Double Diesel, Part 2 • May 29, 1970
Doug Harrop Collection
Doug was a big fan of EMD - GE - Alco "double diesel" locomotives. He spent time trackside in the 1970s and 80s catching EMD DD35 and DDA40X series locomotives.
At some point, he acquired this Kodachrome slide of a factory fresh GE U50C model photographed at the Burlington Route shops in Cicero, Illinois. The photographer's name is not listed on the original slide.
Union Pacific acquired 40 U50Cs from GE between 1969 and 1971. The model was built with specifications to mirror EMD's production DDA40X model. The series were designed and built to power high priority UP freight trains.
Sadly, the U50C model was not successful. The weight saving measures to use six axle tracks (rather than eight) lead to stress cracking. Using aluminum wiring (rather than copper) in production lead to overheating and numerous electrical fires.
When traffic levels waned in the mid-1970s, the U50Cs were placed in storage. The series would never run again, and were retired from the roster and sold for scrap between 1977 and 1978.
Double Diesel, Part 2 • May 29, 1970
Doug Harrop Collection
Doug was a big fan of EMD - GE - Alco "double diesel" locomotives. He spent time trackside in the 1970s and 80s catching EMD DD35 and DDA40X series locomotives.
At some point, he acquired this Kodachrome slide of a factory fresh GE U50C model photographed at the Burlington Route shops in Cicero, Illinois. The photographer's name is not listed on the original slide.
Union Pacific acquired 40 U50Cs from GE between 1969 and 1971. The model was built with specifications to mirror EMD's production DDA40X model. The series were designed and built to power high priority UP freight trains.
Sadly, the U50C model was not successful. The weight saving measures to use six axle tracks (rather than eight) lead to stress cracking. Using aluminum wiring (rather than copper) in production lead to overheating and numerous electrical fires.
When traffic levels waned in the mid-1970s, the U50Cs were placed in storage. The series would never run again, and were retired from the roster and sold for scrap between 1977 and 1978.