GE "U33B" Locomotives: Specs, Roster, History

Last revised: January 2, 2025

The U33B was the fourth, and most powerful, 4-axle road switcher the company offered up until that time. When introduced in 1967, however, the industry was moving away from four-motored road-switchers.

The U30C, and Electro-Motive's SD40 series, convinced railroads that high-horsepower, six-motored designs were the future in road service work.

As Greg McDonnell notes in his book, "U-boats," the U33B was not actually meant as a stand-alone model but rather a continuation of the earlier U30B.

Most orders for were taken by one railroad, Penn Central, although a handful of other lines did purchase it as well including the New York Central (a pair of upgraded U30Bs), Seaboard Coast Line, and Rock Island.

Today, all of the original 137 examples of the U33B have been retired and none are preserved.

Photos

Penn Central U33B #2859 (built as New York Central #2859 in September, 1967) is seen here at the 59th Street Yard in Chicago on April 9, 1970. Roger Puta photo.

History

The U33B began production in September, 1967. As Mr. McDonnell notes, the model was merely a continuation of the earlier U30B.

Interestingly, the original four U30B demonstrators, #301-304, were returned to Erie, Pennsylvania in the early summer of 1967.

During this time the builder upgraded the locomotives with an additional 300 horsepower available to the traction motors, which boosted total output to 3,300 horsepower.

In doing so, a larger rear radiator assembly was required. This "winged" look became a trademark of GE locomotives, and continues today under successor Wabtec Freight.

The four locomotives emerged in July still wearing largely the same black livery but with the addition of a bright yellow nose. These changes aside, the U33B was virtually identical to its earlier counterpart.

It sported the same boxy carbody and straightforward appearance of the Universal line. The U33B utilized the builder's standard 4-cycle model 7FDL16 prime mover.

All other specifications of the locomotive was also mimicked the U30B: tractive effort, trucks (General Steel Casting Corporation's swing bolster, drop-side equalizers, otherwise known as the AAR Type-B), length, generators, and gearing.

Reception

While some railroads had requested high, short hoods on other U-boat models, all U33Bs were built using GE's standard short, stubby nose.

By the time production had ended in June, 1970 just 137 were sold to four different railroads. Penn Central wound up with the most, 81 units, which continued to see use well into the Conrail era.

As sales for its four-axle designs continued to decline, GE began to phase out the line and offered no more after the U23B finished production in 1977.

Interestingly, the U23B (meant for use in light duty yard and freight service) actually proved a surprising success as General Electric sold more than 400 examples to 17 different railroads and industries.

The U30Bs remained in revenue service through successors Conrail and CSX Transportation through the 1980s but most were off their respective rosters by the early 1990s. The Rock Island's U33Bs were acquired by various buyers following the railroad's 1980 liquidation.

Seaboard Coast Line U33B #1722 - and a pair of Alcos - leads a freight train at Broad Street Bridge in Richmond, Virginia on October 7, 1968. Marty Bernard photo.

Data Sheet and Specifications

Entered Production	9/1967 (New York Central #2858-2859)
Years Produced	6/1967 - 6/1970
GE Class	U33B
Engine	7FDL16 (16 cylinder)
Engine Builder	General Electric
Horsepower	3300
RPM	1050
Length	60' 2"
Height (Top Of Rail To Top Of Cab)	14' 9"
Width	9' 11"
Weight	254,800 Lbs
Fuel Capacity	1,700 or 2,900 Gallons
Air Compressor	3CDC (Westinghouse)
Air Brake Schedule	26NL (Westinghouse)
Trucks	B-B
Truck Type	Swing Bolster, Drop-Side Equalizer (GSC) or Floating Bolster FB2 (GE)
Truck Wheelbase	9' 4"
Wheel Size	40"
Traction Motors	752 (4), GE
Traction Alternator	GTA-11AC, GE
Auxiliary Generator	GY27, GE
MU (Multiple-Unit)	Yes
Dynamic Brakes	Optional
Gear Ratio	74:18
Tractive Effort (Starting)	70,000 Lbs
Tractive Effort (Continuous)	64,000 Lbs at 10.7 mph
Top Speed	70 mph

Production Roster

Owner	Road Number	Serial Number	Order Number	Completion Date	Quantity
New York Central	2858-2859*	36397-36398	1575	9/1967	2
Seaboard Coast Line	1719-1734**	36467-36482	1592	12/1967-1/1968	16
Rock Island	290-299	36822-36831	1402	7/1968-9/1968	10
Seaboard Coast Line	1735-1747**	36837-36849	1405	1/1969-2/1969	13
Penn Central	2890-2915	36868-36893	1403	9/1968-11/1968	26
Penn Central	2926-2935	36929-36938	1411	11/1968	10
Penn Central	2916-2925	36939-36948	1411	11/1968-12/1968	10
Penn Central	2936-2955	36949-36968	1411	12/1968	20
Rock Island	285-289	36969-36973	1431	1/1969	5
Rock Island	190-199	37128-37137	1440	5/1969	10
Penn Central	2956-2970	37396-37410	1456	5/1970-6/1970	15

* Built as part of New York Central's fleet of U30B's numbered 2830-2889 these units, which even sported builder's plates denoting them as U30B's, were actually U33B's according to Greg McDonnell's book "U-boats."

The units were distinguished by their wider rear radiators, needed to support the higher horsepower output.

** Rode on trade-in Blomberg trucks.

Sources

Foster, Gerald. A Field Guide To Trains. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1996.

Marre, Louis A. Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years, A Guide To Diesels Built Before 1972. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 1995.

McDonnell, Greg. U-boats. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing, 1994.

Pinkepank, Jerry A. Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 1967.

Solomon, Brian. GE Locomotives: 110 Years Of General Electric Motive Power. St. Paul: MBI Publishing, 2003.

The history of General Electric's "U-boat" line is fascinating. From a macro view it is viewed as a success and helped propel GE into the lead as a locomotive manufacturer by the 1980's.

Railroads generally regarded them as reliable, easy to maintain, and offering a variety of new, innovative technologies. However, from a micro view, crews loathed U-boats.

The locomotives provided a notoriously rough ride. These issues were largely corrected in the "Dash" series (7, 8, 9) of the 1980s/1990s.

In an interesting twist, one can still find rebuilt Electro-Motive models from the 1960's on Class I rosters today while nearly all early U-boat variants have either been scrapped or now reside in museums.

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