i remember them on the NYC back in the 60's just prior to the merger. we had a bunch of the 4 axle units and they rode mighty rough. i don't know how anyone could stay in thier seat without the arm rests. on jointed rail, they tossed you from side to side like a camel with a bad limp. they did sound pretty neat though, sort of like an old john deere tractor-pop pop pop
grizlump
In the context of what we call Uboats yes they were built from 1960 to 1976. The GE Universal Series of locomotives was truly a global undertaking of dieselization by General Electric and its licensees. The Universal Series was built from 1956 to 1998 and started out as a series of export locomotives. The first XP24 demonstrators, what we would call a U25B were built in April of 1959. General Electric gained valuable experience from its export business to be able to take on ALCO and rapidly gain market share abroad before it launched the Universal Series in the United States. After General Electric ceased domestic marketing of the Universal Series they were still marketed, sold and sometimes manufactured abroad.
Ed
jrbernier The GE 'Universal' series of locomotives were produced from 1960 through 1976. In 1977, the were replaced with the very similar '-7' series of locomotives. That Finger Lakes engine looks a lot like a B23-7 locomotive. Just about every major Class 1 railroad sampled the GE line in the 60's Even the then 'All EMD' CB&Q bought 6 U25B locomotives, and later purchased U28B, U30B, U23C, U25C, & U30C locomotives for itself and subsidiary C&S. When I worked for the CB&Q in the late 60's, we had a lot of the 4 axle GE's on the La Crosse Sub. They ran fine, but the cabs were noisy. They had a rather huge '1/2 Notch' throttle with 16 positions rather then the EMD 8 position throttle. GE later gave up on that throttle part way through U30B/C production and replaced it with a standard 8 notch throttle mid-production. The GE FDL engine also had a 'chugging' sound when working hard, but never produced as much exhaust smoke as an Alco! Jim
The GE 'Universal' series of locomotives were produced from 1960 through 1976. In 1977, the were replaced with the very similar '-7' series of locomotives. That Finger Lakes engine looks a lot like a B23-7 locomotive. Just about every major Class 1 railroad sampled the GE line in the 60's Even the then 'All EMD' CB&Q bought 6 U25B locomotives, and later purchased U28B, U30B, U23C, U25C, & U30C locomotives for itself and subsidiary C&S.
When I worked for the CB&Q in the late 60's, we had a lot of the 4 axle GE's on the La Crosse Sub. They ran fine, but the cabs were noisy. They had a rather huge '1/2 Notch' throttle with 16 positions rather then the EMD 8 position throttle. GE later gave up on that throttle part way through U30B/C production and replaced it with a standard 8 notch throttle mid-production. The GE FDL engine also had a 'chugging' sound when working hard, but never produced as much exhaust smoke as an Alco!
Jim
Hi! U-Boats were found in all types of service. Here in NJ, in 1971, 32 were purchased by the state for use on Erie-Lackawanna commuter lines. They were chosen because they could be used in freight service when not needed for commuter service. They were 6 axle U34CH models (actually a version of a U36C) and they could pull any commuter train that was put behind them. They were equipped with Head End Power (HEP) for supplying power to the passenger coaches. The alternator for the HEP ran directly off of the prime mover. Thus, when in commuter service they would run in constant speed (run 6 I believe) even when standing still. With the flick of a switch they would become true U36C and operate normally. They were used in freight service on weekends when they started their careers but some would not be back in time for Monday morning rush hour so their freight careers ended early. One of my favorite memories of these locomotives was being in the cab of one and seeing a hand drawn "Depth Gauge" ( in keeping with the "U-Boat" theme) painted on the HEP control panel! They spent most of their lives in commuter service and were retired without ever really being used for freight service.
If you want to know who originally had U-boats, look here: http://www.thedieselshop.us/GEMOD.HTML. This link also has information on dash 7's, dash 8's, dash 9's, AC 4400/6000, and GEVO's in case anyone is interested.
If you go to the following link, you'll find what appears to be current rosters for the remaining class 1 railroads: http://www.thedieselshop.us/INDEXCLSS.html
And if you are interested in preserved diesels, GE and the other brands, you can look here: http://www.thedieselshop.us/PRSVD.html
Hope this information is helpful.
Regards
jrbernier The GE 'Universal' series of locomotives were produced from 1960 through 1976. In 1977, the were replaced with the very similar '-7' series of locomotives. That Finger Lakes engine looks a lot like a B23-7 locomotive.
The GE 'Universal' series of locomotives were produced from 1960 through 1976. In 1977, the were replaced with the very similar '-7' series of locomotives. That Finger Lakes engine looks a lot like a B23-7 locomotive.
You're right, Jim. I'm easily fooled, as there were no U-boats operating in Canada, but it certainly looked kinda U-boatish to me. The FB trucks shoulda been a hint, I guess.
Wayne
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
The following books published by Kalmbach (as in our host) remain as key for locomotive identification:
The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide by Jerry Pinkepank
The Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide by Louis A. Marre.
It is not difficult to find more information on-line, either. The following site has a search engine where you can select the locomotive type from a drop-down menu and then go to photos of that locomotive type (all of the various U-boats are shown):
http://www.railpictures.net/
Bill
As far as I know, the Finger Lakes Railway is still using U-boats.
Here are a couple of photos taken there last year:
Here's a list of GE locomotives, and another link to original owners of the U-28CG. If you click on any model listed further down the page, it'll give you a list of original owner of that particular model.
The clock has sprung foward for a change, insted of backwards for me. Now, I really like the GE U-boats. Unfortunately, other than some information I got off of some U-boat downloads for Micro Soft Train Simulator, I have no clue about anything for the U-boats. Can anyone give me clarification as to what railroads owned them, and what service they saw? Also, Can anyone tell me if any of them are still in service, and, if so, where could be a good place to find them?