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  • U30B 2858/2859

  • Discussion relating to the NYC and subsidiaries, up to 1968. Visit the NYCS Historical Society for more information.
Discussion relating to the NYC and subsidiaries, up to 1968. Visit the NYCS Historical Society for more information.

Moderator: Otto Vondrak

 #164927  by Allen Hazen
 
Does anyone have a photo of one of these units? They were the two U30B delivered to NYC in 1967 that were temporarily uprated to 3300 hp (as a test before introducing the U33 models), and I'm curious about the sheet-metal configuration around their radiators. In particular: did the raised radiator section have a flat front (as on most production U33 and U36), or did it have a "streamlined" fairing, sloping down to normal roof level somewhere near the stack (as on at least some of GE's test-demo set 301-304, and as shown in the drawings that GE provided the press)?
(Also posted to PC forum.)

 #165127  by NYC-BKO
 
Allen,
These were delivered with the radiator flaring, there are pictures in the book 'Diesel Locomotives of the New York Central System' by Edson, Vail & Smith. Anyhow they look like a regular U33B w/ the flaring but the intake grill is flush with the carbody under the radiators not raised corrugated like on later ones. These were field test U33's, when they lost the flaring it doesn't say, I thought it did, but the Central did derate them shortly after the testing to 3000 HP so they blended in with the U30's

 #170082  by Allen Hazen
 
Brian--
Thanks!
(Sorry to take so long-- I haven't been checking the site regularly.)
Are you sure they DID lose the flare? I know they were de-rated to 3000 hp, but they could have kept the original radiator housing when operated at the lower rating.

 #359756  by Allen Hazen
 
Photos-- taken by William Brandon in 1976-- of the 2858 have recently been added to the Penn Central section of George Elwood's "Fallen Flags" railphoto site:
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/

They show that the front of the radiator compartment was "streamlined," as on GE's test-demo units 301-304, and not vertical as on production U33/U36 units.