Railroad Trains for the Soul: More Santa Fe Warbonnets

Look at this unusual red and silver Warbonnet diesel locomotive for the Santa Fe: the General Electric U28CG. Built in 1966 with a steam generator, the U28CG was intended for passenger duty like many Warbonnets during the pre-Amtrak years. But unlike most Warbonnets at the time, this U-boat locomotive was built as a roadswitcher or hood unit. Hood units are generally intended for freight service whereas cab and cowl units are best suited for passenger duty.

The U28CG was sort of the direct predecessor to the U30CG that did have a fully enclosed cowl body. Both U-boat types were soon demoted to freight duty after the Santa Fe discontinued passenger services, and some of them were repainted in blue and yellow. To the best of my knowledge, the Santa Fe U28 was the first hood unit painted in the classic Warbonnet scheme and the railroad's only passenger hood type prior to the birth of Amtrak. It was also probably the only Warbonnet diesel with a narrow nose at the front because the 1990's-era Super Fleet locomotives all have the high-tech wide nose and comfort cab for maximized crew safety.

I love sharing unusual trains like this one. It's a pity that the U28CG faded into history, but I believe this was kind of like an ancestor to the Super Fleet wide-cab hood units of the Santa Fe.

Facebook photo credit: The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway