General Electric had long been touted as a company that supplied parts for other manufacturers. That would all change with GEs entry into a road-switcher market dominated by EMD and Alco. In the late 1950s, GEs engineers were developing a new V16 engine. What followed was the creation of the U25B road switcher. Available in both high-nose and low-nose variants, GE would sell over 450 U25Bs to a variety of Class I railroads. The U25B would pave the way for future Universal series locomotives.

Many U25Bs lasted into the early 1980s on some Class I railroads. A few ex-L&N versions would continue on to the early 1990s on CSX! A notable user of the U25B was Rock Island, which equipped a few of theirs with frog lights on the sides of the cab roof. These lights could alternate or shine steady. Get ready for a new run with new schemes on the popular U25B locomotive!

The Rapido Trains HO Scale U25B Locomotive Features:
Improved mesh grilles to be finer in appearance
Revised exhaust stack (seen above)
Newly-tooled, thinner end handrails
Rapidos innovative dead-straight metal handrails with plastic stanchions on the new phase 3 and 4 designs
Working step lights
Revised AAR truck with separate lead springs and spinning bearings
Improved front numberboard housing
New Phase IV units representing late U25Bs and early U28Bs
Working \”frog lights\” (Rock Island and MEC #225 and #228)
BN with five-step stepwell
Single front window or new double front window
Both low and high-short hood versions
Flat or new sloped low nose
New side sill mounted handrails on Phase IV units
Early high- and later low-style side doors
Road specific details for each model
Different exhaust stacks (depending on roadname)
Road-specific battery box doors on engineers side
MoPower capacitor