GE U18B Discussion

[KSmitty]

I was reading through the forums and i just realized that the U-18-B's were riding on EMD trucks. Were they delivered this way and if they were what trade in power donated the trucks to the new locomotives?

[MEC407]

Yes, Maine Central's U18Bs were delivered with rebuilt EMD Blomberg trucks. The majority of SCL's U18Bs were delivered with Blombergs as well. Unfortunately I don't have any specifics about which retired EMD units those trucks came from.

[KSmitty]

Were the U18's the only GE locos on GRS with Blombergs? the D&H u23b's had the standard GE truck, and i think the alcos all had alco trucks, am i missing anything?

[MEC407]

Were the U18's the only GE locos on GRS with Blombergs? the D&H u23b's had the standard GE truck, and i think the alcos all had alco trucks, am i missing anything?

The U18Bs were the only EMD-trucked GEs that made it to Guilford. They also had a trio of ex-Conrail U33Bs, but those had regular GE trucks.

[mick]

I believe the trucks for the Maine Central U18B's came from traded-in EMD F-3's. They were the only U-Boats or Alco's on the Guilford roster with EMD trucks. At one time the Guilford combined roster included U18B, U23B, U25B, U33B, U30C, and U33C models from GE (along with a few 44 ton switchers). All GE units were retired from the Guilford roster in 1988, except for the 4 remaining U18B's,3 U23B's and a lone U30C. The U30C was retired in 1994 and scrapped in 1996. Two U18's and one U23 made it to 2001, when they were sold. One U18B was wrecked when it was set loose by vandals in Boston, travelling unmanned on it's own as far as Billerica, where it was routed onto a siding and tipped over, I believe that was in 1995.

[Noel Weaver]

Were the U18's the only GE locos on GRS with Blombergs? the D&H u23b's had the standard GE truck, and i think the alcos all had alco trucks, am i missing anything?

The U18Bs were the only EMD-trucked GEs that made it to Guilford. They also had a trio of ex-Conrail U33Bs, but those had regular GE trucks.

The Conrail U-33b's (junkers in this case) that were sold to Guilford had the standard GE trucks. The only GE's that Conrail
ever had with EMD trucks were the four U-36b's that were originally intended for the Auto Train I think. I believe that these
four locomotives also ended up with GE trucks eventually.
Most of the GP-40's that Guilford got from Conrail were good engines but the GE U-33b's were JUNK.
Noel Weaver

[Cowford]

Yes, Maine Central's U18Bs were delivered with rebuilt EMD Blomberg trucks. The majority of SCL's U18Bs were delivered with Blombergs as well.

If I recall correctly, MEC's U18Bs were not manufactured for MEC, but SCL. They cancelled the order on those units and MEC scooped 'em up. That said, I don't think their trucks were from traded-in MEC units. I was thinking that MEC's GP-38s had the trucks from their traded-in F-units.

[D.Carleton]

All of SCL's four motor U-series locomotives, U18B, U33B & U36B, were delivered on Bloomberg trucks from trade-in EMD F-units except the lightweight U18's (250-261) and the first two dozen 300 series U18's which came on the GE floating bolster trucks. The U30B's inherited from ACL and SAL on the eve of the merger also had Bloomberg trucks. I cannot speak to the origin of the MEC U18's but they do not appear to have been built to SCL specs, i.e. no headlight cluster on the low short hood.

[Allen Hazen]

I have certainly read somewhere that MEC's U18B were from a cancelled SCL order: perhaps the cancellation was early enough in the process to allow changes to the headlight specs? (But since I can't remember where I read it....)

Conrail's four U36B were originally built (for Auto-Train) with Blombergs, but I think CR insisted that GE re-truck them before delivery: I don't think they ever operated on Conrail with Blombergs.

[mick]

Yes, Maine Central's U18Bs were delivered with rebuilt EMD Blomberg trucks. The majority of SCL's U18Bs were delivered with Blombergs as well.

If I recall correctly, MEC's U18Bs were not manufactured for MEC, but SCL. They cancelled the order on those units and MEC scooped 'em up. That said, I don't think their trucks were from traded-in MEC units. I was thinking that MEC's GP-38s had the trucks from their traded-in F-units.

Ahhh yes....you are right. The GP38's had the trucks from traded-in F's, not the U18B's. I must have been thinking of B&M GP-18's. That reminds me of a student conductor who asked an engineer, "what kind of engine is this?" the engineer replied, "It's the kind you move the throttle out and it goes."

[Cowford]

oh, the crap I used to fill my brain with...

[Noel Weaver]

oh, the crap I used to fill my brain with...

YUP, me too!!!!
Noel Weaver

[D.Carleton]

I have certainly read somewhere that MEC's U18B were from a cancelled SCL order: perhaps the cancellation was early enough in the process to allow changes to the headlight specs? (But since I can't remember where I read it....)

That is entirely plausible. The Erie Lackawanna cancelled an order for U23B’s that wound up going to the L&N. Those units don’t fit the EL profile. Other differences between MEC and SCL: the box just above the rear headlight on SCL, the bell on the hood just behind the fireman’s side of the cab on MEC vs. under the frame just ahead of the fuel tank on the engineer’s side for SCL.

Conrail's four U36B were originally built (for Auto-Train) with Blombergs, but I think CR insisted that GE re-truck them before delivery: I don't think they ever operated on Conrail with Blombergs.

You've heard the analogy that a camel is a horse designed by committee? ConRail's early mechanical days follow this analogy. Since there were perceived problems with Amtrak's SDP40F's that centered on the HTC trucks CR ordered their SD40-2's and first SD50's with the older Flexcoil trucks. When GE offered the orphaned U36B's CR insisted they replace the Blomberg trucks with what's colloquially known as the ARR type B truck. I'm sure GE was well paid to make the modifications.

oh, the crap I used to fill my brain with...

What do you mean 'used to'?

[KSmitty]

So the MEC U-18B's were originally built for SCL, but then the MEC picked em up?
This would explain the Blomberg trucks.

[KSmitty]

All the MEC U-18-B'S were part of the independence class, why did the MEC do this?

MEC 400 General Henry Knox
MEC 401 Hannah Weston
MEC 402 General John Stark
MEC 403 General Peleg Wadsworth
MEC 404 Kenneth Roberts
MEC 405 Arundel
MEC 406 Colonel John Allan
MEC 407 Unity U18B
MEC 409 Ethan Allen

And is this list correct?