Feather River Canyon Announced

[thecanadianrail]

Incorrect or not, the vrc u-boats will look stunning running along the route!

[BNSF650]

Another one

12657884_10153354440368091_4947599711911651457_o.jpg

[ZekTheKid]

If I'm correct,the U-boats don't have the slightly flared radiators like a B36-7?

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

If I'm correct,the U-boats don't have the slightly flared radiators like a B36-7?

Correct, greater power meant a larger radiator was needed.

Here is some info on GE locomotive carbody "phases" : http://trainiax.net/mephase-geub.php
or here: http://www.trainweb.org/jaydeet/u30b.htm

[JerryC]

Actually, here's a better one...

http://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/thr ... guide-u30c

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

Actually, here's a better one...

http://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/thr ... guide-u30c

From the article you linked:
"The GE U30C was one of the earliest successes from General Electric in the diesel market. With 600 units sold, the U30C proved to be a viable alternative for customers who were unable to purchase SD40s or SD40-2s from Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD).

Was that because of GE having easier/better lease conditions? I thought both GE and EMD were aggressively pursuing locomotive orders, with favourable trade in options etc.

That's how WP ended up with GE U30B's on trucks traded in from worn out FT and F3 units. A wrong choice it proved, as the bigger GE traction motors barely fitted and WP's decision to maximise locomotive weight using extra ballast meant larger axle boxes needed to be used which had to be shoehorned into the Blomberg frames. The leased U30B's were retired from the roster as soon as the lease expired.

[ElphabaWS]

If I'm correct,the U-boats don't have the slightly flared radiators like a B36-7?

Correct, greater power meant a larger radiator was needed.

Here is some info on GE locomotive carbody "phases" : http://trainiax.net/mephase-geub.php
or here: http://www.trainweb.org/jaydeet/u30b.htm

As was covered in the Engine Driver article introducing the TS U30B, Western Pacific purchased its fleet of GE U30Bs over four individual orders and the units thus varied somewhat in details as GE's standard production treatment of the U30B evolved. The original order utilized the same carbody/radiator style as GEs predecessor U28Bs; the next two orders (and the majority of units owned by WP) utilized a carbody with a slightly enlarged/protruding radiator section (as was most commonly associated with the U30B); the last two units purchased by WP were ex-GE demonstrator units which had at various times been used by GE to test-bed its U30B, U33B, and U36B models, but the two units were reclassified as U30Bs when sold to WP.

[buzz456]

Actually, here's a better one...

http://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/thr ... guide-u30c

From the article you linked:
"The GE U30C was one of the earliest successes from General Electric in the diesel market. With 600 units sold, the U30C proved to be a viable alternative for customers who were unable to purchase SD40s or SD40-2s from Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD).

Was that because of GE having easier/better lease conditions? I thought both GE and EMD were aggressively pursuing locomotive orders, with favourable trade in options etc.

That's how WP ended up with GE U30B's on trucks traded in from worn out FT and F3 units. A wrong choice it proved, as the bigger GE traction motors barely fitted and WP's decision to maximise locomotive weight using extra ballast meant larger axle boxes needed to be used which had to be shoehorned into the Blomberg frames. The leased U30B's were retired from the roster as soon as the lease expired.

They originally bought them because EMD's lead time was so long.

[JerryC]

Exactly. The U28B and C were dogs as far as sales and not very reliable to boot. The U30 may have been GE's last effort at locomotive building had it not been for the EMD SD40. GM could not fill orders for it quick enough, so there was a large backlog. Railroads needing new power were forced to look elsewhere if the need was immediate, so being that the U30 was the current model, they were the logical choice.

As for the carbodies, I think GE was caught by surprise by sales of the U30. At first it was a simple turbocharger tweak to the U28 for another 200hp, so there was no need to change the body style. As sales picked up though, equipment changed and the body went through it's phases. By the time the units ended production in 1976, they were only a radiator flare away from being a C30-7.

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

Exactly. The U28B and C were dogs as far as sales and not very reliable to boot. The U30 may have been GE's last effort at locomotive building had it not been for the EMD SD40. GM could not fill orders for it quick enough, so there was a large backlog. Railroads needing new power were forced to look elsewhere if the need was immediate, so being that the U30 was the current model, they were the logical choice.

As for the carbodies, I think GE was caught by surprise by sales of the U30. At first it was a simple turbocharger tweak to the U28 for another 200hp, so there was no need to change the body style. As sales picked up though, equipment changed and the body went through it's phases. By the time the units ended production in 1976, they were only a radiator flare away from being a C30-7.

Were the U30, 33 and 36 series more reliable, and just as reliable as EMD's locomotives? The popular SD45 had its own share of problems.

And ALCo couldn't keep up with either, both in the horsepower and the reliability race? ALCo or rather MLW only stayed in business a while longer because of subsidised Canadianl locomotive orders?

... drifting off topic, I know ...

[awaken1977]

There are lot of talks about VRC - Is U30B in this add-on developed by VRC team?

[JerryC]

I hear and read a lot that U-boats were unreliable. I even have personal experience with the recalcitrant (and rectifer dead) U30C that I recorded sounds from. But I guess the proof is in the prototype. There about five U30's left in actual day-to-day railroad operations, but you see SD40-2's all over the place on a daily basis. Then again, the SD40's sold a lot more units.

For the second posting, VRC does not have ties to Dovetail Games. The VRCX/WP U30B's are completely separate from the FR Route being released by DTG.

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

I hear and read a lot that U-boats were unreliable. I even have personal experience with the recalcitrant (and rectifer dead) U30C that I recorded sounds from. But I guess the proof is in the prototype. There about five U30's left in actual day-to-day railroad operations, but you see SD40-2's all over the place on a daily basis. Then again, the SD40's sold a lot more units.

And being lease units, they were run into the ground by the railroads. Most looked rather ratty by the time their lease expired. I suppose GE took most back and re-used parts like running gear in the new locomotives and sold the rest for scrap.

[buzz456]

Does any of this have anything to do with the upcoming Feather River?

[ZekTheKid]

I was just wondering if the loco was a U-boat or a B36-7,cause I never knew the difference till' now and never knew the WP roster.