Nostalgia & History > D&H Locomotive Question

Can anyone explain why the D&H U23B's were renumbered from 300 series to 2300 series and at what date that happened?

Posted from Android

What I have read on-line is that when D&H and LV partnered on the Potomac Yard - Mechanicville NE-84 / NE-87 run-through trains in the early '70s prior to Conrail, D&H re-numbered the 300 series U23B units to 23xx to avoid confusion with the LV 300 series locomotives (GP9s, GP18s, and GP38s) that could also have been used on these run-through trains.

My records show they were renumbered in early 1973.
/Ted

The 300's we re renumbered to avoid conflict with the D&H 300 series yellow hoppers in ore service.  The conflict was in  the D&H computer system at the time..ED ZECH

eldh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The 300's we re renumbered to avoid conflict with
> the D&H 300 series yellow hoppers in ore
> service.  The conflict was in  the D&H computer
> system at the time..ED ZECH

That is very interesting! I guess when Guilford appropriated these 2 bay hoppers when it declared the D&H bankrupt, GRS eventually renumbered the hopper cars into MEC 1xx and 2xx series and B&M 12xx series as captured in 2006 in a GRS freight with the ambitious symbol (by today's Pan Am standards) WASE (Waterville to Selkirk).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/21 08:43 by JPB.

---

---

---

Thanks for the replies and info!

Posted from Android

Can someone refresh my memories about what type of ore D&H handled in those ore cars? I seem to remember then coming through Roanoke back in the 1970s and 1980s in single or a few car lots.

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can someone refresh my memories about what type of
> ore D&H handled in those ore cars? I seem to
> remember then coming through Roanoke back in the
> 1970s and 1980s in single or a few car lots.

The cars were stenciled to be used for ilmenite transport, as shown in this Darren E Hadley photo: http://www.trainweb.org/dhvm/images/dhrr_freight/Darren-E-Hadley/341-01.jpg

Here's a link to some info on the operation: https://www.mindat.org/loc-144736.html

 

JPB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ts1457 Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------------
> > Can someone refresh my memories about what type of
> > ore D&H handled in those ore cars? I seem to
> > remember then coming through Roanoke back in the
> > 1970s and 1980s in single or a few car lots.
>
> The cars were stenciled to be used for ilmenite
> transport, as shown in this Darren E Hadley
> photo: http://www.trainweb.org/dhvm/images/dhrr_f
> reight/Darren-E-Hadley/341-01.jpg
>
> Here's a link to some info on the
> operation: https://www.mindat.org/loc-144736.html

Thanks, that really tells the story. Birmingham AL pops up in my mind as to the destination (could be a false memory though). Since ilmenite has several uses in steel making, Birmingham would be plausible.