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EMD GP30
A GP30,GP35, andGP20 run light in the late 1980s onCalifornia'sCajon Pass.
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder GMElectro-Motive Division (EMD) General Motors Diesel (GMD) Model GP30 Build date July 1961 – November 1963 Total produced 948
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B  • UIC Bo′Bo′ Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Wheel diameter 40 in (1.02 m) Length 56 ft 2 in (17.12 m) Width 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) Height 15 ft 11 in (4.85 m) Loco weight 245,000 lb (111,130 kg) Fuel capacity 1,700–2,600 US gal (6,400–9,800 L; 1,400–2,200 imp gal) Lubricant cap. 243 US gal (920 L; 202 imp gal) Coolant cap. 251 US gal (950 L; 209 imp gal) Sandbox cap. 18 cu ft (0.51 m3) Prime mover EMD16-567D3 RPM: ​  • RPM idle 275  • Maximum RPM 835 Engine type Two-strokeV16diesel Aspiration Turbocharger Generator EMD D22 Traction motors 4 × EMD D57 Cylinders 16 Cylinder size 8+1⁄2 in × 10 in (216 mm × 254 mm) Gear ratio 62:15 61:16 60:17 Loco brake Schedule 26LStraight air,optional:dynamic
Performance figures Maximum speed 71–83 mph (114–134 km/h) Power output 2,250 hp (1,680 kW)
Career Locale North America
[1]

TheEMD GP30 is a 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) four-axle diesel-electriclocomotive built byGeneral MotorsElectro-Motive Division ofLa Grange, Illinois between July 1961 and November 1963.^[2] A total of 948 units were built for railroads in theUnited States andCanada (2 only), including 40 cablessB units for theUnion Pacific Railroad.^[3]

It was the first so-called "second generation" EMD diesel locomotive, and was produced in response to increased competition by a new entrant,General Electric'sU25B, which was released roughly at the same time as the GP30. The GP30 is easily recognizable due to its high profile and stepped cab roof, unique amongAmerican locomotives.^[3] A number are still in service today in original or rebuilt form.

The GP30 was conceived out of the necessity of matching new competitor GE'sU25B. The U25B offered 2,500 hp (1,860 kW) while EMD'sGP20 and its567D2prime mover was only rated at 2,000 hp (1,490 kW). The U25B also featured a sealed, airtight long hood with a single inertial air intake for electrical cooling, with a pressurized cooling system which kept dust out of the engine and equipment area. Finally, the entire GE design was optimized for ease of access and maintenance. The U25B demonstrators were receiving much praise—and orders—from the railroads that tested them. Meanwhile,ALCO had been producing the 2,400 hp (1,800 kW)RS-27 since 1959, though it had not sold well.

EMD's engineering department pushed their DC traction system for an extra 250 hp (186 kW). The 2,250 hp (1,680 kW)^[4] wasn't quite equivalent to the GE and ALCO offerings, but EMD hoped the railroads' familiarity with EMD equipment would improve their chances. The locomotive in which the 16 cylinder, 567D3 would be fitted, was improved along the lines of the U25B; sealed long hood, central air intake, and engineered for easier maintenance access. The frame and trucks of the GP20 were carried across; the extra equipment for the centralized air system required more space behind the cab, and since the locomotive was not going to be lengthened, extra space was achieved vertically by raising the height of the locomotive, giving room for the central air system, turbocharger and electrical cabinet all behind the cab.^{[3][page needed][4]} This extra height behind the cab meant that the body style used for previous GP units was not suitable.

Since EMD wanted the new locomotive to be visibly modern and updated, they turned to the GM Automotive Styling Center atTroy, Michigan for help. The automobile stylists created the GP30's trademark "hump" and cab roof profile. The hump-like bulge started at the front of the cab and enveloped the air intakes for the central air system and thedynamic brake blister.^{[3][page needed]} Units ordered without dynamic brakes were the same shape, but lacked the intakes to cool the dynamic brake resistor grids.

A high short hood could be ordered, but only holdoutsNorfolk and Western Railway andSouthern Railway received such units. EMD originally planned to name the locomotive theGP22, but EMD's marketing department decided to leapfrog GE's numbering to make the new locomotive seem more advanced.^{[5][page needed]} Marketing literature claimed 30 distinct improvements from the GP20 and that this was the reason for the number.^{[5][page needed]}

The GP30 successfully countered the GE threat and kept EMD in the dominant position in the North American diesel market. While losing a little power to the GE and ALCO competition, the solidity and reliability of the GP30—and the familiarity of railroad mechanical departments with EMD products—ultimately won many more orders for EMD. 948 were sold, in comparison to 476 U25Bs. In addition, the GP30 was only sold until the end of 1963, while the U25B was available until 1966.

Most major railroads ordered GP30s, and many smaller ones did too. The largest orders were from theSOU (120),UP (111),ATSF (85), and theB&O (77).

The sole purchaser ofB units (by the mid-1960s generally an outdated concept) was the UP, who kept the practice of running its locomotives in matched sets much longer than others. Thirteen of those GP30B units were fitted withsteam generators for heatingpassenger trains, the only GP30s to receive them. Prior toAmtrak,UP would use a GP30 and two boiler equipped GP30Bs on passenger trains when noE8s orE9s were available.

Some units for theGM&O,MILW andSOO were built using trucks from ALCO trade-ins and therefore ride onAAR type B trucks instead of the EMD standardBlomberg Bs. An indisputable tribute to the quality of the GP30 design is the fact that a good number are still in service as of 2015, which is a service lifespan of over 50 years and well in excess of the design life of 25–30 years for the average diesel locomotive. Furthermore, when life-expired, some railroads chose to give them majorrebuilds instead of scrapping them.

TheBurlington Northern Railroad was the most extensive user of rebuilt GP30s. Finding a need for modernized units of lower power, it sent GP30s—-both its own and units purchased from other railroads-—to be rebuilt to the specifications of the laterGP39.^[6] Seventy units were sent to EMD, 65 toMorrison Knudsen (nowWashington Group International) and 25 to VMV for rebuilding, and the rebuilds are known asGP39E,GP39M, andGP39V respectively. The changes included new generators,Dash-2 modular electronic control systems and 567D3 engines upgraded withEMD 645-series power assemblies, rated at 2,300 hp (1,720 kW) and designated 12-645D3. Some of these units received new EMD spartan cabs. These units are still in service on locals and smaller lines throughout theBNSF Railway system.^{[citation needed]}

TheAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) had previously performed a similar upgrade in its ownCleburne, Texas shops, stripping the locomotives down to bare metal and rebuilding with new equipment. The 567D3 engines were upgraded to a 2500-horsepower rating by the use of 645-series power assemblies. The generators and traction motors were upgraded and control and electrical equipment was replaced. The trucks receivedHyattroller bearings and single-shoe brake systems. Rooftopair conditioners and newhorns were added. The locomotives were repainted in the blue and yellowYellowbonnet scheme, and designatedGP30u (forupgraded). 78 of these survived until the BNSF merger, and were eventually all sold off. In 2016, BNSF traded Larry's Truck and Electric (LTEX) 26 GP38s for 24 of the Ex-ATSF GP30u's for their GP39-3 rebuild program. TheReading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad acquired a total of 6 of the former BNSF/ATSF GP30u's from LTEX and designates them asGP39RN locomotives.^[7]

TheSoo Line Railroad rebuilt three GP30s withCAT 3516 engines rated at 2,000 horsepower (1.49 MW). These were designatedGP30C.^{[citation needed]}

TheIllinois Central Gulf Railroad rebuilt two GP30s in the early 1980s. These units were designatedGP26. As of 2018^[update], the units remain in service on theCimarron Valley Railroad.^[8]

TheChessie System rebuilt its GP30 units intoGP30Ms, adding newer components, new traction motors and reducing their power to 2000 hp.^[9] They lasted with CSX into the mid-to-late 1990s, long after Seaboard System GP30s had been sold, retired and scrapped, or turned intoroad slugs.

Many GP30s have been preserved by a variety of museums, societies and tourist railways. All preserved examples are cab units, as the cabless booster units have been scrapped. A number of these preserved locomotives are in operational condition. The following is a list of preserved GP30s in North America.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toEMD GP30 locomotives.

• List of GM-EMD locomotives
• List of GMD Locomotives

• Moran, Miles (1975). "And Passenger Service Too".Railroad Modeler.5 (8):40–47.
• Goodman, Eric.ATSF GP30u Project. Retrieved on February 1, 2005.
• Eck H. C. (1977).The Modern Locomotive Handbook. The Railway Fuel and Operating Officers Assoc.
• Hayden, Bob, ed. (1980).Model Railroader Cyclopedia-Volume 2: Diesel Locomotives. Kalmbach Books.ISBN 0-89024-547-9.
• "The History of EMD Diesel Engines".Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Archived fromthe original on July 22, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 12, 2005.
• Komanesky, John.Preserved EMD Locomotives: All except Cab Units and Switchers. Retrieved on February 2, 2005.
• Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973).The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI.ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
• Sarberenyi, Robert.EMD GP30 Original Owners. Retrieved on August 27, 2006
• Strack, Don.Union Pacific's EMD GP30s. Retrieved on February 2, 2005.
• Trainpix.com.BNSF Motive Power Roster. Retrieved on February 1, 2005.
• The Alberta Railway Museum website.[1]. Retrieved on February 19, 2011.
• http://utahrails.net/ajkristopans/ROADSWITCHERS567.php#gp30 Build dates, order and serial numbers

• Guss, Chris (May 2017). "EMD's unique GP30 soldiers on".Trains. Vol. 77, no. 5. p. 20.ISSN 0041-0934.
• Schafer, Mike (1998).Vintage Diesel Locomotives. Enthusiast Color Series. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing.ISBN 978-0-7603-0507-2.
• Wilson, Jeff (2017).Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives. Waukesha, Wisconsin:Kalmbach Publishing.ISBN 978-1-62700-455-8.

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