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EMD GP30

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Railway transport

   CAPTION: EMD GP30

   EMD GP30
   WC 715 at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, WI
      Power type                   Diesel-electric
        Builder      General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
      Build date     July 1961 – November 1963
   Total production  948
    AAR wheel arr.   B-B
         Gauge       4  ft 8^1⁄[2]  in (1435  mm)
        Length       56 ft 2 in (17.12 m)
     Total weight    253,000  lb (115,000  kg)
      Prime mover    EMD 567D3
      Engine type    2-stroke diesel
      Aspiration     Mechanically-assisted turbocharger
     Displacement    9,072 in³ (148.7 L)
       Cylinders     V16
     Cylinder size   8.5 in × 10 in (215.5 mm × 254 mm)
     Transmission    DC generator, DC traction motors
       Top speed     78  mph (126  km/h)
     Power output    2,250  hp (1,680 kW)
    Tractive effort  63,375 lbf (282 kN)
   Locomotive brakes Straight air, Dynamic
     Train brakes    26-L air
        Locale       North America

   The EMD GP30 was a 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) four-axle B-B diesel locomotive
   built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois
   between July, 1961 and November, 1963. 948 examples were built for
   railroads in the United States and Canada (2 only), including 40
   cabless B units for the Union Pacific Railroad.

   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's U25B, 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 among American locomotives. A number are still
   in service today in original or rebuilt form.

History

Development

   The GP30 was conceived out of the necessity of matching new competitor
   GE's U25B. The U25B offered 2,500 hp (1,900 kW) while EMD's GP20 and
   its 567D2 prime mover was only rated at 2,000 hp (1,500 kW). It also
   featured a sealed, airtight long hood with a single inertial air intake
   for electrical cooling, with a pressurised cooling system which kept
   dust out of the engine and equipment area. Finally, the entire 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 engine department managed to get an extra 250 hp (186 kW) out of
   the V16 EMD 567-series engine; the new engine was designated the EMD
   567D3. 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) 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 it 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. This extra height behind the cab meant that the body style used
   for previous GP units was not suitable.
   A GP30, GP35, and GP20 run light in the late 1980s on California's
   Cajon Pass.
   Enlarge
   A GP30, GP35, and GP20 run light in the late 1980s on California's
   Cajon Pass.

   Since EMD needed the new locomotive to be visibly modern and updated,
   they turned to the GM Automotive Styling Centre at Troy, 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 the
   dynamic brake blister. Units ordered without dynamic brakes were the
   same shape, but lacked the intakes to cool the dynamic brake resistor
   grids.

   For the first time on an EMD hood unit, a low short hood was the
   default. A high short hood could be ordered, but only holdouts Norfolk
   and Western Railway and Southern Railway received such units. EMD
   originally planned to name the locomotive the GP22, and the first
   demonstrators were put out under that number, but EMD's marketing
   department decided to leapfrog GE's numbering to make the new
   locomotive seem more advanced. Marketing literature claimed 30 distinct
   improvements from the GP20 and that this was the reason for the number.
   An EMD GP30 originally owned by the L&N -- Oak Ridge, TN.
   Enlarge
   An EMD GP30 originally owned by the L&N -- Oak Ridge, TN.

Sales and in service

   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 478 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 the UP (152), SOU (120), ATSF (85), and the
   B&O (77). The sole purchaser of B 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. Eight of those 40
   B units were fitted with steam generators for heating passenger trains,
   the only GP30s to receive them.

   Some units for the GM&O, MILW and SOO were built from ALCO trade-ins
   and ride on AAR type B trucks instead of the standard Blomberg Bs. An
   indisputable tribute to the quality of the GP30 design is the fact that
   a good number are still in service as of 2006, which is a service
   lifespan of over 40 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 major rebuilds instead
   of scrapping them.

Rebuilds

   The Burlington Northern Railroad was the most extensive rebuilder of
   GP30s. Finding a need for modernised units of lower power, it sent
   GP30s—-both its own and units purchased from other railroads-—to be
   rebuilt. Seventy units were sent to EMD and 65 to Morrison Knudsen (now
   MotivePower Industries) for rebuilding, and the rebuilds are known as
   GP39E and GP39M respectively. The changes included new generators,
   Dash-2 modular electronic control systems and 567D3 engines upgraded
   with EMD 645-series power assemblies, rated at 2,300 hp (1,720 kW) and
   designated 16-645D3. These units are still in service on local and
   smaller lines throughout the BNSF Railway system.

   The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, meanwhile, performed a
   similar upgrade in its own Cleburne, Texas shops, stripping the
   locomotives down to bare metal and rebuilding with new equipment. The
   567 engines retained their 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) rating but were upgraded
   with 645-series power assemblies. The generators and traction motors
   were upgraded and control and electrical equipment was replaced. The
   trucks received Hyatt roller bearings and single-clasp brake systems.
   Rooftop air conditioners and new horns were added. The locomotives were
   repainted in the blue and yellow Yellowbonnet scheme, and designated
   GP30u (for upgraded). 78 of these survived until the BNSF merger, and
   most are still in use in secondary service.

Preservation

   According to John Komanesky's Preserved Diesels site, 16 GP30s have
   been preserved by a variety of museums, societies and tourist railways.
   This is in addition to a number still in operational use. A number of
   these preserved locomotives are in operational condition.

   Union Pacific GP30 849 is in the collection of the Western Pacific
   Railroad Museum and is operational.

Units produced

   Railroad   Quantity  Road numbers
   Alaska Railroad

                                      1

   2000
   Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

                                     85

   1200–1284
   Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

                                      9

   900–908
   Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

                                     77

   6900–6976
   Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

                                     48

   3000-3047
   Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

                                     38

   940–977
   Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad

                                      3

   239–241
   Chicago Great Western Railway

                                      8

   201–208
   Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

                                     16

   340–355
   Chicago and North Western Railway

                                     14

   810–823
   Canadian Pacific Railway

                                      2

   8200, 8201
   Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad

                                     28

   3001–3028
   Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad

                                     31

   500–530
   Great Northern Railway

                                     17

   3000–3016
   Kansas City Southern Railroad

                                     20

   100–119
   Louisville and Nashville Railroad

                                     58

   1000–1057
   New York Central Railroad

                                     10

   6115–6124
   New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad

                                     10

   900–909
   Norfolk and Western Railway

                                     44

   522–565 (high nose)
   Pennsylvania Railroad

                                     52

   2200–2251
   Reading Railroad

                                     20

   5501–5520
   Phelps Dodge Corporation

                                      9

   24–32
   Seaboard Air Line Railroad

                                     35

   500–534
   Soo Line Railroad

                                     22

   700–721
   Southern Pacific Railroad

                                      8

   7400–7407
   Southern Railway

                                     120

   2525–2644 (high nose)
   St. Louis Southwestern Railway

                                     10

   750-759
   Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway

                                      1

   700
   Union Pacific Railroad

                                   112 (A)

   700–735, 800–875

                                   40 (B)

   700B–739B

Trivia

   In the 1993 film The Fugitive, a high nose GP30 painted in the livery
   of the Illinois Southern Railway is one of two locomotives involved in
   the train wreck that frees Dr. Richard Kimble from custody early on in
   the story.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_GP30"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
