger cars used today.

1950s Engine: Image courtesy of Robert C. Jones, The Central Vermont Railway: A Yankee Tradition, 1981