GE U28CG

Santa Fe #358, a GE U28CG, along with its companion unit #353, makes a rare appearance at the head of the San Diegan in 1968.
Power type	Diesel
Builder	GE Transportation Systems
Model	U28CG
Build date	July–August 1966
Total production	10
AAR wheel arr.	C-C
Gauge	4 ft 81⁄2 in (1435 mm)
Prime mover	GE FDL-16
Power output	2800 hp (2090 kW)

The GE U28CG was a passenger-hauling diesel-electric locomotive produced in 1966 by GE Transportation Systems and derived from their freight-hauling U28C design. The sole customer was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which ordered ten early that year for delivery in July and August.^[1] Image File history File links ATSF #358, a GE U28CG, is seen at San Diego, California in 1968. ... The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AAR reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the largest railroads in the United States. ... The southbound San Diegan passes through San Clemente with the Pacific Ocean as its backdrop in April 1973. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... GE Transportation Systems is the division of the General Electric corporation producing railroad locomotives and electrical and propulsion equipment for transit cars. ... The AAR wheel arrangement system is a method of classifying locomotive (or unit) wheel arrangements that was developed by the Association of American Railroads. ... Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... A foot (plural: feet) is any of several old units of distance or length, measuring around a quarter to a third of a meter. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... For the philosophical/theological concept of a prime mover (that is, a self-existent being that is the ultimate cause or mover of all things), see cosmological argument. ... The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... The watt (symbol: W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one joule per second. ... This article is about trains in rail transport. ... Great Western Railway No. ... GE Transportation Systems is the division of the General Electric corporation producing railroad locomotives and electrical and propulsion equipment for transit cars. ... An electric container freight train Freight wagons filled with limestone await unloading, at sidings in Rugby, England An SP freight train west of Chicago in 1992. ... The U28C was developed by General Electric from the U25C, with a slight increase in power of 300 hp (224 kW). ... The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AAR reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the largest railroads in the United States. ...

By that date, no North American locomotive builder cataloged a dedicated passenger-locomotive design; instead, all that was available were steam-generator equipped versions of freight roadswitcher designs. The railroad's F units, the backbone of its passenger fleet, were old and increasingly troublesome, and the Santa Fe needed to get some replacements in short order. GE's waiting list was shorter, and GE offered better trade-in deals for old Alcos the road wanted to get rid of. A steam generator is a device used to boil water to create steam. ... A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive used for delivering or picking up cars outside of a railroad yard. ... EMD F-units were a line of diesel locomotives produced between November 1939 and November 1960 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. ... The American Locomotive Company, shortened to ALCO (or Alco) was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States. ...

The ten units were delivered in Santa Fe's trademark Warbonnet silver and red paint scheme, but not identical in all details to previous applications. The yellow and black separation lines between the red and silver were absent, and the bodyside 'Santa Fe' lettering was large, billboard-style, in a Cooper Black typeface, instead of the smaller black serif all-caps version previously used. (That style, interestingly, became the Santa Fe standard later). Instead of silver trucks, frame and tanks, they were black from the factory — they were repainted silver later. The locomotives were numbered in the 3-digit passenger series, with road numbers 350–359. Warbonnet has multiple meanings: A warbonnet (or war bonnet) is a type of ceremonial headdress developed by tribes of the Plains Indians, consisting of a cap or band and a trailing extension decorated with erect feathers. ... Cooper Black is a typeface created in 1921 and released in 1922 by Oswald Bruce Cooper. ...

Since the GE "U-boat" design had provision for a train-heating steam generator between the cab and the engine compartment, the U28CG's dimensions were identical to the U28C. There was a bulge in the hood on the left-hand side to accommodate the steam generator, which was a Vapor-Clarkson unit, skid-mounted for easy repair and replacement. An air vent and exhaust protruded from the roof, and the tanks under the locomotive were split between fuel and water with an internal division and two refilling spouts.

Further Santa Fe passenger locomotives were custom-ordered cowl units from both GE (the U30CG) and GM-EMD (the FP45). After the derailment of a U30CG on February 9, 1969, however, both GE designs were suspect; after a series of tests, the Santa Fe withdrew them from passenger service and reassigned them to freight duties. Shortly afterward, the units were renumbered into the freight series as 7900–7909 and assigned to the road's Argentine shops in Kansas. The ten locomotives were repainted into freight colors over time, the early repaints into Santa Fe's old blue and yellow freight scheme, the later repaints into blue and yellow Warbonnet. With a split water and fuel underbody tank, the U28CGs had a short range, and were used on secondary trains until the tanks were modified to carry fuel only. The steam generators were removed, and on some units the openings in the roof were closed up. Gearing was changed from 77:26 passenger gearing to 74:18 for freight service, which was the same as Santa Fe's U33Cs and U36Cs. The GE P42 is one of many cowl designs. ... Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. ... The EMD FP45 is a cowl unit type of C-C diesel locomotive produced in the United States by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The GE U33C is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between 1968 and 1975. ... The GE U36C was a 3600 hp diesel-electric locomotive model built by GE Transportation Systems. ...

During the 1970s, the U28CGs and U30CGs were commonly seen on Colorado freight service and other secondary assignments. They were withdrawn on September 22, 1980 and traded in to GE for new B36-7 locomotives. None survive. September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The GE B36-8 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between 1980 and 1985. ...

References

1. ^ Withers, Paul K. (Mar/Apr 2002). "Santa Fe's GE Passenger Units". Diesel Era 13 (2): 21–27, 52–56. ISSN 1049-5622.

ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ...