History
Locomotive 146 was built new for the Sacramento Northern by General Electric in November 1946. 146 is in Sacramento Northern class 142. It was one of seven 44-ton locomotives purchased by the Sacramento Northern after the California Public Utilities Commission adopted regulations making the continued operation of the third rail north of Sacramento no longer feasible. The reason to purchase 44-ton locomotives was the 90,000-pound rule in the 1937 labor contract with enginemen. This clause permitted railroads to operate locomotives below this weight without a fireman. The locomotive was retired by the Sacramento Northern on September 21, 1971. It was sold to Chrome Crankshaft, a locomotive broker. It was resold to the Northwest Oklahoma Railroad where it became their number 1 in 1974. Northwest Oklahoma Railroad sold 146 to the Feather River Railroad Society in 1996. Locomotive 146 was acquired by the Western Railway Museum from the Feather River Railroad Society on May 9, 2005.
