GE Universal Series

The GE Universal Series is a series of diesel locomotives that General Electric introduced in early 1956 for the export market. GE had earlier partnered with Alco, building export locomotives with Alco 244 engines and supplying electrical parts for Alco domestic production, but with the Universal Series it ended that partnership and entered the export market on its own. The designations follow a compact pattern, U for Universal, then the nominal horsepower in hundreds, then the axle count, with B for four axles and C for six. Early models used Caterpillar and Cooper-Bessemer engines, and later ones GE 7FDL8 and 7FDL12 engines. Nine models were offered on introduction, and GE never offered a 16-cylinder export model in the series.