Reading OE-10 #79 at Gordon
The Reading class OE-10 applies to both VO-1000 and early DS4-4-1000 end cab switchers. While the majority of the switchers on the Reading where concintrated in the Philadelphia area, the OE-10’s were seen in all parts of the railroad including the Shamokin Division.
The first pair of VO-1000’s #80-81 arrived in August of 1940 and had ovel grills like they early VO-660’s.
Reading OE-10 #80 at Shamokin, PA
The next VO-1000’s to arrive looked very muck alike. They had curved walkway boards, point radaitor grills in the front and single exhaust stacks near the cab.
Reading OE-10 #78
In September of 1944 the Reading received #55-59, their last of their VO-1000’s from Baldwin. They differed from the earlier VO’s by having square cornered walkways.
Reading OE-10 #57 is an example of the later car body style for the VO-1000
Reading OE-10 #56
The next group to be delievered #34-36 were amoung the first group of DS4-4-1000’s to be built. According to the Baldwin book they were built with parts left over from the VO production. The #35 has a VO radiator.
Reading OE-10 DS4-4-1000 with a VO front end
The rest of the DS4-4-1000’s had flat radiators. The DS4-4-1000’s were delievered with four exhaust stacks.
During the war Baldwin had found that the exhaust back-pressure could be reduced with the four stack exhaust and it reduced the heat the generator was subjected to increasing its efficiency. Restrictions from the War Production Board prohibited making the change during the war to the VO-1000’s. After the war Baldwin recommended that the change be made to the VO-1000’s Reading did that to some of their locomotives during later overhauls.
Reading OE-10 DS-4-4-1000 #32
A table of the OE-10 Class Locomotives
| No. | Built | Model | Notes | Engine House Assignment | Photos on this Site | Photo Online |
| 80 | Aug-40 | VO-1000 | Oval Grills | G | ||
| 81 | Aug-40 | VO-1000 | Oval Grills | |||
| 82 | Oct-42 | VO-1000 | FF, | |||
| 83 | May-43 | VO-1000 | StC | FF, | ||
| 84 | May-43 | VO-1000 | StC | |||
| 85 | May-43 | VO-1000 | ||||
| 71 | Jun-43 | VO-1000 | WJ | |||
| 72 | Jun-43 | VO-1000 | ||||
| 73 | Jun-43 | VO-1000 | FF, | |||
| 74 | Nov-43 | VO-1000 | ||||
| 75 | Nov-43 | VO-1000 | EA | FF, | ||
| 76 | Jan-44 | VO-1000 | ||||
| 77 | Jan-44 | VO-1000 | ||||
| 78 | Jan-44 | VO-1000 | FF, | |||
| 79 | Jan-44 | VO-1000 | G | FF, | ||
| 89 | Jan-44 | VO-1000 | ||||
| 86 | Mar-44 | VO-1000 | ||||
| 87 | Mar-44 | VO-1000 | FF, | |||
| 88 | Mar-44 | VO-1000 | ||||
| 55 | Sep-44 | VO-1000 | ||||
| 56 | Sep-44 | VO-1000 | DC | FF, | ||
| 57 | Sep-44 | VO-1000 | FF, | |||
| 58 | Sep-44 | VO-1000 | G | FF, | ||
| 59 | Sep-44 | VO-1000 | EA | FF, | ||
| 34 | Jun-46 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine, VO parts | EA | Photo, FF, | |
| 35 | Jun-46 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine, VO parts | WJ | FF, | |
| 36 | Jun-46 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine, VO parts | |||
| 37 | Jul-46 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine | FF, | ||
| 38 | Aug-46 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine | FF, | ||
| 39 | Aug-46 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine | |||
| 26 | Apr-47 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine | |||
| 27 | May-47 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine | |||
| 28 | Aug-47 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine | |||
| 29 | Aug-47 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine | FF, | ||
| 30 | Aug-47 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine | |||
| 31 | Sep-47 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine | FF, | ||
| 32 | Sep-47 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine | FF, | ||
| 33 | Sep-47 | DS4-4-1000 | 608NA Engine |
References:
Diesel Era – 1996 March/April – Reading’s Repowered Switchers.
Diesel Era – 1998 March/April – Reading’s First-Generation Diesels by by Paul K. Withers
Reading Diesels Volume 1 The First Generation – by Dale Woodland
Photograph’s from George Losse Collection scaned from negatives.