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

As Schuyler noted, Overland did make these.  I was informed that 25 A-B units were produced (which makes alot of sense since they ran in 4 unit sets - usually).  There are 23 other sets somewhere as I have 2 that I have had on display, but never attempted to run, I guess with good reason after reading Schuyler's note.

Tony Horn
ELHS #2

- -----Original Message-----
>From: lallman_@_mail.altelco.net
>Sent: Dec 31, 2005 12:57 PM
>To: "J. Henry Priebe Jr." <root_@_net.bluemoon.net>, Erie Lackawanna Mail List <erielack@lists.elhts.org>
>Subject: Re: (erielack) Erie 750A-B-C-D GE cab unit demonstrator set in the 12-26-05 ABPR
>
>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
>> 
>> 
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