GE U23B

Powered by GE’s 12-cylinder FDL prime mover, the 2,250-horsepower U23B was introduced in 1968 as part of the Universal Series. It was conceived as a four-axle counterpart to the U30C and as GE’s answer to EMD’s GP38. With 481 built before production ended in 1977, the U23B became the second-best seller in the Universal line.

The first examples went to the Delaware & Hudson in the summer of 1968, followed quickly by orders from railroads across North America. Chesapeake & Ohio and Louisville & Nashville together rostered 120 units, later inherited by CSX. Other sizeable fleets went to Penn Central, Santa Fe, and Missouri Pacific. In service the U23B proved versatile: fast enough for main line freight, nimble enough for branch line work, and straightforward to maintain.

The model is easily identified by its stepped-out radiator section at the rear of the long hood and the twin sets of three tall engine-room doors near the centre. Truck types varied: many rode on standard AAR type Bs, others on GE’s FB2 design, and some on recycled EMD Blombergs from traded-in power.

Although most Class I fleets have long since disappeared, the U23B’s reputation for toughness was well earned. A handful remain active on short lines and regionals today, survivors of a design that, while never glamorous, proved its worth over decades of service.

• https://archive.atlasrr.com/NLoco/arc-nu23b.htm

Conway Scenic

Conway Scenic 2820 was built new for the Louisville & Nashville in 1975 and later worked for Seaboard System. When Conway Scenic acquired it, the locomotive was repainted into the railroad’s green and maroon scheme and worked out of North Conway. After its time in New Hampshire it was sold to the Finger Lakes Railway in New York.

No.	Built	Serial	Livery	Notes	Photographs	Modelling
2820	Mar 1975	40130	Conway Scenic Green & Maroon	Ex Louisville & Nashville 2820, then Seaboard System 2820. Sold to Finger Lakes Railway as 2820.	RR Picture Archives	April 2019 Atlas Conway Scenic Green & Maroon – Silver 40 004 653, Gold 40004653. (Trovestar)

Delaware & Hudson

The first sixteen U23Bs were delivered to the Delaware & Hudson in August and September 1968, numbered 301 to 316 and later renumbered 2301 to 2316. These were unique within the U23B production run, fitted with radiator fairings that did not appear on later units. From new, D&H also equipped them with a nose-mounted Gyralite, a standard feature across the roster.

Most of the class carried the familiar Champlain Blue and Grey lightning stripe, but a few became memorable exceptions. In 1975, locomotive 2312 was repainted into a red, white and blue Bicentennial scheme, renumbered 1776 and named E.W. McCrea in honour of a company executive. Another, 2311, became known as the “Grey Ghost,” the only D&H locomotive ever to appear in a solid grey scheme with a single lightning stripe. According to accounts, this unusual livery was the result of a shortage of blue paint at the Colonie Shops, with the painters pressing ahead using what was on hand.

The class was central to D&H’s early diesel fleet, but their time was relatively short. In 1983, all sixteen were sold to the Maine Central to inject much-needed cash into the struggling railroad, at a time when payroll was uncertain and boxcars were even being scrapped just to cover wages.s

No.	Built	Serial	Livery	Notes	Photographs	Modelling
2301	Aug 1968	36803		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #301
2302	Aug 1968	36804		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #302
2303	Aug 1968	36805		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #303
2304	Aug 1968	36806		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #304
2305	Aug 1968	36807		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #305
2306	Aug 1968	36808		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #306
2307	Aug 1968	36809		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #307
2308	Aug 1968	36810		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #308
2309	Sep 1968	36811		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #309
2310	Sep 1968	36812		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #310
2311	Sep 1968	36813	Later painted in “Grey Ghost” scheme.	Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #311
2312	Sep 1968	36814	Painted in 1975 for the Bicentennial and renumbered #1776. Later renumbered back to #2312.	Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #312
2313	Sep 1968	36815		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #313
2314	Sep 1968	36816		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #314
2315	Sep 1968	36817		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #315
2316	Sep 1968	36818		Sold Jun 1983. Built as D&H #316

Maine Central

The Maine Central purchased the ex-D&H U23Bs in 1983, officially renumbering them 280–295. In practice many continued to run with their original D&H numbers, and some even carried both sets of numbers at opposite ends. For years after the purchase, patched lightning stripes and weathered blue dip paint schemes were a common sight across MEC territory.

A few units stood out for their individual stories. The “Grey Ghost” 2311 kept its unique grey finish into 1985. The former Bicentennial 1776, renumbered back to 2312, later wore plain blue with a yellow sill stripe under Guilford. Others, such as 2303 and 2313, soldiered on in faded lightning stripes with only the bare minimum of relettering.

Full repaints into Guilford’s corporate grey and orange came slowly and without consistency. By the late 1980s the U23Bs were beginning to show their age. Fires, wrecks and mechanical problems thinned the class, with some scrapped, others cannibalised for parts, and a few sold for export. Even so, several remained in service into the early 1990s.

Through that period the U23Bs proved invaluable. They offered dependable four-axle power for freight and local jobs across the MEC system, often still wearing D&H colours that crews and railfans instantly recognised. In that patchwork of paint, battered bodies and stubborn endurance, the class became one of the defining sights of Guilford’s turbulent first decade.

By the early 1990s only a handful of U23Bs were still running. Units 280, 281 and 288 were among the last survivors, often working alongside GP38-2s. Photographs confirm that at least three were still hauling pulp rack trains west from Hermon to Waterville in the winter of 1992, with 281 included in the lash-up. Soon after, attrition caught up. No. 281 was placed out of service in February 1992 and officially retired in November 1993, having spent its last months waiting for shop time. Sister 285 also lingered until November 1993, though it had been inactive for some time. The very last in service was 288, which outlasted the others on Guilford before being sold to the Quebec Central, where it later met the torch.

Modelling

Atlas has produced a solid N scale model of the U23B, covering most of the key liveries: D&H lightning stripe, solid blue dip, Bicentennial 1776, Grey Ghost 2311, and Guilford grey and orange. Versions are available in both DC and factory-fitted DCC with sound.

The tooling is accurate for the production U23B, though not for the first sixteen D&H units with radiator fairings and nose-mounted Gyralites. Modellers wanting to capture those details will need to add them by hand.

For an early Guilford layout set in 1983–84, the transitional look is the most authentic: faded D&H schemes with crude patch lettering, mismatched numbers, and plenty of grime. Atlas hasn’t offered factory-patched versions, but they are easy enough to create with a little paint and a restencil decal set such as Highball Graphics L-191 (Maine Central Restencil for ex-D&H U23Bs).

The more inconsistent and weather-beaten your models appear, the closer they will be to the real locomotives of that era.

Highball Graphics L-191 – Maine Central Restencil set for ex D&H U23b’s 280-294 (not currently available in N Scale)

More Information

Epilogue

The U23Bs were never the most celebrated locomotives, yet on both the Delaware & Hudson and the Maine Central they became part of the scenery — patched, weathered, and hard at work. From lightning stripes to blue dip, from Bicentennial paint to the drab uniformity of Guilford grey, they carried the marks of changing times.

For the railfan they were a symbol of the early Guilford years, when nothing matched and everything bore the scars of service. For the modeller they remain irresistible: a canvas for weathering, patch lettering, and the quiet authenticity of locomotives that simply kept trains moving.