Nostalgia & History > Santa Fe U-28CG #350

Ed Smith Collection...

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Expediter, nice image. But where and when ? Also, I think that's a U28CG. Gerry

Taken in 1968, it is a CG...from background it may have been taken at San Diego Depot...

What is a CG?

The U28CG was a common U28C with a steam Generator installed for passenger work. The old F's and E's were getting AGE on them at the time and the Santa Fe needed new power.

Yes, note that the number, #350, is above the passenger F7As the U28CGs replaced. The F7As were then used to make CF7s. Gerry

Chug Chug a chug Chug

I talked to Ed on phone this am- that was the power on a San Diegan..."I" (the expediter) didn't "get" into trains until the next year...Steve

Cool pic. . thanks for sharing
i gotta ask tho. . where did they put the steam gen?

Nova55 Wrote:
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> where did they put the steam gen?

Directly behind the cab. (Note vent on roof of long hood.)

Most GE Universal Series units (except the U50's, I assume) had a "steam generator room" just behind the cab. Santa Fe's U28CG's and U30CG's, and NdeM's U36CG used the space as intended; everyone else's freight U-boats just had an empty room behind the cab. The electrical cabinet, which occupies that space on most other types of diesel electrics, was stuffed under the cab on the U-boats - reportedly just one of many design eccentricities that didn't endear the units to the folks who had to use and work on them. GE eliminated the steam generator room and put the electrical cabinet back where it belonged in the Dash 7's. When Santa Fe rebuilt their U36C's into SF30C's, they also moved the electrical cabinet into the steam generator room.

Many BN U30C's had the steam generator room stuffed with valves, copper-tube plumbing, solenoids, contactors, and all sorts of confusing small machinery for the largely failed first attempt at locotrol unmanned helpers. It looked pretty archaic compared to today's electronic controls for DPU operation. Most of it already was in various stages of not being maintained to ripped out by the time I began running trains on BN's PRB coal lines in 1979. A few had a toilet relocated to this steam generator area still comingling with all the leftover locotrol stuff, and at least one had dual toilets, with a second one still in the nose! - - - - JLH