Con-Cor - 0001-003307 - Locomotive, Diesel, GE U50 - Chessie System - 670

Series Information: A collection released by Con-Cor

Model Information: Originally, Con-cor contracted with Kato of Japan to produce this model. It was first released in 1973, though it does not appear in the 1973 JMC catalog. Con-Cor later moved this tooling to China and re-released the model in 1997 under their "Rail Baron Collection" branding. The mechanism is shared with the Kato-made Gas Turbine models introduced in 1975.
This locomotive was owned only by Union Pacific and Southern Pacific; Con-Cor however released it in several other paint schemes, that are pure fantasies.
This model has been re-run several times in different road names using the same stock number.

DCC Information: No provision for DCC in either release.

Prototype History: The GE U50 was an eight-axle, in B-B-B-B configuration, 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) road switcher diesel-electric locomotive built by General Electric. They were twin-engined locomotives, combining two 2,500 hp (1,900 kW) diesel engines.
The U50 was built in response to the Union Pacific Railroad's requirement, issued in the early 1960s, for a 15,000 hp (11,200 kW) 3-unit locomotive intended to replace the turbines. The design was effectively two U25B locomotives on a single frame; each diesel engine and generator powered only the two trucks at the same end.
26 U50 have been produced, 23 for UP and 3 for SP. They were all scrapped by 1977.

Read more on Wikipedia and American-Rails.com

Road Name History: Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), the Western Maryland Railway (WM), and several smaller carriers. It was incorporated in Virginia on February 26, 1973, and it acquired the C&O (which controlled the other companies) on June 15. C&O had been popularly known as "Chessie System" since the 1930s.

The three railroads had been closely related since the 1960s. C&O had acquired controlling interest in B&O in 1962, and the two had jointly controlled WM since 1967.

On November 1, 1980, Chessie System merged with Seaboard Coast Line Industries to form CSX Corporation. However, the Chessie image continued to be applied to new and re-painted equipment until mid-1986, when CSX introduced its own paint scheme. The B&O and C&O were not legally merged out of existence until 1987, when the company's official successor, CSX Transportation was founded.

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the Chessie System was the creation of Cyrus S. Eaton and his prot?g? Hays T. Watkins, Jr., then president and chief executive officer of C&O. A chief source of revenue for the Chessie System was coal mined in West Virginia. Another was the transport of auto parts and finished motor vehicles.

The signature symbol of the Chessie System was its "Ches-C", a large emblem incorporating the outline of the C&O's famous "Chessie" the kitten logo. The Ches-C was emblazoned on the front of all Chessie System locomotives, and also served as the "C" in "Chessie System" on the locomotive's flanks, and on other rolling stock. The Chessie System itself did not own any locomotives or other rolling stock; rather, equipment would be placed on the roster of one of the three component railroads. While all three companies shared a common paint scheme of yellow, vermillion, and blue, actual ownership of the equipment was denoted by the reporting marks C&O, B&O, or WM.

From Wikipedia

Brand/Importer Information: Con-Cor has been in business since 1962. Many things have changed over time as originally they were a complete manufacturing operation in the USA and at one time had upwards of 45 employees. They not only designed the models,but they also built their own molds, did injection molding, painting, printing and packaging on their models.

Currently, most of their manufacturing has been moved overseas and now they import 90% of their products as totally finished goods, or in finished components. They only do some incidental manufacturing today within the USA.

Important Note: The Con-Cor product numbering can be very confusing. Please see here in the article how to properly enter Con-Cor stock numbers in the TroveStar database.