I,ve decided my winter project this year is a model of the XP 24-1(the test bed for the U25B) using the Bowser model as the starter. According to "Frisco In Color" the unit demonstrated on the Frisco in 1960 and my question is how long was it on line or for that matter how long, in general, was any demonstrator allowed to roam a system? Thank you. Larry F.
I'm not sure about the test durations, but I know the Frisco tested the EMC FT and the EMD GP20 on its system. Since the Frisco decided to go with the GE U25b in the early 1960's, one would think they demonstrated the U-boat before making that decision, and possibly also the competing EMD GP30. Somewhere in the back of my mind, early 1960's when I was a student at MSM in Rolla, I recall hearing locally that a set of GP30 units came through Rolla on the SLSF. I have no date evidence of that. Ken
Thanks Ken. It was no big deal about the duration-just curious. In the book "Rails, Rivalry, and Romance" there is a shot of the GP35/DD35 demos going through Ft. Scott...talk about incongruous. That would have been a sight to behold! Larry
Larry - Thanks, I'd forgotten that pic in "R, R & R", on page 432. 15,000 HP was probably a bit of overkill for the Frisco back then, but the DD35's would have looked pretty neat in a consist working up Dixon Hill. Ken
Right after Christmas 1961, mabie early January 1962, a three unit set of U25B demonstrators ran north on the Ft. Worth-Sherman line. I paced them on my bike from Farmers Branch to Carrollton on a cold clear Saturday morning. The EMD F units and Alco FA/FBs were still more fun to watch though!
I remember when the U25b's first started to appear now and then on the Eastern Division while I was at MSM, early 1960's. They made a distinctively different sound climbing up Rolla Hill out of Newburg than did the EMD's. Chuggers. Ken
I'm surprised that no has mentioned yet that Frisco 804-807 actually started out as GE demonstrator units and #804 was the first U25b built for any purchaser. Also, Atlas has just announced production of the lose nose version in N Scale in EMD Demonstrator colors. The unit pictured below (#51) which Atlas is going to produce later became SLSF 812. Actually the Frisco purchased four low nose U25b demonstrators (#51-54) and numbered them 812-815. Makes one wonder if GE gave a deal on demonstrator units!
Also interesting that the UP high-hood U25b's did not look exactly like the Frisco high-hood U25b's. UP and SLSF were the only roads that had high-hood versions. This was very early in the U25b program, of course, and GE was probably still messing around with the body design. Ken
