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Did you work with GE locomotive DC traction motor asbestos-varnished coil and lead-wire insulation (U-Boat, Dash-7, Dash-8 series)? According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, it allegedly contained asbestos. Here is what it was, who was exposed, and who is responsible. GE locomotive DC traction motor asbestos-varnished coil and lead-wire insulation (U-Boat, Dash-7, Dash-8 series), made by General Electric Company, sold from 1959 until the 1980s. Plaintiffs allegedly identified General Electric locomotive DC traction motor asbestos-varnished coil and lead-wire insulation on U-Boat, Dash-7, and Dash-8 series road locomotives as an asbestos exposure source in traction-motor backshop rewind and commutator work. Asbestos fiber allegedly incorporated into varnished-cambric coil wraps, armature slot insulation, commutator-lead insulation, and asbestos-braided flexible lead wire on General Electric DC traction motors used in U-Boat (U25B through U36C), Dash-7, and Dash-8 series road locomotives. Motor rewind and commutator work in backshops allegedly required cutting, tearing, and grinding of these insulating materials. Workers allegedly exposed around this product included Railroad Electricians, Railroad Machinists, Railroad Shop Laborers, and Railroad Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. Asbestos claims are brought against the companies that made the products. If you worked with or around GE locomotive DC traction motor asbestos-varnished coil and lead-wire insulation (U-Boat, Dash-7, Dash-8 series) and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim against the manufacturer. This is educational information from an independent publisher — not a law firm — and is not legal advice.
Product Description
Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that General Electric DC traction motors used on GE road locomotives — including the U-Boat family (U25B, U28B, U30B, U33B, U36B, and their six-axle C-model counterparts), the Dash-7 series (B23-7, B30-7, C30-7), and the Dash-8 series — allegedly incorporated asbestos-containing electrical insulation. According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, this allegedly included varnished-cambric coil wraps, armature slot insulation, commutator-lead insulation, and asbestos-braided flexible lead wire.
Publicly filed asbestos litigation records allege that traction motor rewinds, brush and commutator turning, and lead-wire replacement — performed in railroad backshops, in the GE Erie plant, and by outside motor repair shops — allegedly required workers to cut, tear, grind, and burn off insulation and braided lead sheathing to access windings and terminations, allegedly releasing asbestos fiber into the shop breathing zone.
Workers Exposed
- Railroad electricians performing traction motor rewinds, brush replacement, and lead-wire work in backshops
- Railroad machinists removing and installing traction motors during power-truck work
- Railroad shop laborers cleaning up cut and torn insulation debris from shop floors
- Railroad locomotive engineers and firemen exposed to residual dust when placing recently-shopped units back into service
- Railroad car maintainers working alongside electricians in shared backshop space