GE U23B

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GE U23B
MEC 280, originally built as DH 301, was the first U23B built by GE in 1968. It is seen here working in Ayer, MA, in February 1993
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder GE Transportation Systems Model U23B Build date August 1968 – June 1977 Total produced 481
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Wheel diameter 40 in (1,000 mm) Length 60 ft 2 in (18.34 m) Width 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) Height 15 ft 4.5 in (4.69 m) Loco weight 242,000 lb (109,769 kg) Prime mover GE 7FDL-12 Cylinders 12
Performance figures Maximum speed 70 mph (113 km/h) Power output 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) Tractive effort 90,000 lb (41,000 kg)

The GE U23B was a 2,250 horsepower diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation from 1968 to 1977. It was one of the most successful models of the Universal Series, with 481 units built, including 16 exported to Peru. The U23B was replaced by the B23-7.

History[]

Featuring a 12 cylinder FDL engine, the U23B was a derivative of the U30B with a lower horsepower rating, producing 2,250 hp compared to the U30B's 3,000 hp.^[1]

A variant with 6 axles instead of 4 was produced, known as the U23C.

Original owners[]

Surviving locomotives[]

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Not many U23Bs still exist, but a few shortline and regional railroads still use them in everyday service. The Georgia Central Railway was one of the last U23B holdouts, rostering almost all of the remaining ex Southern Railway (U.S.) high short hood U23Bs. The Georgia Central as of July 2015 has all of its U23Bs off of the roster with the 3965 going to the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum in Oak Ridge, TN. Another U23B, CSX 9553, former L&N 2817, is preserved at the museum and is operable.

The Huntsville and Madison County Railroad Authority in Huntsville, AL, operates one of the last U23B's used in daily freight service, as of April 2020. HMCR 9554 was originally built in late 1974 as L&N 2800. The last U23B built, originally Conrail 2798, and more recently Providence and Worcester 2203, is in regular excursion service at the Naugatuck Railroad, operated by the Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston, Connecticut.

Western Rail Inc in Airway Heights, WA currently has a U23B that is leased out to other railroads. It is numbered NIWX 2204 and is a Northern Illinois and Wisconsin locomotive. RJ Corman operates at least one, Road Number 2300, after acquiring the Lehigh Railway short line in Northeast Pennsylvania.

CR 2798 was the last U23B built by GE in 1977, and the last Universal Series locomotive built for North American use. In this photo, it is leading a westbound train through Middlefield, Massachusetts, in June 1979.

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to GE U23B locomotives at Wikimedia Commons
• Sarberenyi, Robert. GE U23B Original Owners