This is the locomotive I really want to be using on my
railroad but it isn’t working. So until I figure out what needs fixed and how to fix it, it’s
just sitting around looking pretty. And it is very pretty.
The GE U25B was manufactured between 1959 and 1966. A total
of 478 were produced in that time; 53 of those were built for railroads which
would eventually become part of Burlington Northern. This 2500 hp locomotive (hence the '25' in its name) was just over 60 feet long, which means my locomotive in 1:29 scale is about 25 inches.
BN 5406 started life as GN 2506, built for the Great
Northern and delivered in April, 1964. Here is a link to the only picture I
could find online of GN 2506 (along with sisters 2504 and 2505) taken just two
months after delivery, showing its original GN colors. 2506 is the one in the
back.
It was renumbered as 5406 in 1970 following the BN merger. Here is a link to a picture after it had been renumbered, but not yet repainted in
Cascade Green. It was retired in May, 1981 after less than 20 years of service. This link is to a page that includes a photo of BN 5412, another U25B that is shown in Cascade Green.
Could a locomotive like this have been seen on the PE&A?
Possibly. This class of locomotive was definitely used along the BN main lines
through eastern Washington hauling long distance trains. By the 1970s, it is feasible a now older locomotive like this may have been found along branch lines like
those through the Palouse.
Seven U25Bs are preserved today, only one of which is currently
in operating condition, Southern Pacific 3100.
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