GE U18B


The GE U18B diesel-electric locomotive was introduced by GE Transportation as a branch line road switcher locomotive in 1973. It was the only North American locomotive powered by the 8-cylinder 7FDL engine. The U18B was not a popular seller with GE only making about 150 of them, and they were mostly purchased by Maine Central and Seaboard Coast Line. Railroads lost interest in specialized road units entering the 1970s. The U18Bs were noted for having reliability issues and being underpowered. The Maine Central referred to their U18Bs as the Independence class and named their units after revolutionary war heroes. GE included information about a B18-7 locomotive in its 1978 "Series-7 Road Locomotives" service manual, but none of these updated units were ordered, sold, or built.

Original Owners

ImageRailroadQuantityNumbersNotes
Maine Central Railroad10400–409Blomberg trucks; part of a cancelled SCL order
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México459000–9044AAR type-B trucks
Providence and Worcester Railroad11801FB-2 trucks
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad105250–261, 300–392325-392 with Blomberg trucks, all others FB-2. All to CSX. 10 additional units on order but cancelled
Texas Utilities2101–102AAR type-B trucks