ATSF GE U23C 7513 at Denver, Colorado, December 18, 1971. Photographer: Bruce Black.
(Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalrailartist/50982243181/)
GE U23C DIESEL-ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
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.
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.
Burlington Northern GE U23C 5201 at Sheridan, Wyoming, October 8, 1972. Photographer: Bruce Black.
This unit is still in the Burlington's final pre-merger paint scheme that it was delivered with. It was built as CB&Q 461 in April, 1969,
as part of a single nine unit order. Only 53 U23C's were built for the US domestic market. Most production went to export in Brazil.
(Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalrailartist/50936296371/)
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 |
Burlington Northern GE U23C 5202 at Lincoln, Nebraska, May 19, 1973. Photographer unknown.
(Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalrailartist/50935946483/)
Preservation
• LS&I No. 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.
AT&SF GE U23C 7506 at La Junta, Colorado, September 2, 1973. Photographer: Ed Fulcomer.
General Electric built 223 U23C’s between 1968 and 1973, but 170 of those were exported to Brazil.
Santa Fe had the largest domestic fleet, with just 20 units, followed by Penn Central with 19.
The Burlington picked up nine, and five went to the Lake Superior & Ishpeming. There were no other customers.
(Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalrailartist/50918582013/)
Overview
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
MRS Logística No. 3632-6 at Itu, São Paulo, Brazil in 2012.
(Amauri Aparecido Zardeto from Itu, Brasil, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
