GE U34CH
Encyclopedia
The U34CH is a 3600hp passenger diesel locomotive built by General Electric
between 1970-73. In total, 33 U34CH units were built; 32 were built for the New Jersey Department of Transportation
and operated by the Erie Lackawanna Railway
, with the last unit coming as a later rebuild of a GE U30C
for the New York MTA
.
(NJ DOT) and operated by the Erie Lackawanna Railway
with new Pullman Standard push-pull
coaches. The units were intended to replace locomotives in suburban commuter service out of Hoboken, New Jersey
. The U34CH preceded the GE U36C
in GE's catalog. The U34CH was the first GE locomotive to use steel crowned pistons to develop 3600 hp and was the first commuter locomotive built with shaft driven HEP
-- that is, a HEP alternator driven by the locomotive prime mover rather than by a separate diesel. To provide HEP at the proper AC frequency the FDL-16 prime mover ran at a constant 900 RPM, so traction horsepower was 3430 minus whatever was going into HEP. (When not providing HEP the FDL-16 could produce 3600 traction horsepower at its usual 1050 RPM.) To show their NJ DOT ownership, the units were painted in a dark blue and silver paint scheme with NJ DOT logo and were often called "Bluebirds" by rail enthusiasts. The U34CHs on the weekends were sometimes used in Erie Lackawanna freight service, often being on freight duty from Saturday to Sunday and returning to commuter service Monday morning.
to be rebuilt. It returned painted in a Bicentennial paint scheme with Conrail lettering and the number 1776. The Conrail lettering and number 1776 did not last long. On December 2, 1976 the Conrail lettering was removed and the unit was renumbered 4151. The 4151 remained in its Bicentennial paint until March, 1978 when it was repainted into an incorrect NJ DOT paint scheme. The painters accidentally used the Erie Lackawanna hood unit masks, and thus the unit received a thinner silver stripe placed higher on the hood. The other U34CH units showed little change from their EL days and continued to operate on former EL lines out of Hoboken, New Jersey. They continued to wear their EL "Bluebird" paint scheme sans EL markings with their new numbers.
In 1978 one final U34CH was built for the New York MTA
(later Metro-North Railroad
) as part of their commitment to service to Port Jervis, New York
. This new U34CH, numbered 4183, was rebuilt from an accident-damaged former Chicago and North Western Railway
GE U30C
(C&NW number 934). It too was painted in the "Bluebird" paint scheme, but with an MTA logo on its nose.
took over all commuter rail operations in the State of New Jersey
. The U34CHs, having been owned by NJDOT, were conveyed to NJ Transit. Many of the U34CHs would remain in their "Bluebird" paint scheme with only a silver patch and NJ Transit logo painted on their noses to indicate their ownership. Seven U34CHs, 4158, 4159, 4160, 4164, 4167, 4176 and 4178, were repainted into NJ Transit's "Disco Stripe" scheme. The U34CHs continued to operate primarily on former EL lines out of Hoboken, New Jersey
.
s (4300–4303).
For a time, three U34CHs (4152, 4154 and 4158) were leased to SEPTA
and one unit, 4154, received SEPTA's blue diesel paint scheme. Nine of the U34CHs (4154, 4155, 4159, 4161, 4165, 4169, 4170, 4174 and 4183) were scrapped. Nineteen U34CHs (4151, 4152, 4153, 4157, 4160, 4164, 4166, 4167, 4168, 4171, 4173, 4175, 4176, 4177, 4178, 4179, 4180, 4181, and 4182) were sold to Conrail, which eventually sold the units to GEC Alstom which shipped them to Mexico. Of the units shipped to Mexico, five U34CHs (4160, 4166, 4167, 4176 and 4180 renumbered A243) are known to have been in operation, with one U34CH, 4167, being in service as late as 2003. Their current status is unclear, due to privatization of the Mexican railroads leading to many older locomotives being scrapped. Two U34CHs (4158 and 4162) were sold to Conrail and then sold to RMDI. Both units were scrapped at Pittston, PA during the summer of 2003. One U34CH was sold to América Latina Logística of Brazil
for parts use. The whereabouts of two U34CHs (4156 and 4163) are unknown, though 4156 was sold to Conrail. One U34CH, 4172 was donated to the United Railway Historical Society (URHS) and is currently stored on the New York and Greenwood Lake Railway
in Passaic, New Jersey
. All U34CHs were off NJ Transit property by 1996.
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
between 1970-73. In total, 33 U34CH units were built; 32 were built for the New Jersey Department of Transportation
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey. It is headed by the Commissioner of Transportation...
and operated by the Erie Lackawanna Railway
Erie Lackawanna Railway
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie–Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad...
, with the last unit coming as a later rebuild of a GE U30C
GE U30C
The GE U30C was one of the earliest successes from General Electric in the diesel locomotive market. With 600 units sold, the U30C proved to be a choice for customers who weren't able to purchase SD40's or SD40-2's from EMD due to mass orders...
for the New York MTA
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
.
Erie Lackawanna, 1970–1976
The 32 initial locomotives numbered 3351–3382, were built by GE for the New Jersey Department of TransportationNew Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey. It is headed by the Commissioner of Transportation...
(NJ DOT) and operated by the Erie Lackawanna Railway
Erie Lackawanna Railway
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie–Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad...
with new Pullman Standard push-pull
Push-pull train
Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...
coaches. The units were intended to replace locomotives in suburban commuter service out of Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
. The U34CH preceded the GE U36C
GE U36C
The GE U36C was a 3600 hp diesel-electric locomotive model built by GE Transportation Systems.The length of the locomotive was 67'3", standard for U30C, U33C, U34CH, U36C, U36CG, C30-7 and C36-7. The U36C also had steel capped pistons....
in GE's catalog. The U34CH was the first GE locomotive to use steel crowned pistons to develop 3600 hp and was the first commuter locomotive built with shaft driven HEP
Head end power
Head end power or electric train supply is a rail transport term for the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive at the front or “head” of a train or a generator car, generates all the electricity used for lighting, electrical and other...
-- that is, a HEP alternator driven by the locomotive prime mover rather than by a separate diesel. To provide HEP at the proper AC frequency the FDL-16 prime mover ran at a constant 900 RPM, so traction horsepower was 3430 minus whatever was going into HEP. (When not providing HEP the FDL-16 could produce 3600 traction horsepower at its usual 1050 RPM.) To show their NJ DOT ownership, the units were painted in a dark blue and silver paint scheme with NJ DOT logo and were often called "Bluebirds" by rail enthusiasts. The U34CHs on the weekends were sometimes used in Erie Lackawanna freight service, often being on freight duty from Saturday to Sunday and returning to commuter service Monday morning.
Conrail, 1976–1982
On April 1, 1976, the Erie Lackawanna, which had been bankrupt since 1972, was merged into Conrail. The U34CHs were assigned new numbers 4151–4182. Only one U34CH (3351) would receive Conrail lettering. It was involved in a wreck in 1974 and was sent to the GE apparatus shop in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
to be rebuilt. It returned painted in a Bicentennial paint scheme with Conrail lettering and the number 1776. The Conrail lettering and number 1776 did not last long. On December 2, 1976 the Conrail lettering was removed and the unit was renumbered 4151. The 4151 remained in its Bicentennial paint until March, 1978 when it was repainted into an incorrect NJ DOT paint scheme. The painters accidentally used the Erie Lackawanna hood unit masks, and thus the unit received a thinner silver stripe placed higher on the hood. The other U34CH units showed little change from their EL days and continued to operate on former EL lines out of Hoboken, New Jersey. They continued to wear their EL "Bluebird" paint scheme sans EL markings with their new numbers.
In 1978 one final U34CH was built for the New York MTA
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
(later Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
) as part of their commitment to service to Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis is a city on the Delaware River in western Orange County, New York, with a population of 8,860 at the 2000 census. The communities of Deerpark, Huguenot, Sparrowbush, and Greenville are adjacent to Port Jervis, and the towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the...
. This new U34CH, numbered 4183, was rebuilt from an accident-damaged former Chicago and North Western Railway
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
GE U30C
GE U30C
The GE U30C was one of the earliest successes from General Electric in the diesel locomotive market. With 600 units sold, the U30C proved to be a choice for customers who weren't able to purchase SD40's or SD40-2's from EMD due to mass orders...
(C&NW number 934). It too was painted in the "Bluebird" paint scheme, but with an MTA logo on its nose.
New Jersey Transit, 1983–1990
Conrail operated commuter service on behalf of NJ DOT until January 1, 1983 when New Jersey TransitNew Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
took over all commuter rail operations in the State of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The U34CHs, having been owned by NJDOT, were conveyed to NJ Transit. Many of the U34CHs would remain in their "Bluebird" paint scheme with only a silver patch and NJ Transit logo painted on their noses to indicate their ownership. Seven U34CHs, 4158, 4159, 4160, 4164, 4167, 4176 and 4178, were repainted into NJ Transit's "Disco Stripe" scheme. The U34CHs continued to operate primarily on former EL lines out of Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
.
Final years and disposition, 1990–1996
By the 1990s the U34CHs were starting to show their age. As New Jersey Transit received rebuilt former Penn Central GP40-based units from Conrail's Juniata shops during 1993-94, the fate of the U34CH was sealed. As the units suffered major mechanical failures, they were removed from service rather than repaired. The U34CHs were formally retired from passenger service in August 1994, at which time the United Railway Historical Society (URHS) ran a "Farewell to the U34CH" excursion. A few U34CHs were used in work train service until the delivery of EMD GP40-2EMD GP40-2
An EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generated 3000 horsepower .- Production :Standard GP40-2 production...
s (4300–4303).
For a time, three U34CHs (4152, 4154 and 4158) were leased to SEPTA
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is a metropolitan transportation authority that operates various forms of public transit—bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolley bus—that serve 3.9 million people in and around Philadelphia,...
and one unit, 4154, received SEPTA's blue diesel paint scheme. Nine of the U34CHs (4154, 4155, 4159, 4161, 4165, 4169, 4170, 4174 and 4183) were scrapped. Nineteen U34CHs (4151, 4152, 4153, 4157, 4160, 4164, 4166, 4167, 4168, 4171, 4173, 4175, 4176, 4177, 4178, 4179, 4180, 4181, and 4182) were sold to Conrail, which eventually sold the units to GEC Alstom which shipped them to Mexico. Of the units shipped to Mexico, five U34CHs (4160, 4166, 4167, 4176 and 4180 renumbered A243) are known to have been in operation, with one U34CH, 4167, being in service as late as 2003. Their current status is unclear, due to privatization of the Mexican railroads leading to many older locomotives being scrapped. Two U34CHs (4158 and 4162) were sold to Conrail and then sold to RMDI. Both units were scrapped at Pittston, PA during the summer of 2003. One U34CH was sold to América Latina Logística of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
for parts use. The whereabouts of two U34CHs (4156 and 4163) are unknown, though 4156 was sold to Conrail. One U34CH, 4172 was donated to the United Railway Historical Society (URHS) and is currently stored on the New York and Greenwood Lake Railway
New York and Greenwood Lake Railway (1996)
The New York and Greenwood Lake Railway is a shortline railroad owned by Jim Wilson and based in Passaic, New Jersey. It operates primarily to service transfer station facilities for a few private companies, with a trans-load facility at its yard in Passaic...
in Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 69,781, maintaining its status as the 15th largest municipality in New Jersey with an increase of 1,920 residents from the 2000 Census population of 67,861...
. All U34CHs were off NJ Transit property by 1996.
External links
- Sarberenyi, Robert. GE U34CH, U36C, and U36CG Original Owners.