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[[Image:WC 715 EMD GP30.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Wisconsin Central|WC]] 715, a GP30 on display at the [[National Railroad Museum]] in [[Green Bay, WI]]]]

The '''EMD GP30''' was a 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) four-axle [[AAR wheel arrangement#B-B|B-B]] [[diesel locomotive]] built by [[General Motors]]' [[General Motors Electro-Motive Division|Electro-Motive Division]] of [[La Grange, Illinois]] between November [[1963]] and January [[1966]].  948 examples were built for railroads in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]] (2 only), including 40 cabless [[B unit]]s 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 new entrant [[GE Transportation Systems|GE]]'s [[GE U25B|U25B]] in [[1961]] and [[ALCO]]'s [[ALCO Century Series locomotives|Century Series]], which were 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.

== Development ==

The GP30 was conceived out of the necessity of matching new competitor GE's [[GE U25B|U25B]].  The U25B offered 2,500 hp (1,900 kW) while EMD's [[EMD GP20|GP20]] 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 optimised 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) [[ALCO RS-27|RS-27]] since [[1959]], though it had not sold well.

EMD's engine department managed to get an extra 250 horsepower out of the [[V16]] [[EMD 567|567]] engine; the new engine was designated the 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.  Since EMD needed the new locomotive to be visibly modern and updated, they turned to the GM Automotive Styling Center 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 (US)|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.

== 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 horsepower 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 [[Union Pacific Railroad|UP]] (152), [[Southern Railway|SR]] (120), [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|ATSF]] (85), and the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad|B&O]] (77). The sole purchaser of [[B unit]]s (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 generator]]s for heating [[passenger train]]s, the only GP30s to receive them.

Some units for the [[Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad|GM&O]], [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad|MILW]] and [[Soo Line|SOO]] were built from ALCO trade-ins and ride on [[AAR type B]] trucks instead of the standard [[Blomberg B]]s.

An indisputable tribute to the quality of the GP30 design is the fact that a good number are still in service [[as of 2005]], 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 horsepower, it sent GP30s—both its own and purchased from others—to be rebuilt.  Some (70 units) were sent to EMD to be rebuilt with [[EMD 645]]-series engines, new generators, and [[EMD Dash-2|Dash-2]] modular electronic control systems; they are rated at 2,300 hp (1,720 kW), and are designated '''GP39E'''.  Others (65 units) were sent to [[Morrison Knudsen]] (now [[MotivePower Industries]]) for similar work; these are rated at 3,000 hp (2,250 kW) and are designated '''GP39M'''.  These units are still in service on local and smaller lines throughout the [[Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway|BNSF]] 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.  EMD 645 engines rated at 2,500 hp (1,900 kW) replaced the old; the generators and traction motors were also upgraded; control and electrical equipment was replaced. The trucks were upgraded with Hyatt [[roller bearing]]s and new brake systems.  Rooftop [[air conditioner]]s were added, and new horns.  The locomotives were repainted into the blue and yellow [[Warbonnet]] scheme, and designated '''GP30u''' (for ''upgraded'').  78 of these survived until the BNSF merger, and most are still in use on secondary service.

== Preservation ==

According to John Komanesky's ''Preserved Diesels'' site, 17 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.

==Specifications==

{| class="toccolours"
|Builder:
|colspan="2"|[[General Motors Electro-Motive Division]]
|-
|Top speed:
|78 mph
|126 km/h
|-
|Weight:
|253,000 lb
|115,000 kg
|-
|Tractive effort:
|63,375 lbf
|281.91 kN
|-
|Length:
|56 ft 2 in
|17.12 m
|-
|Engine model:
|colspan="2"|16V-567D3
|-
|Engine type:
|colspan="2"|2-stroke diesel
|-
|Aspiration:
|colspan="2"|Mechanically-assisted turbocharger
|-
|Cylinder layout:
|colspan="2"|[[V16]]
|-
|Cylinder dimensions:
|8.5 in × 10 in
|215.5 mm × 254 mm
|-
|Engine displacement:
|9,072 in³
|148.7 L
|-
|Power output:
|2,250 hp
|1,680 kW
|-
|Transmission:
|colspan="2"|DC generator, DC traction motors
|-
|Locomotive braking:
|colspan="2"|Straight air, dynamic
|-
|Train brake system:
|colspan="2"|26-L air
|}

== Original owners ==

{| class="toccolours"
!Railroad
!Quantity
!Road numbers
|-
|[[Atlantic Coast Line]]
|9
|900-908
|-
|[[Alaska Railroad]]
|1
|2000
|-
|[[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]]
|85
|1200-1284
|-
|[[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]]
|77
|6900-6976
|-
|[[Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad]]
|3
|239-241
|-
|[[Chicago and Northwestern Railway]]
|14
|810-823
|-
|[[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]]
|16
|340-355
|-
|[[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]]
|48
|3000-3047
|-
|[[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]]
|38
|940-977
|-
|[[Chicago Great Western Railway]]
|8
|201-208
|-
|[[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
|-
|[[Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway]]
|22
|700-721
|-
|[[New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad]]
|10
|900-909
|-
|[[Norfolk and Western Railway]]
|44
|522-565
|-
|[[New York Central Railroad]]
|10
|6115-6124
|-
|[[Phelps Dodge]]
|9
|24-32
|-
|[[Pennsylvania Railroad]]
|52
|2200-2251
|-
|[[Reading Railroad]]
|20
|5501-5520
|-
|[[Seaboard Air Line]]
|35
|500-534
|-
|[[Southern Railway]]
|120
|2525-2644
|-
|[[Southern Pacific Railroad]]
|8
|7400-7407
|-
|[[St. Louis Southwestern Railway]]
|10
|750-759
|-
|[[Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway]]
|1
|700
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[Union Pacific Railroad]]
|112 (A)
|700-735, 800-875
|-
|40 (B)
|700B-739B
|}

== References ==

* {{Pinkepank diesel spotters guide 2}}
* {{MR diesel cyclopedia}}
* Goodman, Eric. ''[http://www.qstation.org/EricGoodman/ericgoodman_gp30u.html ATSF GP30u Project]''.  Retrieved on [[February 1]], [[2005]].
* Trainpix.com. ''[http://archive.trainpix.com/bnsf/ROSTER.HTM BNSF Motive Power Roster]''.  Retrieved on [[February 1]], [[2005]].
* Strack, Don. ''[http://utahrails.net/webpubs/up-gp30s.php Union Pacific’s EMD GP30s]''.  Retrieved on [[February 2]], [[2005]].
* Komanesky, John. ''[http://www.thedieselshop.us/PRSVDemdOthers.HTML Preserved EMD Locomotives: All except Cab Units and Switchers]''.  Retrieved on [[February 2]], [[2005]].

{{EMD diesels}}