The U34CH was a passenger diesel locomotive built by
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
between 1970 and 1973. In total, 33 U34CH units were built; 32 were built for the
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...
and operated by the
Erie Lackawanna Railway
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The official motto of the line was "The Friendly Service Route" ...
and, later,
Conrail
Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
, with the last unit coming as a later rebuild of a
GE U30C
The GE U30C is a six-axle locomotive built by General Electric from 1966 to 1976. With 600 units sold, the U30C proved to be a viable alternative for customers who were unable to purchase SD40s from Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) due to production bac ...
for the
New York MTA
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in th ...
.
Erie Lackawanna, 1970–76
The 32 initial locomotives numbered 3351–3382, were built by GE for the
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...
(NJDOT) and operated by the
Erie Lackawanna Railway
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The official motto of the line was "The Friendly Service Route" ...
with new
Pullman Standard
The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...
push-pull coaches. The units were intended to replace locomotives in suburban commuter service out of
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...
. The U34CH preceded the
GE U36C
The GE U36C was a 3600 hp diesel-electric locomotive model built by GE Transportation Systems
GE Transportation is a division of Wabtec. It was known as GE Rail and owned by General Electric until sold to Wabtec on February 25, 2019. T ...
in GE's catalog. The U34CH was the first GE locomotive to use steel crowned pistons to develop and was the first commuter locomotive built with
shaft driven HEP–that is, a HEP alternator driven by the locomotive prime mover rather than by a separate diesel. To provide HEP at the proper AC frequency the FDL-16 prime mover ran at a constant 900 RPM, so traction horsepower was 3430 minus whatever was going into HEP. By contrast, when not providing HEP, the FDL-16 could produce 3600 traction horsepower at its usual 1050 RPM. To show their NJDOT ownership, the units were painted in a dark blue and silver paint scheme with NJDOT logo and were often called "Bluebirds" by rail enthusiasts. The U34CHs on the weekends were sometimes used in Erie Lackawanna freight service, often being on freight duty from Saturday to Sunday and returning to commuter service Monday morning.
Conrail, 1976–82
On April 1, 1976, the Erie Lackawanna, which had been bankrupt since 1972, was merged into
Conrail
Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
. The U34CHs were assigned new numbers 4151–4182. Only one U34CH (3351) would receive
Conrail
Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
lettering. It was involved in a wreck in 1974 and was sent to the GE apparatus shop in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
to be rebuilt. It returned painted in a Bicentennial paint scheme with
Conrail
Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
lettering and the number 1776. It was eventually renumbered 4151 in an NJ DOT paint scheme. The other U34CH units showed little change from their EL days and continued to operate on former EL lines out of Hoboken, New Jersey. They continued to wear their EL "Bluebird" paint scheme sans EL markings with their new numbers.
In 1978 one final U34CH was built for the
New York MTA
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in th ...
(later
Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State public benefit corporations, public authority of the U.S. state of New Yor ...
) as part of their commitment to service to
Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis is a city located at the confluence of the Neversink and Delaware rivers in western Orange County, New York, United States, north of the Delaware Water Gap. Its population was 8,775 at the 2020 census. The communities of Deerpark, ...
. This new U34CH, numbered 4183, was rebuilt from an accident-damaged former
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...
GE U30C
The GE U30C is a six-axle locomotive built by General Electric from 1966 to 1976. With 600 units sold, the U30C proved to be a viable alternative for customers who were unable to purchase SD40s from Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) due to production bac ...
(C&NW number 934). It too was painted in the "Bluebird" paint scheme, but with an MTA logo on its nose.
New Jersey Transit, 1983–90
![NJ Transit GE U34CH](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/NJ_Transit_GE_U34CH.jpg)
Conrail operated commuter service on behalf of NJ DOT until January 1, 1983 when
New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...
took over all commuter rail operations in the State of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. The U34CHs, having been owned by NJDOT, were conveyed to NJ Transit. Many of the U34CHs would remain in their "Bluebird" paint scheme with only a silver patch and NJ Transit logo painted on their noses to indicate their ownership. Seven U34CHs were repainted into NJ Transit's "Disco Stripe" scheme. The U34CHs continued to operate primarily on former EL lines out of
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...
.
Final years and disposition, 1990–96
By the 1990s the U34CHs were starting to show their age. As New Jersey Transit received rebuilt former
Penn Central
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Railroad classes, class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania Railroad ...
GP40PH-2B from Conrail's Juniata shops during 1993–94, the fate of the U34CH was sealed. As the units suffered major mechanical failures, they were removed from service rather than repaired. The U34CHs were formally retired from passenger service in August 1994, at which time the United Railway Historical Society (URHS) ran a "Farewell to the U34CH" excursion. A few U34CHs were used in work train service until the delivery of replacement
EMD GP40-2
The EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. The locomotive's power is provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generates ...
s.
For a time, three U34CHs were leased to
SEPTA
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...
and one unit, 4154, received SEPTA's blue diesel paint scheme. Nine of the U34CHs were scrapped. Nineteen U34CHs were sold to Conrail, which eventually sold the units to
GEC-Alstom which shipped them to Mexico. Of the units shipped to Mexico, five U34CHs are known to have been in operation, with one being in service as late as 2003. Their current status is unclear, due to a privatization of the Mexican railroads leading to many older locomotives being scrapped. Two U34CHs were sold to Conrail and then sold to
RMDI. Both units were scrapped at
Pittston, PA
Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated between Scranton, Pennsylvania, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The city gained prominence in the late 19th an ...
during the summer of 2003. One U34CH was sold to
América Latina Logística
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
of
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
for parts use. One U34CH, 4172 (formerly 3372) was donated to the
United Railway Historical Society of New Jersey (URHS) and was stored on the
New York and Greenwood Lake Railway in
Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,78 ...
. This unit has since been moved to the URHS West Boonton NJ restoration yard in October 2014. All U34CHs were off NJ Transit property by 1996.
Preservation
In October 2013, the URHS began a fundraising effort to restore 3372 called "Project U-Boat." The campaign raised enough funds by March 2014, and later that year, the URHS began looking for bids to move the locomotive. On October 29, the
Morristown & Erie Railway
Morristown & Erie Railway is a short-line railroad based in Morristown, New Jersey, chartered in 1895 as the Whippany River Railroad. It operates freight rail service in Morris County, New Jersey and surrounding areas on the original Whippany ...
was sent to Passaic to rescue the U-Boat and remove it from NY&GL property. The locomotive is now stored at the URHS Restoration facility in Boonton, NJ, and funds are still being raised to restore it to operation. Restoration efforts began in September 2022.
[ ]
References
External links
Erie Lackawanna 3372
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ge U34ch
C-C locomotives
U34CH
NJ Transit Rail Operations
Passenger locomotives
Diesel-electric locomotives of the United States
Railway locomotives introduced in 1970
Conrail locomotives
Standard gauge locomotives of the United States