Georgia Central Railway in the 1990s - GE “U-Boat” U30B and U33B Locomotives

[@mjrodriguez8670]

Those GE U-Boats sound amazing, Chris! Thanks to Dan Hadley for capturing these GE units in the 1990’s!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you so much, MJ!!! We’ll pass along the message to Mr. Hadley. As always, we appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@Nethanel773]

I enjoy the look and the sound of the old U-boats. Thanks for putting this together!

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re very welcome, Nethanel! Thank you for watching the video. We also enjoy that classic “U-Boat” sound. If only it was more common today…

[@SPRailfan4449]

Another nice little documentary by C Vision. I’ve never heard of this railroad before watching this documentary. Now that I do know this railroad, I am gonna look more into this railroad to see what interesting equipment they have. Thank you C Vision for helping me find out a railroad I never knew before. ❤️👍😎

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re very welcome! We’re glad to hear that this video has gotten you interested in the Georgia Central! It’s a neat little railroad that deserves more coverage. The history of these lines is absolutely fascinating. We would have included more of it, but we don’t like drowning out train sounds with excessive narration. Thank you very much for the nice comment.

[@AlikStansberry]

Those U-Boats were lucky to be given an extended life with Georgia Central and other shortlines! Back when Diesels were allowed to smoke as much as they could and all haha. Since Genesse & Wyoming bought the GC, I may need to look into what other territories they’ve acquired since they first started. Thanks again Chris and Dan.

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re very welcome, Alik! Thank you. As for those old U-Boats, you’re absolutely right. The units that found second or third homes after being retired by the class ones were very lucky. We both know where they would have ended up otherwise… Unfortunately, most have since been “recycled”. As always, we appreciate the comment.

[@Hap6605]

Its lovely to see some amazing footage of these amazing locomotives, quite hard to find!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Well, thank you very much for the kind words. We’re happy to share this footage with you!

[@georgiacentralfan]

Back when I first started watching GC as a toddler in the late 90's I got to witness the old Georgia Central transition from using the low nose GE U30B's, U33B's to GE high nose U23B's which back then was a sight to see. Growing up through adolescence I watched the high nose U23B's preform their daily work and hold many fond memories of them. But as time progressed things changed as in 2015 all the U23B's except for one were scrapped while the one (3965) was sent to SARM in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. After the uboat era GC started to become an EMD railroad. When the EMD's started to show up we were greeted with some old first gen EMD's such as GP9's, G10's, a GP16, GP20's and two leased GP30's which now serve on the Reading and Northern. As time progressed the first gen EMD's began to leave around 2017 and the GP38-2's became a main stay until the arrival of the SD40-3's (SD45 carbody). But now after all that's changed throughout the years, GE's are now roaming the rails of the Georgia Central once again but in the form of B32-8's. They roster a total of 20 B32-8s.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you for the nice comment. We also appreciate you sharing the motive power history of the Georgia Central! It’s fascinating stuff. The railroad never seems to keep any group of locomotives for too long. We’ll see if these B32-8s can last a bit longer… Thanks again for taking the time to share Georgia Central’s history with us.

[@georgiacentralfan]

The B32-8s are here to stay for many years. Currently running in a consist of 4 on the road freight due to the heavy tonnage.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Well, that’s great to hear. Especially the heavy tonnage part. Hopefully that equates to a profitable railroad.

[@AlexTrain5249]

Even MORE U-Boat Survivors footage. I love the U-Boat footage so much! Thank you for this yet again. What’s next? The Squaw Creek U33Cs?

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re welcome, and thank you! And yes, Squaw Creek is on the list! We’re still not sure when you’ll see that video, however. There’s an endless line of projects in front of it, at the moment. We appreciate the comment, Alex.

[@DouglasP201]

I miss the sounds of those leslie horns. Cool video!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you, Douglas!!! Those RS5Ts definitely increased the “coolness factor” of the Georgia Central. We appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment.

[@durielshepherd9347]

wow, the way time changes things, so many places look almost unrecognizeable. excellent video buddy, good to see some surviving footage of GCs gray ghosts.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you for appreciating this video! We were hoping some local fans would find it. It’s always fun to see how much has changed over the past 30 years. Thanks again.

[@chrishinnant3924]

Gotta love that Leslie Horn. I still hear it every blue moon on CSX

[@CVisionProductions1]

Oh, for sure! Those RS5Ts were incredible horns. And yes, CSX still has a few left, but their numbers are dwindling. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@Nicola636128]

Very cool video!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you so much!!! We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed it.

[@JohnS-jj9by]

Great video! Thanks for posting.

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re very welcome, John! Thank you for watching.

[@SantaFe19484]

Nice video! The scene crossing the bridge over Route 29 looks like it is from the Pentrex film U Boat Survivors.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you very much! And yes, you are correct. That scene did make it into Pentrex’s video. We appreciate you taking the time to watch.

[@colinmulder6806]

Gather around folks, FACTOR TIME: 1. Thanks once again for showing more of Dan's travels from his findings in search of U-BOATS during the Summer of 1994. 2. Georgia Central, operating between the Georgia town's of Savannah & Macon with the shops to be found outside the town of Lyons near Vidalia which is famous for growing onion within that region. 3. The shops did quite a SUPERB job in keeping their fleet in workable condition & the line lasted for quite a long time throughout the mergers until CSX spinned them off in 1990. 3. A similar shortline to these folks is The Georgia Northeastern that operates over 66 miles of former L&N trackage when CSX spinned them off in 1987. 3. The daily westbound road freight out of Savannah swaps out crews at the shops & runs to Dublin, GA to meet it's eastbound counterpart from Macon, GA. 4. Main reason why they swap trains rather than the diesels is that they can be returned to their origination points so that their home each night. 5. Vidalia is where the company office can be found & where employees check car numbers from a coumpter print out. This is done similar to an A.E.I. reader that most class one railroads utilize which updates freight cars progress & where the customers can find them. 6. It turns out U30B'S had different carbody configurations in about four. Similar to the designs for late U28B'S radiators, the knotched out section turns out to be larger as demonstrated by #1009. 7. Macon is primarily where G.C. interchanges traffic to & from CSX. From the looks of each trains make-up, undoubtedly it's primarily centered around the paper, pulpwood, & kalin industries. If one does a little wondering, you'll find Norfolk Southerns territory through there along with CSX'S Fitzgerald SUB. 8. For those interested in more U-BOAT action, visit G.C.'S nearby neighbor NASHVILLE & EASTERN to see another group of U30B'S. What makes both lines of interest to fans is that their fleet are compressed with diesels of CSX heritage of C&O, L&N, & SCL. 9. With the state's rolling hill's, the locomotives can have a chance to be put through their paces working up grades & rises. 10. All in all, Keep up the stupendous work in presenting more of Dan's work. This particular footage for his U-BOAT video was quite of interested for it demonstrated the hard work & road miles he had to cover over the years to spot surviving UNIVERSAL series diesels still rolling up the miles delivering goods to market. P.S. I'm still awaiting your feedback on the McCook video.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Alright, Colin. Here we go! You will find our factor responses below: 1. You’re very welcome, as always! 2. Nailed it, correct. 3. Georgia Central employees must have had the magic touch, because it was no small feat keeping that aging fleet of U-Boats in working order. As you saw at the beginning of the video, a few of those units looked as if they had experienced catastrophic failures, and were possibly being used for parts. And you’re correct, CSX spun the lines off in 1990. 3b. We do recall the Georgia Northeastern. Another interesting railroad, but one that we’ve never covered. 3c. That all sounds correct. We’re sure that operations have changed quite a bit since this footage was captured. 4. The crew swap makes perfect sense. We’re unsure why they also made a power swap. Four units versus five? That’s the only reason that we can think of. Or, maybe that’s just how it was done. It’s a fairly common practice to keep locomotives assigned to a particular terminal, especially on a shortline. 5. Correct. We’re guessing that the process has been updated by now. AEI readers have been an incredible gift to railroading. 6. It’s interesting to see the unique spotting features from different eras of U-Boats. Their designs were constantly evolving. 7. We’ve only been to Macon once. We were on our way to the FEC. It was quite cold, especially for Georgia. 8. We are reviewing the Nashville & Eastern footage as we speak. Look for it in the future. Unfortunately, their U30Bs have long since been retired. 9. Absolutely. We saw that a few times in Mr. Hadley’s footage. 10. Thank you kindly, Colin!!! We appreciate you hitting us with these factors on the Georgia Central. P.S. We’ll try to get to your McCook factors shortly. This Georgia Central video has been keeping us busy.

[@davidstewart5694]

@@colinmulder6806 no7 on Macon, correction. All interchange in Macon was with NS and still is via Brosnan Yard. CSX has no footprint in Macon since selling to GC. The Fitz Sub is rather far off from GC, 1.5 hr at the closest point from Dublin to Fitzgerald. The closest rail action nearby to GC in its entirety is NS's Savannah District running to the north.

[@georgiacentralfan]

Lyons and Savannah actually swapped out in Collins. After swapping in Dublin with Macon. They would run eastbound all the way to Collins and swap train with Savannah the run back west to Lyons and tie down for the day. When GC first started the road train operated between Vidalia and Savannah round trip with one crew. Then swapped with Macon crew in Vidalia and they ran round trip between Macon and Savannah. This practice didn't last long at all and they resorted to meeting and swapping trains.

[@colinmulder6806]

@@georgiacentralfan When did the crew swap switched to the shop area?

[@georgiacentralfan]

​@colinmulder6806 technically wasn't a crew swap at shop. The westbound would leave the shop and run to Dublin to swap trains with Macon. After swapping in Dublin they would run back east all the way to Collins to swap with the Savannah train. After swapping with Savannah train they would run back west to the shop and tie down. And repeat that same run the next day.

[@joeystrains.9316]

No graffitti! Cool!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Did you see boxcar CSXT 161224 on the eastbound departing Dublin? That actually had a couple full pieces on it, plus some tags. Pretty surprising for the year this footage was captured. Thank you for watching the video.

[@joeystrains.9316]

@CVisionProductions1 must have missed it.

[@fakecumberland]

This is excellent.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you for the kind words! We always appreciate your comments.

[@GP30RDMT]

That was lovely!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you so much, sir! More to come.

[@georgecarter838]

Nice video of a fond memory for me. I worked for GC back in the early 90's shortly after they started and worked on the Dublin Turn out of Vidalia before I went to Savanna to work the old Savanna yard and the Meldrum Turn. The U-Boats were good pullers, but they did have their share of breakdowns and could throw quite a bit of fire and sparks out the stacks at times.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you for sharing a little of your railroad story. That is always appreciated. Your recollection of the U-Boats is in line with what we’ve heard from others. They pulled well when they wanted to! Anyway, thank you for taking the time to watch and comment.

[@poohmaster54]

Did you work for Rail Link with the intermodal trains or just the GC’s side of things in Savannah?

[@georgecarter838]

@@poohmaster54 There was no Rail Link or intermodal when I last worked there in 1992. Ours was working the big Union-Camp paper mill and transfer runs to Southover Yard. All that you refer to happened way after I left to go to another railroad.

[@georgecarter838]

@@CVisionProductions1 They did have their share of problems, but that was due to their age and we got them practically from CSX's deadline at the startup. I credit out shop chief Cecil Bowden and his crew for doing their best to keep them running, but personally, we used to breathe a sigh of relief if we had some of the GP-9's and the two GP-18's in our consist because they usually were more reliable and kept pulling even if their horsepower was less than the GE's. Thanks again for sharing and looking forward to more from your collection.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thanks again, George. More videos on the way soon.

[@curtisdunn2021]

I lived beside georgia central line in soperton area, i wish i could find more georgia central videos like this and i have always wondered when was the line going west of vidilda to cordeal discountied i know around 2010 heart of georgia ran for a short time but was that line active and who ran it back then

[@CVisionProductions1]

We appreciate the comment, Curtis. Georgia Central is a neat railroad. We looked at the line in question on maps while doing research for the video. We’re curious as to its history as well. Thank you for watching the video.

[@TNRailProductions_01]

Fantastic!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you so much!!! We’re glad that you enjoyed the video. The Georgia Central has been on our list for a long time…

[@edmaphet6]

Most of this footage is from U-Boat Survivors by Pentrex however there are extra scenes that was cut out to save on time for the two hour DVD. Thanks for the post.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Exactly correct. We always enjoy adding in those forgotten scenes that would have otherwise never seen the light of day. There’s quite a bit of additional U-Boat footage in our archives, so you can expect more of it to be released in the future. Thank you!

[@edmaphet6]

Thanks for writing and when you release this DVD I'll buy this for sure. Thanks Again.

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re welcome!

[@davidherd503]

That very rare train 😮

[@CVisionProductions1]

Yes, U30Bs and U33Bs are nearly extinct today. Thank you for watching the video.

[@danielwalton9012]

Jack Hammer! Goosebumps! But I Like the Sound of Laughing Babies of Ernie The Orange Man, And Betty Lou!

[@Danvers97]

Huh

[@danielwalton9012]

@@Danvers97 well Man Would I B all shook up!

[@DKS225]

Love The Leslie Type horn on Unit 1012.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Oh, yes. The “king of horns”… Leslie’s RS5T! Thank you for mentioning it. The P5 on unit 1009 was pretty neat too. We appreciate the comment.

[@DKS225]

@ A number of Australian locomotives have this type of horn namely The N,G and GM class. The latter of which are still in service more than 60 years after their introduction as long ago as 1951. The N is mostly in Victoria but The G class can be found in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. All the classes mentioned are with private operators some with Southern Shorthaul Railroad or SSR.

[@CVisionProductions1]

You know what, we’ve heard a few of those RS5Ts in “the land down under”. Australian railroading is actually quite interesting. There are many similarities to the railroads of North America.

[@DKS225]

@@CVisionProductions1 Case in Point The GM, 42 and S Class locomotives being a lower and slightly longer version of The EMD F7. With The B and later A Class they were a dual cab version of The F7. All of which had Co-Co Trucks. Except The A Class came around by selecting 13 B Class units by replacing their 1500hp engines with 2400hp engines among other improvements and at first dedicating them to passenger duties.

[@wildbill9919]

0:17 1976 or 77 Ford truck-my favorite.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Sure enough, right in front of the shop! Nice catch, Bill.

[@Minnesota_Rails]

Wow these uboats are cool! Love the horns on them . What’s this railroad like now in motive power? Still the U-boats or different?

[@georgiacentralfan]

B32-8s. 20 of them.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Yes, they really were neat units. However, there have been major changes on the Georgia Central over the past 30 years, including the retirement of these older U-Boats. As @georgiacentralfan has stated, they now operate with an entirely “new” fleet of locomotives, and the railroad is now owned by the Genesee & Wyoming. Thank you for checking out the video.

[@bennyztrainz]

I love the horn sound likey RDC that I work for. 4:41

[@CVisionProductions1]

Oh, for sure. RS5Ts definitely catch your attention! Thank you for watching the video.

[@bennyztrainz]

@@CVisionProductions1 of course thank you💙💙💙💙💙

[@luisalejandrogalvan358]

Nice Video, Actually the Railway Ferrocarril Coahuila Durango have ten 10 U-Boats actives of series 3900's

[@CVisionProductions1]

That’s really neat! It’s good to know that other examples of these classic locomotives have survived elsewhere. Thank you very much for watching, and also for sharing that information with us.

[@luisalejandrogalvan358]

@@CVisionProductions1 You Welcome!

[@25mfd]

man i like those older GEs... nice sound when they're throttling up (@ 1:46... WOW that sounds NICE) but what's up with some of them having EMD road trucks... i've noticed that over the years... some do and some don't... i suppose that was a after purchase add on

[@CVisionProductions1]

Those old U-Boats really did sound great. If you haven’t checked out our video on the TTI, we invite you to do so. The U28Bs that were featured in that program sounded pretty darn incredible. There’s a noticeable difference in sound between the U25/28s and the U30/33s. Also, we’re glad you mentioned the EMD (Blomberg) trucks on some of those U-Boats. They came from retired trade-in EMD units, and were installed by GE at their factory when the locomotives were built. Your comment is appreciated.

[@chicnwing4519]

U boats are too cool,

[@CVisionProductions1]

We agree! If only there were more operating today… Thank you for watching.

[@davidstewart5694]

Man this is good stuff. GC essentially doesn't exist anymore as it was known under Rail Management. GWi wiped out pretty much all the well run operations and people.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you, David! Sorry to hear about the current state of things. We were hoping that G&W had made some positive changes. Anyway, we appreciate you watching the video.

[@davidstewart5694]

@CVisionProductions1 I was quite shocked to see something from my area in your stash lol. That leads me to think you might have been working when that was taken *cough cough* They do have traffic and some newer businesses are on line in the last 8 years, but under gwi they still continue to have turnover issues with manpower. No one from the real GC is there anymore. The last of those guys left within 4 or so years of gwi coming in. They essentially made working conditions poor then took the 3900s away and gave them pure shitcan EMDs. Power in the last 5 years has gotten better. B32s are the main power now. MTOs come and go like class 1s. Even still since the first 5 years of inconsistencies, things have gotten better, but they still can't seem to get scheduling down pat. They let track conditions get really poor in some areas, like from downtown Dublin west, about 8 miles and other areas. It was ax real shit show for quite a while. GWi seemed to have no interest in running the railroad the way it needed to be ran. It just goes to show nothing last forever. The engineer you had a good shot of backing up at the swap is a good friend of mine too, Will Martin.

[@CVisionProductions1]

We very much appreciate the updates, David. To answer your question, the videographer (Dan Hadley) was working for Pentrex at the time, so he was traveling all across North America documenting railroad operations throughout the 1990s. We were lucky enough to strike up a deal with Mr. Hadley, since he retained the rights to his original footage. His collection is quite extensive. Either way, it sounds like the Georgia Central has its fair share of “railroad issues”. Thanks again for sharing, and we’re glad to hear that your friend made it into this video!

[@CSXEK]

I love u boats

[@CVisionProductions1]

We do too! We’re planning many more videos featuring these classic machines. Thanks for watching.

[@RailPreserver2K]

At least one of these got saved, 3965

[@CVisionProductions1]

That’s good to know! U-Boats may not have been the most popular with the railroads, but a few examples deserved to be saved. Thank you for sharing that information with us.

[@wildbill9919]

The gray paint scheme is about as plain as it gets, but I like it.

[@CVisionProductions1]

We agree with you there, Bill. It’s so plain, that it’s actually kind of cool. Their design team must have worked long and hard on that paint scheme… Anyway, thank you for checking out the video.

[@gonzoGarcia2006]

Are these the same ones that went to Mexico ?

[@CVisionProductions1]

Actually, yes. Good call on that! It looks like Genesee & Wyoming transferred them south after purchasing the Georgia Central. That’s certainly some interesting history. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@colefd]

Not a thread of HI-Vis safety anywhere...and civilians riding along too...? Ah yes the old days.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Yes, sir! Back when railroading was FUN. No doubt, the professionals out on the rails today still have some good times, but it’s a highly supervised environment, as you’re probably well aware. Thank you for the comment.

[@BurritoFarmer46]

Now why wouldn't the crews just swap trains? Why swap the power between trains, too?

[@CVisionProductions1]

Believe it or not, we wondered the same thing. Some railroads do that, some don’t. Definitely a lot more messing around. Maybe they needed five units on the Macon end of the railroad? Anyway, great question. Hopefully someone has a better answer for you than we did. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@ZillaJr2005]

The U-Boats had such stubby noses.

[@CVisionProductions1]

They sure did! Probably not the best crash protection? Either way, the U-Boats certainly had a unique design. Thank you for the comment.