GE U30C
Encyclopedia
The GE U30C was one of the earliest successes from General Electric in the diesel locomotive market. With 600 units sold, the U30C proved to be a choice for customers who weren't able to purchase SD40's or SD40-2's from EMD
due to mass orders. Throughout its 9 year production span, the U30C was heavily deemed unreliable in service due to electrical and mechanical problems occurring almost all the time. However, most railroads were assured of the reliability of the GE Model 752DC traction motor, and began to place orders for U30Cs starting in 1966. When production ended, the last U30C's carried pre-Dash 7 specifications, which would be carried in its replacement, the GE C30-7
.
The U30C served customers of all kinds. From mining, to general freights, coal trains, and even as a power source unit for the Department of Transportation's subway-car test tracks in Pueblo, Colorado
before a connection from the commercial electric power grid could be established .
Not to be outdone in the freight sector, GE produced a passenger version of the locomotive, the GE U30CG
. Unfortunately, the U30CG only sold 6 units for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.
When most U30C's were being retired due to old age and mechanical/electrical problems, General Electric initiated a rebuild program where the old Universal Series locomotives would be upgraded with the latest technology and fuel saving systems. GE would then strip the locomotive down to its frame and engine, and completely rebuild the locomotive with new components. When completed, the unit would receive a new designation: GE C30-S7R (R for Rebuilt frame of traded-in locomotive). In the later years, the rebuild frame was discontinued, and a brand new frame would be used, re designating the locomotive as GE C30-S7N (N for Newly cast frame). The only external difference would be a large vent on the fireman's side ahead of the engine compartment. The final variation came with the discontinued frame of the Universal series and instead, using GE C40-8 kits. This new model also featured a microprocessor, officially designating this locomotive as GE C30-S7NMP.
EMD
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due to mass orders. Throughout its 9 year production span, the U30C was heavily deemed unreliable in service due to electrical and mechanical problems occurring almost all the time. However, most railroads were assured of the reliability of the GE Model 752DC traction motor, and began to place orders for U30Cs starting in 1966. When production ended, the last U30C's carried pre-Dash 7 specifications, which would be carried in its replacement, the GE C30-7
GE C30-7
The GE C30-7 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between 1976 and 1986 as an updated U30C. It is powered by a 16-cylinder, FDL-series diesel engine. 1,137 examples of this locomotive were built for North American railroads....
.
The U30C served customers of all kinds. From mining, to general freights, coal trains, and even as a power source unit for the Department of Transportation's subway-car test tracks in Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
before a connection from the commercial electric power grid could be established .
Not to be outdone in the freight sector, GE produced a passenger version of the locomotive, the GE U30CG
GE U30CG
The GE U30CG was a passenger-hauling diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems. It was a passenger variant of GE's U30C design purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. ATSF had purchased ten U28CG locomotives in 1966, but while these locomotives were...
. Unfortunately, the U30CG only sold 6 units for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.
When most U30C's were being retired due to old age and mechanical/electrical problems, General Electric initiated a rebuild program where the old Universal Series locomotives would be upgraded with the latest technology and fuel saving systems. GE would then strip the locomotive down to its frame and engine, and completely rebuild the locomotive with new components. When completed, the unit would receive a new designation: GE C30-S7R (R for Rebuilt frame of traded-in locomotive). In the later years, the rebuild frame was discontinued, and a brand new frame would be used, re designating the locomotive as GE C30-S7N (N for Newly cast frame). The only external difference would be a large vent on the fireman's side ahead of the engine compartment. The final variation came with the discontinued frame of the Universal series and instead, using GE C40-8 kits. This new model also featured a microprocessor, officially designating this locomotive as GE C30-S7NMP.
Original owners
| Owner | Quantity | Numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859... |
6 | 400-405 | model U30CG GE U30CG The GE U30CG was a passenger-hauling diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems. It was a passenger variant of GE's U30C design purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. ATSF had purchased ten U28CG locomotives in 1966, but while these locomotives were... |
| Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad... |
4 | 3021-3024 | #3021 was the first U30C built. |
| Burlington Northern Railroad Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996.... |
180 | 5300-5394, 5800-5839, 5900-5944 | 5800-5805, 5900-5911 new as 5300-5305 (1st) and 5353-5364 (1st) |
| Colorado & Southern (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy) | 4 | 890-893 | |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P... |
13 | 3300-3312 | |
| Chicago and North Western Railway Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s... |
7 | 930-936 | |
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names... (Milwaukee Road) |
8 | 5651-5658 | |
| Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:... (Rock Island) |
18 | 4582-4599 | XR Series |
| Delaware and Hudson Railroad | 12 | 701-712 | |
| Detroit Edison Detroit Edison The Detroit Edison Company, founded in 1903, is an investor-owned electric utility which serves most of Southeast Michigan. Its parent company, DTE Energy , provides energy services to a variety of clients beyond Detroit Edison's service area.- History :... |
11 | 007-012, 018-022 | |
| Ferrocarril del Pacifico Ferrocarril del Pacífico The Ferrocarril del Pacífico is a former railroad line of Mexico that operated from Benjamín Hill, Sonora to Guadalajara, Jalisco via Mazatlán, Sinaloa. It was absorbed into Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México in 1984.... |
8 | 401-408 | |
| Kaiser Steel Kaiser Steel Kaiser Ventures is an American corporation, headquartered in Ontario, California. It was founded by Henry J. Kaiser to provide steel plate for the Pacific Coast shipbuilding industry, which expanded during World War II, then shrank, then expanded again during the Korean War... (Eagle Mountain Mine Division) |
5 | 1030–1034 | Ballasting Sand added to the frame to increase weight (considered the heaviest U30Cs ever built). |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business... |
79 | 1470–1499, 1534–1582 | #1499 was presented in an XR Series paint scheme. |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific... |
35 | 25-29, 960-983, 3329-3334 | |
| Norfolk and Western Railroad | 3 | 8000-8002 | |
| Pennsylvania Railroad Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.... |
5 | 6535-6539 | |
| Reading Railroad | 5 | 6300-6304 | |
| Soo Line Railroad Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste... |
10 | 800-809 | |
| Southern Railway Southern Railway (US) The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894... |
5 | 3800-3804 | |
| Southern Pacific Railroad Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad.... |
37 | 7900-7936 | Ballasting Sand added to the frame to increase weight. |
| Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.... |
150 | 2810–2959 | #2851 was delivered with a fiberglass nose. |
| United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967... |
1 | 1 | |
External links
- Thompson, David. EMD U30C Original Owners