Naugatuck Railroad Unveils "America250" U23B 2798
Published: May 7, 2026
By: Adam Burns
Connecticut’s Naugatuck Railroad has given its GE U23B a striking new semiquincentennial livery, drawing direct inspiration from the Delaware & Hudson’s celebrated bicentennial units of the mid-1970s.
The locomotive, originally built for Conrail in June 1977 as No. 2798, holds a special place in diesel history as the very last Universal Series unit ever constructed by General Electric. It later joined the Providence & Worcester roster as No. 2203 before the Naugatuck acquired it in 2003, where it has served faithfully in both freight and occasional passenger duties ever since.
Naugatuck shop forces took their cue from the D&H’s classic U23B and RS-3m repaintings, but they added a meaningful Connecticut twist: five stars beneath the cab to honor the Constitution State as the fifth to ratify the U.S. Constitution. The scheme also pays a touching tribute to the railroad’s late shop cat, Turbo, whose silhouette graces the long hood alongside the words “Spirit of Turbo.” Turbo had been a beloved fixture around the Thomaston shops until his passing earlier this year.
Naugatuck Railroad U23B #2798.The freshly painted U23B is slated to enter regular service on May 7, continuing the Naugatuck’s long tradition of honoring both its own heritage and the broader story of New England railroading.
A wholly owned subsidiary of the nonprofit Railroad Museum of New England, the Naugatuck Railroad today operates as a true common-carrier short line on roughly 19.6 miles of the historic Torrington Secondary, leased from the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The route runs north from Waterbury through Waterville and Thomaston to the current end of track at Torrington, following much of the original Naugatuck Railroad’s path along the scenic Naugatuck River valley.
That original company was chartered back in 1845, with its main line completed in 1849 between Bridgeport and Winsted. After decades of independent operation hauling freight and passengers, it was leased by the New York, New Haven & Hartford in 1887 and fully merged in 1906. Passenger service north of Waterbury ended in 1958, and the line passed through Penn Central and Conrail before the state stepped in to preserve the corridor. In 1995 the Railroad Museum of New England revived the historic Naugatuck name as its operating subsidiary; regular excursion trains began running the following year.
Today the railroad balances its common-carrier freight responsibilities—interchanging with the Berkshire & Eastern at Highland Junction and serving multiple customers along the line, including a primary shipper at Frost Bridge Road in Watertown—with a full schedule of popular scenic and themed passenger excursions from May through October. Whether moving freight cars loaded to 286,000-pound capacity or carrying visitors through the beautiful Connecticut countryside aboard restored equipment, the Naugatuck remains a vibrant, working link to the region’s railroad past and a proud example of how preservation and real-world railroading can thrive together.
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