The 2300 horsepower GE U23C diesel-electric locomotive model was first offered by GE in 1968, and featured a V-type 12 cylinder version of the standard GE FDL diesel motor. Designed as a competitor to EMD's SD38 and SD39 series, it was intended for heavy transfer, drag and hump service where speed was not a priority. Other than six tall hood doors matching six power assemblies per side, there are very few features which distinguish the U23C from the U30C. The U30C has eight tall hood doors per side, a function of the V16 within.

GE U23C
MRS Logística No. 3632-6 at Itu, São Paulo in 2012
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderGE Transportation Systems
GE do Brasil
ModelU23C
Build dateMarch 1968 – 1976
Total produced223
Specifications
Configuration:
 • AARC-C
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in), Brazil
Prime moverGE FDL-12
Engine typeV12 diesel
Cylinders12

A total of 73 units were built at Erie including 20 for export to Brazil. An additional 150 units were built by GE de Brazil from 1972 to 1976, some as kits supplied by GE.

Original owners

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Railroad Quantity Numbers Notes
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 20 7500-7519
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 9 460-468 to Burlington Northern 5200-5208
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad 5 2300–2304
Penn Central 19 6700-6718 to Conrail 6700-6718
Rede Ferroviária Federal S.A. (Brazil) 170 3801-3880, 3901-3990

Preservation

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LS&I #2300 is preserved at the Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It is the only known surviving example of a U23C in North America.

References

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  • Pinkepank, Jerry (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee: Kalmbach.[page needed]
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