GENERAL ELECTRIC U25B DIESEL ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE - BOWSER EXECUTIVE DCC/SOUND
Brief history.
The General Electric U25B was a 2.500 horsepower diesel locomotive built to match EMD's GP-35. Was the first commercially successful domestic diesel-electric road locomotive designed, built, and sold by General Electric after its split with the American Locomotive Company (ALCo). GE's universal Series locomotives began in 1956 and some 400 export locomotives were sold before the U25B was offered in the United States. The U25B was announced by General Electric as a domestic model on April 26, 1960. It was the first locomotive powered by GE's highly successful 12 cylinders FDL-16 engine (4-cycle). Rated at 2.500hp for U25B, this engine is still in use today with the most modern and powerful versions with an increased number of cylinders.
Of the 478 units produced, only 6 of these locomotives remain preserved in some American museums, including Conrail number 2510 (on show at National Railway Historical Society and preserved by The Great Northeastern Railroad Foundation, based in Glenmont, NY).
Specifications / Technical data
Builder: General Electric Company
Production: 1959-1966
Total production: 478
Conrail roster: 179
Wheel arrangement: B-B
Gauge: 4 ft 8,5 in
Loco weight: 252.000 lb
Lenght: 18,40 meters
Power: Fuel oil
Prime mover: GE FDL16 12 cylinder
Speed: 70 mph
Tractive effort: from 64.00 to 75.000 (max) lbs
GE U25B Conrail #2571 in former Erie Lackawanna color livery and CR patches (ex EL-2502)
GE U25B Conrail #2601 in blue paint (ex PRR/PC #2601)
Conrail #2571 unit.
Conrail inherited their 179 U25B's from Penn Central (former Pennsylvania Railroad, New Haven, and New York Central units), and Erie Lackawanna, assigning them series CR2500/CR-2685. U25b Conrail roster has been equipped with signal box installed on the hood left side. CR received all 27 of Erie Lackawanna's U25bs, which were purchased in two groups between September 1964 and September 1965. Although all were equipped with dynamic brakes and the 2.900 gallon fuel tank (common to all Conrail's U25bs). Conrail used its U25b roster on entire railway network. Many of these has been received the CR's blue dress since 1977. The latest U25b locomotives were taken out of service between 1984 and 1985.
GE U25B Conrail #2576 data
Road Number: 2576
Type: B-B diesel locomotive
Builder: General Electric
Built: 9/1964
CN: 35166
Disposition: 1432EL
Previous owner: Erie Lackawanna
Remarks:
Assignment:
GE U25B Conrail #2576 in ex-Erie Lackawanna color livery (ex EL-2507)
Bowser Executive Line GE U25b Conrail No.2576
Bowser proposed the replica of this locomotive in many variants. About Conrail were available some units in ex-Erie Lackawanna livery, in Penn Central black paint and Conrail blue color. CR-2576 (that has received the new blue livery in early 1978) took the ex-EL livery with CR stencils. The model is good, but some important details are missed. Of those, is the absence of the PRR style signal-box on the rights side of the hood certainly the most serious. Even the main details of the carts are missing, for example the speed-detector and sanding pipes. The AT Collection engine has received many of these details. The signal box is self-built.