Southern Pacific 3100 is a

GE U25B The GE U25B was General Electric's first independent entry into the United States domestic road switcher diesel-electric locomotive railroad market for heavy production road locomotives since 1936. From 1940 through 1953, GE participated in a de ...

diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conv ...

now on permanent exhibit at the

Southern California Railway Museum The Southern California Railway Museum (SCRM, reporting mark OERX), formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, is a railroad museum in Perris, California, United States. It was founded in 1956 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles before movin ...

, formerly the

Orange Empire Railway Museum The Southern California Railway Museum (SCRM, reporting mark OERX), formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, is a railroad museum in Perris, California, United States. It was founded in 1956 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles before moving ...

Perris, California Perris is an old railway city in Riverside County, California, United States, located east-southeast of Los Angeles and north of San Diego. It is known for Lake Perris, an artificial lake, skydiving, and its sunny dry climate. Perris is wit ...

, US. It is notable as being the only U25B still in operating condition.

Construction and service

Built in 1963 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 ...

under construction number 34700, it was shipped from GE's

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

, locomotive assembly plant to the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

on March 29, 1963. It entered service in April and was assigned to the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Freight Pool with Taylor Yard Roundhouse as its maintenance point. The locomotive was first numbered SP 7508, then renumbered SP 6708 during the railroad's 1965 general renumbering. After a period of storage in the early 1970s, the U25B was moved to the

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

General Shops in 1975 for a complete rebuilding, one of only two U25Bs so done. The work included upgrading the

prime mover Prime mover may refer to: Philosophy *Unmoved mover, a concept in Aristotle's writings Engineering * Prime mover (engine), motor, a machine that converts various other forms of energy (chemical, electrical, fluid pressure/flow, etc) into energy o ...

with later

GE U33C The GE U33C is a 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between January 1968 and January 1975. 375 examples of this locomotive were built for 11 North American railroads and one construction contractor. Original ow ...

-compatible parts, a complete rewiring of the high- and low-voltage electrical systems, the installation of an AAR control stand and a new number - SP 6800. It was released from Sacramento on September 29 and returned to service. The U25B became a "goodwill ambassador" for the railroad in 1976 when it was painted in an elaborate red, white, and blue color scheme in celebration of the nation's

bicentennial __NOTOC__ A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to: Europe *French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...

, one of four Southern Pacific locomotives so painted. The others were GS-4 4449,

EMD GP40P-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 ...

3197, and

EMD SD45T-2 The SD45T-2 is a model of diesel-electric locomotive built by EMD for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Like the later SD40T-2 it is colloquially nicknamed a tunnel motor. 247 total units (including the original EMD/SP joint venture working Protot ...

9389. After the bicentennial celebration, it was repainted in the standard red and gray SP color scheme. In late 1977, 6800 was assigned to local and hauler service in the

Los Angeles Basin The Los Angeles Basin is a sedimentary basin located in Southern California, in a region known as the Peninsular Ranges. The basin is also connected to an anomalous group of east-west trending chains of mountains collectively known as the Tr ...

, primarily working out of Taylor Yard in Los Angeles and West Colton Yard. In June 1979, it received its final renumbering as SP 3100. In and out of storage for the rest of its time with the railroad, 3100 was finally retired on December 17, 1986, and sold serviceable to Levin Metals in Colton on January 22, 1988.

Preservation

On February 2, 1988, 3100 was donated in operable condition to the Orange Empire Railway Museum. It was used for excursion passenger service regularly in the museum and even onto old ATSF trackage for longer excursions (now repurposed by SCAX)The locomotive was repainted and restored in between mid-2009 and 2010. It is still operating today on daily trains. Image:GE U25B rear.jpg, 3100 is on display at the Orange Empire Railway Museum. Image:GE U25B plate.jpg, The manufacturers plate on 3100.

References

* {{refend 3100 General Electric locomotives B-B locomotives Diesel-electric locomotives of the United States Preserved diesel locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1963 Landmarks of Riverside County, California Perris, California Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Individual locomotives of the United States