The GE U23B is a 2,250 horsepower diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation from 1968 to 1977. It was one of the most successful models of the Universal Series , with 481 units built, including 16 exported to Peru. The U23B was replaced by the B23-7 .
10-628: Featuring a 12 cylinder FDL engine, the U23B was a derivative of the U30B with a lower horsepower rating, producing 2,250 hp compared to the U30B's 3,000 hp. A variant with 6 axles instead of 4 was produced, known as the U23C . Not many U23Bs still exist, but a few shortline and regional railroads still use them in everyday service. The Georgia Central Railway was one of the last U23B holdouts, rostering almost all of
20-407: A surface coating applied to the engine block. A piston is seated inside each cylinder by several metal piston rings , which also provide seals for compression and the lubricating oil. The piston rings do not actually touch the cylinder walls, instead they ride on a thin layer of lubricating oil. The cylinder in a steam engine is made pressure-tight with end covers and a piston; a valve distributes
30-548: Is numbered NIWX 2204 and is a Northern Illinois and Wisconsin locomotive. RJ Corman operates at least one, Road Number 2300, after acquiring the Lehigh Railway short line in Northeast Pennsylvania. Cylinder (engine) In a reciprocating engine , the cylinder is the space in which a piston travels. The inner surface of the cylinder is formed from either a thin metallic liner (also called "sleeve") or
40-402: The airflow, to provide the primary method of cooling to the engine. Most air-cooled engines have cooling fins on the cylinders and each cylinder has a separate case in order to maximise the surface area available for cooling. In engines where the cylinders are removable from the engine block, a removable single cylinder is called a jug. For motorcycle engines, a "reverse cylinder engine" is where
50-437: The cylinder liner is subject to wear from the rubbing action of the piston rings and piston skirt. This wear is minimized by the thin oil film which coats the cylinder walls and also by a layer of glaze which naturally forms as the engine is run-in. On some engines, the cylinder liner is replaceable, in case it becomes worn or damaged. On engines without replaceable sleeves, the cylinder can sometimes be repaired by boring out
60-530: The existing liner to produce a new smooth and round surface (although the diameter of the cylinder is slightly increased). Another repair technique is 'sleeving' the cylinder— boring it and then installing a sleeve in the extra space created by the boring. Most engines use 'dry liners', where the liner is surrounded by the engine block and does not make contact with the coolant. However, cylinders with 'wet liners' are used in some water-cooled engines, especially French designs. The wet liners are formed separately from
70-472: The intake ports are on the front side of each cylinder, and the exhaust ports are on the rear side of each cylinder. Cylinder liners (also known as sleeves) are thin metal cylinder-shaped parts which are inserted into the engine block to form the inner wall of the cylinder. Alternatively, an engine can be 'sleeveless', where the cylinder walls are formed by the engine block with a wear-resistant coating, such as Nikasil or plasma-sprayed bores. During use,
80-578: The last U23B's used in daily freight service, as of April 2020. HMCR 9554 was originally built in late 1974 as L&N 2800. The last U23B built, originally Conrail 2798, and more recently Providence and Worcester 2203, is in regular freight service at the Naugatuck Railroad in Thomaston, Connecticut. Western Rail Inc in Airway Heights, WA currently has a U23B that is leased out to other railroads. It
90-588: The remaining ex Southern Railway (U.S.) high short hood U23Bs. The Georgia Central as of July 2015 has all of its U23Bs off of the roster with the 3965 going to the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum in Oak Ridge, TN. Another U23B, CSX 9553, former L&N 2817, is preserved at the museum and is operable. The Huntsville and Madison County Railroad Authority in Huntsville, AL, operates one of
100-419: The steam to the ends of the cylinder. Cylinders were cast in cast iron and later in steel. The cylinder casting can include other features such as valve ports and mounting feet. The cylinder is the space through which the piston travels, propelled by the energy generated from the combustion of the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. In an air-cooled engine , the walls of the cylinders are exposed to
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