One of the order ten new GE BQ23-7, Seaboard Coast Line No. 5135 is at Chadbourn, NC, April 6, 1980.
The large cab is designed for full crew quarters eliminating the need for a caboose in some applications such as branch line service.
Photo by Warren Calloway.
(Audio-Visual Designs, Earlton, NY, Public domain, via W. Lenheim Collection.)
GE BQ23-7 DIESEL-ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
The GE BQ23-7 was a model of diesel locomotive manufactured by General Electric, a variant of the B23-7 built between 1978 and 1979 (the 'Q' stood for "crew Quarters"). Mechanically identical to a regular B23-7, but equipped with an enlarged operating cab for accommodating the train crew, thus making a case for eliminating the caboose from the rear of freight trains. SCL No. 5130-5139 were the only ones built. Following a practice dating back to ACL and SAL U30Bs of 1967, SCL's 10 BQ23-7s and 30 standard B23-7s were delivered riding on reconditioned Blomberg trucks from EMD trade-ins.
Only ten were built, all for the Seaboard Coast Line railroad, (originally No.5130–5139). CSX later inherited these locomotives, operating them into the late 1990s.
Sasdly, none of these locomotives survive today. All were scrapped in 2001.
Overview
Type and origin
Power type: Diesel-electric
Builder: General Electric
Build date: October 1978 to January 1979
Total produced: 10
Specifications
Configuration:
• AAR B-B
Gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Trucks: Blomberg B
Prime mover: 7FDL12
Aspiration: Turbocharged
Generator: GE GY27
Traction motors: GE 752AF (4)
Cylinders: 12
Gear ratio: 83:20
Performance figures
Maximum speed: 70 mph (113 km/h)
Power output: 2,250 hp (1,677.82 kW)
Career
Operators: Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, Seaboard System, CSX Transportation
Numbers: SCL: 5130-5139 / CSXT: 3000-3009
Nicknames: "Busses"; "Aegis Cruisers"
Locale: eastern United States
Scrapped: 2001
Disposition: all scrapped