Nostalgia & History > Long Hood Running ex PC U23B on NEC in Princeton Jct

A Conrail freight train led by a long-hood front U23B (so it's facing forward believe it or not) passes through Princeton Junction on April Fool's Day 1978. Behind it is a GP38-2. Penn Central ordered the GP38-2s and U23Bs at the same time, a bargain basement selection of the least expensive locomotives in the two major builders' catalogs. The 38-2s, while everywhere, were good power. The U23Bs, as related to me by rails at the time, were garbage.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/08/16 19:29 by erielackawanna.

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Once when we were at Altoona, a westbound empty hopper train was ready to come off the relay tracks with the CR 2776 on the point. Alto Tower asked him "Is that Long Snouter facing west?"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/08/16 19:54 by perklocal.

When PC ordered the U23B's they were ordered in 3 batches. The last batch, PC 2750-2777 were ordered with the Long Hood Forward option. Not that they ran that way all the time, that's how they came from GE. W.H.Moore was the President at the time the last batch was ordered. He was an ex SOU Man and thought that they should perhaps try this style of running units the SOU way, LHF that is.. That explains why the 2776 in the shot is running correctly with the LHF as seen in the shot.  Ben

Each railroad can make its own judgment about specific models of locomotives, but Southern's 70 U23Bs lasted 20+ years (some continuing on at short lines) and were followed up with orders for 54 B23-7s... no indication of displeasure there.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/16 12:09 by ctillnc.

You and I were in many of the same places in 1978, and we are about the same age. We must have run into each other somewhere!
Ken Gear