GE C30-7

GE C30-7
Conrail #6600, a GE C30-7, refueling at Brownsville, Pennsylvania.
Power type Diesel-electric
Builder GE Transportation Systems
Model C30-7
Build date 1976 – 1986
Total produced 1,137 (50 were C30-7A variants)
AAR wheel arr. C-C
Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Cylinders 16 (12 cylinders on C30-7A variants)
Power output 3000 hp
Locale North America, Estonia

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, 3,000 horsepower (2,200 kW) FDL-series diesel engine. 1,137 examples of this locomotive were built for North American railroads.

Contents

GE C30-7A

A variant of the C30-7, 50 examples of the GE C30-7A were purchased by Conrail in mid-1984. Externally very similar to the GE C30-7 model, six tall hood doors per side (in place of eight) denoted the presence of a 12-cylinder (rather than 16-cylinder) prime mover. Both engines produced 3,000 horsepower (2,200 kW), but the C30-7A's smaller engine used less fuel. The C30-7A units were built between May and June 1984.

Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia purchased twelve former Conrail C30-7A locomotives in 2001, and used their traction components in the rebuilding of 442 class locomotives as the GL class. These entered service in Australia from 2003.[1]

Original owners

Railroad Quantity Road numbers Notes
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 157 8010-8166
Burlington Northern Railroad 242 5000-5141, 5500-5599
Conrail 60 6550-6609 6550-6599 were model C30-7A
Ferrocarril del Pacífico 26 434-459
Louisville and Nashville Railroad 44 7000-7015, 7032-7051, 7062-7069 Delivered in Family Lines paint
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México 305 6700-6799, 9600-9656, 11001-11148 11040-11090, 11129-11148 built from kits in Mexico
Norfolk and Western Railway 80 8003-8082
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad 51 7016-7031, 7052-7061, 7070-7094 Delivered in Family Lines paint
Union Pacific Railroad 140 2415-2539, 2960-2974

Use in Estonia

In 2003 19 C30-7As were rebuilt and exported to Estonia as C30-7Ais to be used by EVR (Eesti Raudtee) which at that time was privately owned. The locos were numbered as part of Class 1500 (1558-1576) and were second-hand from Conrail/CSX/NS (USA).

EVR Conrail CSX NS
1558 6552 n# 8084
1559 6580 n# 8098
1560 6582 n# 8099
1561 6597 n# 8109
1562 6598 n# 8110
1563 6553 7096 8113
1564 6565 7100 8117
1565 6561 n# 8090
1566 6577 7107 8124
1567 6596 n# 8108
1568 6586 7112 8129
1569 6591 n# 8104
1570 6581 7110 8127
1571 6592 n# 8105
1572 6572 7103 8120
1573 6571 7102 8119
1574 6579 7109 8126
1575 6584 n# 8100
1576 6599 n# 8111

References

  1. ^ Leon Oberg (1962). Locomotives of Australia. Rosenberg Publishing. p. page 367. ISBN 9781877058547.