Colorado and Southern No. 890 GE U30C.
(Ksamson1, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
GE U30C DIESEL-ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
The GE U30C is a six-axle locomotive built by General Electric from 1966 to 1976. With 600 units sold, the U30C proved to be a viable alternative for customers who were unable to purchase SD40s from Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) due to production backlog. Throughout its ten-year production span, the U30C was known for reliability issues concerning its electrical system. However, most railroads were assured of the reliability of the GE Model 752 DC traction motor, and began to place orders for U30Cs starting in 1966. When production ended, the last U30Cs 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 (Cudahy 1979).
Not to be outdone in the freight sector, GE produced a passenger version of the locomotive, the GE U30CG. The U30CG only sold six units for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.
When most U30Cs were being retired due to old age and mechanical or electrical problems, General Electric initiated a rebuild program where older 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 New frame). The only external difference was 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.
A variant of the U20C export locomotive was known as the U30C. This version is unrelated to the U30C built for North America.
Rock Island GE U30C 4595 at Denver, Colorado, April 21, 1974. Photographer: Bruce Black.
Milwaukee Road GE U30C 5651 at Forsyth, Montana, October 7, 1976. Photographer: Bruce Black. Milwaukee Road bought a single order for eight U30C's 5651-5658, delivered in August, 1974. These were all phase IIg1 units.
Delaware & Hudson GE U30C 701 at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, July 25, 1971. Photographer: J W Hulsman. D&H placed two orders for U30C's, six in February and March, 1967, 701-706, and six more in December, 707-712. This is a phase Ib unit, with the old U28C radiators. D&H 707-712 were phase IIa with the U30C style radiators.
Reading GE U30C 6304 at Newberry Junction, Pennsylvania, February 14, 1968. Photographer: J R Quinn.
Southern Pacific GE U30C 7934 at Bayshore Yard, San Francisco, California, August 25, 1975. Photographer: Vic Reyna.
(All above photos Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=187894742%40N05&view_all=1&text=ge+u30c)
Original owners
| Owner | Quantity | Numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | 6 | 400-405 | model U30CG |
| Atlantic Coast Line Railroad | 4 | 3021-3024 | No. 3021 was the first U30C built. |
| Burlington Northern Railroad | 180 | 5300-5394, 5800-5839, 5900-5944 | 5800-5805, 5900-5911 new as 5300-5305 (1st) and 5353-5364. (1st) 5802 preserved in Gillette, Wyoming. |
| Colorado & Southern (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy) | 4 | 890-893 | All sent to Burlington Northern. Same numbers. |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | 13 | 3300-3312 | |
| Chicago and North Western Railway | 7 | 930-936 | 934 was wrecked and rebuilt into a U34CH in 1978. |
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) | 8 | 5651-5658 | |
| Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (Rock Island) | 18 | 4582-4599 | XR Series |
| Delaware and Hudson Railroad | 12 | 701-712 | |
| Detroit Edison | 11 | 007-012, 018-022 | |
| Ferrocarril del Pacifico | 8 | 401-408 | |
| Kaiser Steel (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 | 79 | 1470–1499, 1534–1582 | No. 1499 was presented in an XR Series paint scheme. |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad | 35 | 25-29, 960-983, 3329-3334 | |
| Norfolk and Western Railroad | 3 | 8000-8002 | |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 5 | 6535-6539 | |
| Reading Railroad | 5 | 6300-6304 | |
| Soo Line Railroad | 10 | 800-809 | |
| Southern Railway | 5 | 3800-3804 | High short hood |
| Southern Pacific Railroad | 37 | 7900-7936 | Ballasting Sand added to the frame to increase weight. |
| Union Pacific Railroad | 150 | 2810–2959 | No. 2851 was delivered with a fiberglass nose. |
| United States Department of Transportation | 1 | 1 |
Ferrocarril del Pacífico new GE U30C at GM&O Glenn Yard, Chicago, IL on way to delivery on December 22, 1969.
(Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard from U.S.A., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Preservation
• Burlington Northern No. 5383 is preserved and operational at the Illinois Railway Museum
• Burlington Northern No. 5802 is preserved and on display in Gilette, Wyoming.
• DOTX No. 001 is preserved at the Pueblo Railroad Museum in Pueblo, Colorado.
• Reading No. 6300 is preserved at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
• VLIX No. 1497 (ex-L&N 1497) is preserved at the Southern Appalachia Railroad Museum in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, awaiting restoration.
• VLIX No. 9009 (ex-DEEX No. 009) is preserved at the Southern Appalachia Railroad Museum in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, awaiting restoration.
Ferrocarril del Pacifico GE U30C 401 at Sufragio, Sinaloa, Mexico, March 12, 1977. Photographer: Paul Hunnell.
Sufragio marked the end of the Sonora Division from Nogales and the beginning of the Sinaloa Division to Guadalajara.
It wasn't exactly a town, just a part of San Blas, but the railroad had engine facilities and of course a crew change point there. - Craig Garver
(Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalrailartist/51624373328/)
Overview
Type and origin
Power type: Diesel-electric
Builder: GE Transportation Systems
Model: U30C
Build date: November 1966 – October 1976
Total produced: 600 (plus 6 U30CG)
Specifications
Configuration: AAR C-C
Gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length: 67 feet 3 inches (20.50 m)
Prime mover: GE 7FDL-16
Performance figures
Power output: 3,000 hp (2,200 kW)
Career
Locale: North America
Disposition: most scrapped, some preserved, others rebuilt into the GE Super 7 Program
