Although they proved to be a successful design, no more EL-Cs were built, due to the small number of railroads that had electrification and the advent of improved electric locomotive technology.

[1] The Virginian added four EL-2B locomotives from General Electric after World War II, but the original fleet was showing its age.

[2] In the mid-1950s the Virginian decided to continue electrification in lieu of dieselization, and ordered new locomotives from GE to replace the original boxcabs.

[3] GE employed then-new ignitron rectifier technology, first used on the experimental Pennsylvania Railroad E2c and E3b locomotives.

Starting tractive effort was 98,500 lbf (438,000 N); maximum power output 3,300 hp (2,500 kW).

The situation changed dramatically in December 1959 when the long-discussed merger between the Virginian and the Norfolk and Western Railway occurred.

[7] The locomotives gained their fourth owner in 1969 when the New Haven became part of Penn Central.

With the change in ownership came a new designation, E33 (following the old Pennsylvania Railroad nomenclature), a renumbering to 4600–4610, and a new assignment: protecting freight schedules on the Northeast Corridor and the Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line.