Re: (erielack) Erie 750A-B-C-D GE cab unit demonstrator set in the 12-26-05 ABPR

[lallman_@_mail.altelco.net]

Hello Friends of Phoebe and Smiley

Did anyone ever produce models of these units? If so, in what scale(s)?
Thanks and
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Len Allman


> This topic has come up on the list before, but I haven't found one post which
> contains all the info I have found about the Erie 750A-B-C-D GE demo set. I
> thought I would give it a shot here.
> 
> Today's photo posted to the ABPR:
> 
> From: Joseph Testagrose joet5_@_optonline.net 
> Subject: US - Erie750ScanColl.jpg 
> Photo my scanned collection. 
> Date: Sun, 25 Dec 2005 08:16:23 -0500 -- File Info: JPEG 1024x600 
> Erie750ScanColl.jpg     165873 bytes 
> 
> http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?december05/12-26-
05/Erie750ScanColl.jpg
> 
> For those unfamiliar with these GE cab unit test beds, they were a set of 
four
> units, two had 8 cylinder 1200 HP engines and two had 12 cylinder 1600 HP
> engines. They ran on the Erie as 750A-B-C-D from 1954 to 1959 at which time
> they were rebuilt by GE into UM20 16 cylinder 2000 HP units, becoming UP 620,
> 620B, 621, and 621B. UP retired them in 1963 and traded in the set for U50s 
in
> 1964. Erie 750A-B-C-D spent a lot of time running between Hornell and Marion,
> I don't know where else or how often they may have run on the rest of the 
Erie
> system. Occasionally they were split up and ran with other makes and models 
of
> Erie power, either for interoperability testing or when units required
> maintenance or upgrades. These units were the direct predecessors of GE's
> U25B thanks to all the data gathered during their time on the Erie. In their
> original configuration they have been referred to as models UM12 and UM16, 
but
> I have not found any evidence that these were any kind of official 
> designations or even used by GE back then. I have seen the UM20 referred to
> UM20B by some folks.
> 
> According to Mel Helmich in 2003, the original engines were Cooper-Bessemer
> model FVBL-8 and FVBL-12 engines. These were direct predecessors of GE's C-B
> based FDL engine which has been used in thousands of locomotives for more 
than
> 40 years, in various configurations up to 4400 HP in a 16 cylinder engine. GE
> built an engine test facility at Erie in 1954 to develop the C-B engine for
> road locomotive use. I believe they bought the design rights to the V8, V12
> and V16 C-B F series engines in 1956 and by 1962 GE had its new engine
> manufacturing facility at Erie completed which allowed it to produce the F
> series engines in-house.
> 
> One of the original Erie 750 FVBL-8 test bed engines survived into at least
> 2003 at a Rolls-Royce/C-B test facility in Mount Vernon, OH. I don't know if
> it was saved, but it was available for scrap value ($220.00) in January of
> 2003. I hope someone somewhere has preserved it.
> 
> Information is from my research on the web and in our list archives, Hank
> Morris in the Railfan.net Forums and the Second Diesel Spotters Guide.
> Corrections are welcome, I'm always interested in learning more about these
> units.
> 
> There's another shot of a 750 cab unit (can't tell which one) lashed up to
> Erie F3's in the ABPR from May of 2000 by Bill Weibel:
> 
> From: Joseph Testagrose joet1_@_worldnet.att.net 
> Subject: US-Erie 750 
> Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 15:53:50 GMT 
> 
> http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?may00/05-30-00/ERIE750BillWeibel.jpg 
> 
> It is also at http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/erie750.jpg
> 
> Joshua Moldover has drawings of UM20 A and B units at:
> http://paintshop.railfan.net/images/moldover/um20a.html
> http://paintshop.railfan.net/images/moldover/um20b.html
> 
> For a photo of a C-B FVBL-12 engine with GT-581 main generator, please see:
> http://hometown.aol.com/wdssbn641/images/CBfvbl12.jpg
> 
> As a historical note, Alco-GE produced New South Wales 43-Class locomotives 
in
> 1956 which had their noses and carbodies based on the UM20 design. Others 
have
> noticed that the Erie 750 set shares some features with the Alco FA/FB series
> which was also done by the GE design team. GE also exported a number of
> locomotives in the late 1950's which had FVBL engines.
> 
> Henry
> 
> 
> 	The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List
> 	Sponsored by the ELH&TS
> 	http://www.elhts.org
> 


- ---------------------------------------------
This message was sent using Endymion MailMan.
This service was provided by altelco.net.
http://www.altelco.net



	The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List
	Sponsored by the ELH&TS
	http://www.elhts.org

------------------------------