Road Name: DEEX Road Number: 007 Gauge: O Gauge Most Recent Catalog: 2026 Volume 2 Min Curve: O31 System: 3-Rail Legacy Features: LEGACY U33C Locomotive Eight Rotary Gondolas with removable loads Working EOT on last Gondola Overview: Tired of issues with Penn Central's reliability, Detroit Edison purchased a fleet of U30Cs in 1972 to augment the SD40s on its roster to provide dedicated power for their unit coal trains. Additional U30C's arrived in 1975. The locomotives ran on dedicated trains on several routes but are best known for runs between West Virginia and Michigan over Penn Central and later Conrail. Here they took advantage of a unique feature of the DE fleet - the ability to control mid train helpers with radio. While common today, this distributed power was much more novel in the 1970s. It was not uncommon to see 3 or more units up front, mid-train or on the rear working in tandem to move well over 100 cars of coal in special gondolas. The blue and silver power was a regular sight on Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan rails from the 1970s to the early 2000s. This consist represents the trains towards the end or the U-boats' reign with more modern rotary dump cars in the train. Our set provides a single locomotive and eight cars, but additional power and rolling stock are available separately if you're ready to try the full experience - easy enough with smooth LEGACY control and lash ups!
