The U34CH is a 3,600 hp (2,700 kW) passenger diesel locomotive built by General Electric between 1970 and 1973.

The U34CH was a 3,600 hp (2,700 kW) passenger diesel locomotive built by General Electric between 1970 and 1973. In total, 33 U34CH units were built; 32 were built for the New Jersey Department of Transportation and operated by the Erie Lackawanna Railway and, later, Conrail.

With commuter demand still high, the state funded the construction of a fleet of new “Dieseliner” coaches, and a locomotive designed especially to haul them: the General Electric U34CH. For passengers who boarded these trains for the first time, the difference was night and day.

The GE U34CH was a 3,600 horsepower, diesel-electric locomotive designed for commuter services operated by the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad. The locomotives proved to be the very first commuter locomotives in New Jersey with a shaft driven head end power unit.

Nov 19, 2023 · General Electric U34CH diesel locomotives helped modernize commuter rail operations in northern New Jersey in the early 1970s. A passenger version of the U36C, the U34CH was built between 1970 and 1973 for the New Jersey Department of Transportation as a commuter locomotive.

Jan 1, 2025 · There were also two notable variants of the U36C, including the U36CG and U34CH. The former, a continuation of GE's passenger line was equipped with a steam generator and ultimately purchased only by Mexican carrier Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (NdeM).

Sep 21, 2022 · BOONTON, N.J. — A “uniquely Jersey” locomotive that was an icon of Garden State railroading in the 1970s and 1980s will run again, the United Railroad Historical Society of NJ announced Wednesday. The non-profit group has teamed up with railroad contractor FMW Solutions to restore Erie Lackawanna U34CH 3372 to operation.

Sep 23, 2022 · — The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey has begun restoration of the last surviving U34CH locomotive, a project it is undertaking in partnership with contractor and consulting firm FMW Solutions.

U34CH 4176 is being saved for the URHS' historical collection. One U34CH, Metro-North-owned 4183, has been scrapped. The rest of the U-boats lie in storage in several long strings at NJ Transit's Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny, NJ (the former PRR enginehouse and shops' location).

Jul 7, 2022 · "This fine program presents the complete history of the NJ Transit U34CHs, the first commuter locomotives built with shaft-driven Head End Power (HEP). Ordered by the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad to replace older diesels equipped with steam generators, these 3600 HP units were constructed by General Electric at their Erie, PA plant.