#3721
GE U50
🇺🇸 United States ·built by GE Transportation· from 1963· American diesel-electric locomotive (1963–1977)
what is it?
The GE U50 was an eight-axle, 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation. They were twin-engined locomotives, combining two 2,500 hp (1,900 kW) diesel engines on one frame.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 63 years ago, in 1963.
- 3.7 MW is about 44 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 25.3 m long: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 14 years (1963–1977).
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1963–1965
- in service from
- 1963
- retired
- 1977
- status
- retired
- number built
- 26
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- GE Transportation, General Electric
- operators
- Union Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Transportation Company
- top speed
- 113 km/h
- power
- 3.7 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- B+B-B+B
- length
- 25.3 m
- nicknames
- U-Boats (UP), Baby Hueys (SP)
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q5513316, Wikipedia: GE U50 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.