From Illinois Railway Museum. I bring you some photographs and a Video that will be posted in the videographers section under the title of "BN U-Boat".
I just looked at the builder's plate and it says U30C but she's actually listed by them as U33C... Definetly going to email them tonight. EDIT: Thread corrected.
Very cool! At any rate, I could picture this motor muscling 110 coal loads up Crawford Hill.... I can almost feel it!
I only saw one U-Boat as a kid, 1993, the unit was "Supposed" to have been scrapped. But in Westmont, IL where I grew up a block from the station, 3 GP40's, an SD40-2 and a U25B were hauling an intermodal train into Chicago. I haven't seen a U-Boat up close in person since. Ironic because I remember sitting on the Nebraska Zephyr at IRM when we broke down. The GP7 (Now in CB&Q Chinese Red) and the U30C towed us back to the station. But I never really paid attention to the U-Boat. It wasn't until she made the calander in 2007 for IRM that I jaw dropped at her brand new paint. I've been obsessed with her as much as I'm obsessed with BN-1 and 2. I have some inside information: After they backed her in, I convinced her Engineer to let me take a look inside the cab. Since it was "unauthorized" I was barred from taking pictures, but my word, I sat in the UBoat's engineer seat I couldn't ask for anything more. I don't know how many BN or Former BN U-Boats are still preserved, she could actually be the last BN U-Boat alive, I don't know. But I'm glad she's in museum that despite being far from where I live, is still my backyard.
Wow! It's nice to see one of these old birds out there still plying the rails. You could practically comb your hair by the reflection of that paint job. So, was the inside of the cab fairly well restored, too?
Might check with the Lake Superior & Ishpeming RR. They bought several U30C units from BN some years ago. They might be still running(?) Next to ALCO power the U30C is one of my favourites. The power for my shortline Oregon Central & Pacific is mostly B Boats.
Yes indeed some really cool pictures. Amazing you folks can keep up ith the number series. With all the many changes. I can't keep up. They change sometimes with Mods or paint jobs. Ooh Wee!!
LSI is mainly running C30-7s...or rather was. Last I heard they were moving tosome leased AC4400s, but I don't know if that has happened yet. The U30Cs were I think mostly off roster and have been for a few years though I think they had one stuffed and mounted somewhere.
I really miss the sound of those older boats. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, they had a much sharper 'chuck, chuck, chuck' type sound. Boxcab E50
Last time I saw a BN U30C was actually two of them, on the point of an eastbound Kyle RR train rolling west thru Kanorado, KS, where we stopped for refreshmentshments & restroom breaks enroute to Denver in March 1994. Well before then, I used to see 'em on coal trains on the KCS in 1979. One single white KCS six-axle followed by several green & black six-axles, a mix of SD40-2s and U30C/C30-7s. Maybe it's me, but I miss seeing SD40-2s and big 6-axle GEs (pre-Dash 2) in service.
I rode in that engine last summer and was amazed at how quiet is was in the cab under power. She is a beautiful engine though and the museum guys did a fantastic job repainting her. BTW, many times if you hang out on the main platform, you can catch the engineer and just ask if they are doing cab rides. More often than not, if they are not too busy or have a trainee, you can hop right on.
DragonFyreGT....There is another operating U Boat that I can think of, Southern Pacific 3100 U25BE still runs, the unit is a rebuilt loco and all of the doors are now the same size. It is now at the OERM http://oerm.org/pages/sp3100.html
Them U boats under load are not that quiet lol. Also when tugging on a heavy train up a grade they tend tohave stack fires. But the best part of them old girls was the sound ( pre muffler days mind you) as they struggled to get going up from Warner siding through where I grew up.Was about a 1.10 grade and wow what a sound! Summer time we would stand over the tracks on an old wooden bridge ( now gone sadly) and watch trains. The EMD's would just blow heat at you as they passed under. However them GE's when they were "flaming" was awfully scary seeings we were on a wood bridge lol. One of the stories on your U boat here is it was donated to IRM then "borrowed" back by the BN.When it was given back it was full of fuel and some minor issues had been fixed.BN took good care of the IRM in those days.
BN did something similar with Mt Rainier Scenic when they dontated the NP F9 to them. The completely refurbished the loco, painted it and filled the tank up for them prior to donating it. In 1996 when BNSF was reopening Stampede Pass they were planning on doing the same thing. BNSF wanted to aquire the loco, as it was the only former NP loco still in NP livery, and use it on the lead of the innagural run over Stampede Pass. The plan was to refurbish it, paint it, use it for the first run, and when it was delivered back to Mt Rainier it would have a full tank of fuel. Unfortunately that never happened as the Nisqually River bridge was washed out and there was no way for the loco to get her to Seattle. Railroads seem to take care of museums wanting to preserve a piece of their history.
The old boats were at times almost spectacular. When under load, I saw some which looked like moving Fourth of July displays. Lucky to not set everything aflame along the trackside, with their showers of lava. Boxcab E50
