GE U23C

The 2300 horsepower GE U23C diesel-electric locomotive model was first offered by GE in 1968, and featured a V-type 12 cylinder version of the standard GE FDL diesel motor. Designed as a competitor to EMD's SD38 and SD39 series, it was intended for heavy transfer, drag and hump service where speed was not a priority. Other than six tall hood doors matching six power assemblies per side, there are very few features which distinguish the U23C from the U30C. The U30C has eight tall hood doors per side, a function of the V16 within.

GE U23C
MRS Logística No. 3632-6 at Itu, São Paulo in 2012
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder GE Transportation Systems GE do Brasil Model U23C Build date March 1968 – 1976 Total produced 223
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR C-C Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in), Brazil Prime mover GE FDL-12 Engine type V12 diesel Cylinders 12

A total of 73 units were built at Erie including 20 for export to Brazil. An additional 150 units were built by GE de Brazil from 1972 to 1976, some as kits supplied by GE.

Original owners

Railroad	Quantity	Numbers	Notes
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	20	7500-7519
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	9	460-468	to Burlington Northern 5200-5208
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad	5	2300–2304
Penn Central	19	6700-6718	to Conrail 6700-6718
Rede Ferroviária Federal S.A. (Brazil)	170	3801-3880, 3901-3990

Preservation

• LS&I #2300 is preserved at the Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It is the only known surviving example of a U23C in North America.

References

• Pinkepank, Jerry (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee: Kalmbach.

External links

• Media related to GE U23C locomotives at Wikimedia Commons
• Sarberenyi, Robert. GE U23C Original Owners