This week, the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey kicked off the next phase of its effort to restore former Erie Lackawanna and NJ Transit U34CH No. 3372. The locomotive was last used in the mid-1990s and was moved from Passaic, where it was stored for more than a decade, to the URHS restoration shop in Boonton last fall where the group hopes to restore the engine to operation.
The money raised during this phase will go toward stabilizing the exterior of the locomotive, including light metal work, paint removal and the application of a high-grade industrial primer in preparation for the new paint.
“Paint preparation is a big and labor intensive task, making it an ideal project for a large group of new volunteers who are looking to join the URHS team and have a hand in restoring the last surviving U34CH,” URHS President Larry Gross says.
While the cosmetic work takes place, mechanical work will begin inside the locomotive and the group is currently researching options to repair the electrical system in the most effective way possible. The group is also looking for anyone who is interested in volunteering on this project or any other.
Thirty-two U34CHs were built for the New Jersey Department of Transportation between 1970 and 1973 for use on the Erie Lackawanna’s commuter lines out of Hoboken. The locomotives were among the first General Electric units built exclusively for passenger service and some of the first locomotives to have head-end power, now standard on passenger engines. Because of the U34CH’s head-end power, the engines had a unique and constant roar, even when they were stationary.
“It was a revolutionary locomotive and it laid the ground work for the locomotives of today,” Gross says. “It’s unique and the only one in existence.”
The United Railroad Historical Society is a nonprofit organization governed by 15 New Jersey-based railroad preservation groups. The mission of the URHS is to build a railroad museum in the state of New Jersey to house its over 60-piece collection and to raise funds to restore and protect the collection until a permanent site can be acquired.
For more information or to send a donation, visit www.urhs.org.
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