PRE-ORDER: Rapido 43509 - GE U33C (DCC and Sound) Erie Lackawanna (EL) 3315 - HO Scale

Photo Courtesy: Craig Walker 

In the late 1960’s, locomotive manufacturers EMD, Alco, and GE were all in a race to offer powerful new 6-axle power to railroads hauling heavier, longer trains. GE developed several models in short succession. First was the U25C in 1963, with a carbody that shared the same contours as the U25B on a 64 foot 4 inch frame. This carbody was carried into the first 2,800 hp U28C’s built in 1965, but midway through model production, GE switched to a 67 ft 3 in frame with an entirely different carbody – the classic “U boat” design that lasted until dash-8 units in the late 1980’s.

The highly competitive horsepower race demanded quick improvements, and by 1966 GE introduced the 3,000hp U30C to compete with EMD SD40’s and Alco C630’s. Two years later 1968, the U33C was introduced, with 3,300 hp and a new signature feature: wings at the radiator section for a wider cooling surface.

Several orders arrived both as models and railroads changed. Milwaukee Road ordered additional 4 U30C’s, but that order was upgraded to U33C’s to become the first delivery of the new model in early 1968. Pennsylvania Railroad ordered 20 U33C’s, these arrived post-PC merger as Penn Central units, and were the first new power delivered to Penn Central. The very first units ordered by MILW, PC, IC, GN, and SP had unique triangular “fairing” that extended from the edge of the hood to the tip of the radiator wings, giving a more streamlined look. They also had phase features common to early U30C’s, most notably 8 battery boxes on the conductor’s side. After early 1969, all big GE’s would have a more condensed 6 box arrangement. 

Through 1972, a wide variety of railroads ordered U33C’s, often in small numbers that accumulated into bigger rosters through mergers. Burlington Northern gathered together the second largest roster, with units inherited from GN, NP, bought from SJ Groves, and hefty orders by the railroad itself. Some railroads, like Erie Lackwanna, ordered nearly equal amounts of U33C’s and U36C’s to make a larger combined roster.

Photo Courtesy: John Lassahn

Photo Courtesy:Ron Hawkins

Southern Pacific was by far the biggest purchaser of the U33C, it’s 212 unit fleet was so enormous that it outnumbers all other U33C’s combined. SP purchased so many units in so many orders that their fleet included all phase variations within GE U33C/U36C production. GE Universals were not known for reliability, but on SP’s challenging system, the picture was a bit more nuanced. SP needed tons of high horsepower power, and ordered over 300 3,600hp SD45’s. On a U33C, with less horsepower, the larger traction motors with more copper proved more powerful at low speeds, which was a good match for the challenging grades on SP. Yet maintenance costs proved to cost more, and in the late 70’s the SP opted to reduce maintenance on the fleet. SP U33C’s ended up traveling far and wide, with lease service to power starved eastern coal roads and Mexico. 

GE’s Universal model offerings did include a 3,600hp model to compete directly with the SD45, the U36C. Railroads were slow to order it; by the time Clinchfield Railroad ordered 7 units in 1971, SP was the only railroad still ordering U33C’s. Two railroads needed the heavy power and came through with big orders – Santa Fe ordered 100 units in four batches, and NdeM received just over 100 units including 20 U36CG’s. Both fleets went into extensive service on heavy mountain routes, running in big lashups to get tonnage over the grades. 

 U33C/U36C Features:

• Rotating bearing caps (where appropriate)
• Axle generator detail with cables applied
• Multiple nose, long hood and cab variations (nose lights, Gyralites, high nose and much more!)
• Conrail 1776 features the correct post-rebuild numberboards and headlight casing
• Full lighting package including track lights, step lights, walkway lights and three-color class lights
• Heavy die-cast frame with many separate details
• With or without dynamic brakes (where appropriate)
• Full interior details with lit control stand lights
• Metal grab irons and brake chain
• Prototypically correct tread patterns on walkways
• Correct details for all U33C and U36C phase variations!
• Full traction motor casing details
• Rapido’s innovative dead-straight metal handrails with plastic stanchions
• Etched-metal steps with fold-over step edge designs
• Correct battery box door arrangements
• Rubber sanding lines
• MoPower capacitor system for uninterrupted DCC running
• DC/DCC ready or Dual-Mode DC/DCC/Sound
• Suggested minimum radius: 22”

Photo Courtesy: John Lassahn