GE P30CH

GE P30CH
Amtrak #712 in Southern Pacific service on the Peninsula Commute in 1978.
Specifications
Power type	Diesel-electric
Builder	GE Transportation Systems
Model	P30CH
Build date	1975-76
Total produced	25
AAR wheel arr.	C-C
UIC classification	Co′Co′
Gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Trucks	GE 3-axle floating bolster
Wheel diameter	40 inches (101.60 cm)
Length	72 ft 4 in (22.05 m)
Width	10 ft 8.8 in (3.27 m)
Height	15 ft 4 1⁄2 in (4.69 m)
Locomotive weight	19.3 short tons (17.2 long tons; 17.5 tonnes)
Fuel capacity	3,600 US gallons (13,627.48 l)
Lubricant capacity	380 US gallons (1,438.46 l)
Sandbox capacity	56 cubic feet (1.59 m3)
Prime mover	GE 7FDL16
Aspiration	Turbocharged
Cylinders	V16
Top speed	103 miles per hour (165.76 km/h)
Power output	3,000 hp (2,200 kW)
Career
Railroad(s)	Amtrak, some leased to SP
Nicknames	Pooch
Last run	1992
Disposition	All scrapped

The GE P30CH (nicknamed "Pooch" because of the similarity of the designation) was one of the first brand-new Diesel-electric locomotives built for Amtrak in the company's early years. The design was based on the GE U30C, but had a cowl carbody like its EMD competitors. Amtrak operated them from 1974–1992.

Amtrak ordered 25 P30CHs in 1974, following up on its order of 40 EMD SDP40Fs in 1973. The P30CH was the first Amtrak diesel locomotive built from the factory to offer HEP (head end power). The six-axle P30CHs, which cost Amtrak $480,000 each,^[1]:105 were plagued with mechanical problems and were never very popular with crews or Amtrak management. In the mid-1970s Amtrak moved away from six-axle designs in favor of four-axle units; four-axle locomotives could better handle routes with numerous curves.^[2]:34 This came as a result of a number of derailments involving the P30CH locomotive, which both Amtrak and the NTSB could not track down the cause of. In all such derailments, the coach directly following the locomotive derailed, and the only common factor in these accidents was the presence of the P30CH locomotive. It has been theorized that the derailments dealt with the manner in which the P30CH "tracked" or followed the profile of the rail, but to this date the cause of the derailments remains a mystery.

Amtrak leased fifteen to the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1978 for use on the Peninsula Commute between San Francisco and San Jose, California.^[3]:12 Caltrans leased several P30CHs for its abortive Oxnard–Los Angeles "CalTrain" commuter service.^[4] In the later years of their Amtrak careers, the locomotives were used regularly into the mid-1980s on the Sunset Limited and Auto Train routes.^[1]:105 They had their final runs in late 1992; none were preserved.^[2]:34

Original owners

GE produced 25 P30CHs, all of which were delivered to Amtrak:^[5]

References

External links

• Media related to GE P30CH locomotives at Wikimedia Commons