From 1969 -1978 they were used and then in 1978 UP sent them to the scapyards? Why? Does anyone have the answer? I am thinking of getting a model of one of these short lived engines.
Thanks in advance!
The U50Cs were built with aluminum wiring. There is an account of at least one of these units being burnt up from a fire due to the wiring. Aluminum wiring increases the resistance along the wire and is more brittle. It was found to be too expensive to rewire them and cheaper to scrap them.
Thanks for the Info. I saw and ad in a modeling magazine and wondered why the short lifespan. Now I know.
As I remember all the big engines (U50, DD40 and the alco engines) were basically two engines on one frame. So there were two engines using one cab which was the only savings at the time. When one had a problem the whole thing was laid up. If UP had bought two separate engines they would have been able to shop the defective unit while keeping the other on the road. Most of the time they were teamed in multiples with other engines anyway so it hurt them when maintenance was needed.
Besides the aluminum wiring there was another major problem. The trucks were reused from the last turbines. Since the trucks were already old, and since two diesel engines weigh much more than does one turbine the trucks started developing stress cracks. So between needing completely rewired and new trucks it was not economic to upgrade the U50Cs.