EMD GP30

General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD)

Industry	Locomotive manufacturing
Headquarters	La Grange, Illinois , United States
Products	Diesel-electric locomotives, including the EMD GP30

The EMD GP30 is a diesel-electric locomotive featuring four axles, manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in La Grange, Illinois, between July 1961 and November 1963. A total of 948 locomotives were delivered to railroads across the United States and Canada, including 40 cabless B units specifically produced for the Union Pacific Railroad.

As EMD's inaugural model in their "second generation" of diesel locomotives, the GP30 was designed to rival General Electric's U25B, which debuted around the same period. Its unique high-profile silhouette with a stepped cab roof distinguishes it among American locomotives. Numerous units continue to operate today, either preserved in original form or after extensive rebuilding.

Development

The GP30 emerged as EMD’s response to GE’s U25B, which offered , exceeding the output of EMD’s earlier GP20 equipped with a 2,000 hp 567D2 prime mover. GE’s U25B showcased a sealed, airtight long hood featuring a pressurized cooling system that prevented dust penetration and was engineered for simplified maintenance. Meanwhile, ALCO had introduced the 2,400 hp RS-27 since 1959, although it achieved limited market success.

To compete, EMD enhanced their DC traction motors by to deliver , slightly less than the power ratings of GE and ALCO models but benefiting from railroads’ established preference for EMD equipment. The design incorporated several elements inspired by the U25B: a sealed long hood, centralized air intake system, and improved accessibility for maintenance tasks. Retaining the GP20’s frame and trucks, engineers created additional space for the centralized air system by increasing the locomotive’s height behind the cab to house both the turbocharger and electrical cabinet. This adjustment necessitated an entirely new body design.

For a contemporary aesthetic, EMD partnered with GM’s Automotive Styling Center located in Troy, Michigan. The design team developed the signature "hump" and stepped cab roof profile, with the bulge serving as an enclosure for air intakes feeding the central air system and dynamic brake equipment. Locomotives without dynamic brakes maintained a similar overall shape but omitted these air intake features.

A high short hood variant was offered but was only ordered by Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. Initially designated as the GP22, marketing strategies led to renaming it GP30 to suggest a more advanced model. Promotional materials referenced thirty improvements over the GP20 to justify this numbering.

Sales and in service

The introduction of the GP30 successfully countered GE’s market challenge, preserving EMD’s leading position in North American diesel locomotive sales. Although its horsepower was marginally lower than competing models from GE and ALCO, the GP30’s reputation for reliability combined with railroads’ familiarity with EMD products resulted in substantially higher sales—948 units compared to 476 U25Bs. Notably, production of the GP30 ceased in 1963 while the U25B continued through 1966.

Key purchasers included major railroads such as Southern Railway (120 units), Union Pacific (111), Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (85), and Baltimore and Ohio (77). Union Pacific uniquely acquired all of the GP30B "B units," maintaining matched set operations longer than other railroads. Thirteen GP30Bs were equipped with steam generators for passenger heating—a feature exclusive within the GP30 series. Prior to Amtrak's formation, Union Pacific occasionally operated passenger services using one GP30 coupled with two boiler-equipped GP30Bs when E8 or E9 locomotives were not available.

Some units built for Gulf, Mobile and Ohio, Milwaukee Road, and Soo Line were fitted with AAR type B trucks sourced from ALCO trade-ins instead of standard Blomberg B trucks. The enduring quality of the GP30 is evident as many examples remain in service over five decades after their initial production—far exceeding the typical operational lifespan of 25–30 years for diesel locomotives. Railroads frequently chose comprehensive rebuilds rather than retiring these well-used units.

Cab-equipped 'A' units

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Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Remarks
Electro Motive Division (demonstrator)	2	5629	later transferred to Union Pacific Railroad as 875
		5639	subsequently to Seaboard Air Line Railroad 534, then Seaboard Coast Line Railroad 1343
Alaska Railroad	1	2000
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	85	1200–1284	Renumbered to 3200–3284; rebuilt into GP30u models at Cleburne shops.
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad	9	900–908	Transferred to Seaboard Coast Line Railroad as 1300–1308
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad	77	6900–6976
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway	48	3000–3047
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	38	940–977	Later became Burlington Northern Railroad units numbered 2217–2254
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad	3	239–241
Chicago Great Western Railway	8	201–208	Renumbered 802–809 under Chicago & North Western Railway ownership
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad	16	340–355	Equipped with AAR type B trucks; renumbered 1000–1015
Chicago and North Western Railway	14	810–823
Canadian Pacific Railway	2	8200–8201	Manufactured by General Motors Diesel in London, Ontario; later renumbered 5000–5001
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad	28	3001–3028
Great Northern Railway (U.S.)	17	3000–3016	Transferred to Burlington Northern Railroad as 2200–2216 series

Cabless booster 'B' units

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Remarks
Union Pacific Railroad	40	700B–739B	Thirteen units, numbered 727B-739B, were equipped with steam generators.

Rebuild programs

The Burlington Northern Railroad undertook comprehensive upgrades of GP30 locomotives to fulfill the need for updated, lower-horsepower models. Both their own fleet and acquired GP30s were transformed into GP39E, GP39M, and GP39V variants through collaborations with EMD, Morrison Knudsen, and VMV respectively. These rebuilds incorporated new generators, modular electronics from the EMD Dash 2 series, and enhanced 567D3 engines fitted with EMD 645 power assemblies delivering 2,300 hp (1,720 kW). Some units received modernized EMD spartan cabs and continue to operate on BNSF local routes and smaller branch lines.

Similarly, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) conducted in-house refurbishments converting GP30s into GP30u models featuring 2,500 hp engines utilizing 645-series power assemblies. The upgrades included improved generators and traction motors, installation of Hyatt roller bearings, single-shoe braking systems, rooftop air conditioning units, new horn equipment, and repainting in the Yellowbonnet livery. Seventy-eight of these locomotives remained active until the BNSF merger and were subsequently sold off. In 2016, BNSF exchanged LTEX's fleet of 26 GP38s for twenty-four ex-ATSF GP30us intended for its GP39-3 rebuilding initiative. The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad later acquired six of these former ATSF units from LTEX and designated them as GP39RN locomotives.

The Soo Line Railroad rebuilt three GP30s by installing CAT 3516 engines rated at 2,000 hp, which were classified as GP30C models.

In the early 1980s, the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad refurbished two GP30s into GP26 variants; these locomotives were still operational on the Cimarron Valley Railroad as of 2018.

The Chessie System upgraded its GP30 fleet into GP30Ms by integrating newer components and traction motors while reducing power output to 2,000 hp. These locomotives remained in service with CSX through the mid-to-late 1990s, outliving other Seaboard System GP30s that had been retired or converted into road slugs.

Preservation

A significant number of GP30 locomotives have been safeguarded by various museums, historical groups, and tourist railways throughout North America. Only cab-equipped models have survived preservation efforts, as cabless booster units were all dismantled. Several of these locomotives remain in active service, contributing to heritage and tourist railway operations.

GP30s in preservation

Original railroad	Original road number	Preserved railroad	Preserved road number	Preservation organization	Location	Status	Notes
Baltimore & Ohio	6944	Baltimore & Ohio	6944	B&O Railroad Museum	Baltimore, Maryland	Operational
Chesapeake & Ohio	4625	Branson Scenic Railway	99	Branson Scenic Railway	Branson, Missouri	In service	Southern unit; part of American Heritage Railways collection.
Canadian Pacific	5000	Canadian Pacific	5000	Alberta Railway Museum	Edmonton, Alberta	Preserved	One of just two GP30s constructed in Canada.
Pennsylvania Railroad	2233	Conrail	2233	Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania	Strasburg, Pennsylvania	Static exhibit	Previously operated on West Shore Railroad; restored in original PRR livery.
Cotton Belt	5006	Cotton Belt	5006	Arkansas Railroad Museum	Pine Bluff, Arkansas	Preserved
Denver & Rio Grande Western	3006	Denver & Rio Grande Western	3006	Forney Transportation Museum	Denver, Colorado	Preserved
Denver & Rio Grande Western	3011	Denver & Rio Grande Western	3011	Colorado Railroad Museum	Golden, Colorado	Preserved
Pennsylvania Railroad	2250	New Hope & Ivyland	2198	New Hope & Ivyland Railroad	New Hope, Pennsylvania	In operation	Used for daily tourist excursions.
Nickel Plate Road	900	Nickel Plate Road	900	Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum	Bellevue, Ohio	Preserved
Nickel Plate Road	901	Nickel Plate Road	901	Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad	Cincinnati, Ohio	Active service
Nickel Plate Road	902	'Nickel Plate Road'	'902'	'Cincinnati Scenic Railway'	'Cincinnati, Ohio'	'Operating'
'Norfolk & Western'	'522'	Norfolk & Western	522	Roanoke Chapter NRHS	Roanoke, Virginia	Under restoration
Norfolk & Western	536	Norfolk & Western	536	GSMR	Dillsboro, North Carolina	Static exhibit	Displayed alongside U18B #1901 after filming The Fugitive.
Reading	5513	Reading	5513	Reading Company Technical & Historical Society	Hamburg, Pennsylvania	Under restoration	First GP30 produced; operational during 1980s-1990s.
Santa Fe	1235	RBMN	2535	Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad	Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania	Active service	Only surviving GP30u; operates on Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway.
Santa Fe	1269	GSMR	2467	Great Smoky Mountains Railroad	Bryson City, North Carolina	In operation	Sole preserved GP30-3 model.
Soo Line	700	Soo Line	700	Lake Superior Railroad Museum	Duluth, Minnesota	Operational	Restored for service on North Shore Scenic Railroad.
Soo Line	703	Soo Line	703	Colfax Railroad Museum	Colfax, Wisconsin	Preserved
Southern	2594	Southern	2594	Southeastern Railway Museum	Duluth, Georgia	Operational	Currently leased to Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.
Southern	2601	Southern	2601	North Carolina Transportation Museum	Spencer, North Carolina	Operational
Union Pacific '||844'		Union Pacific		Nevada State Railroad Museum Boulder City		Boulder City, Nevada		In operation		Renumbered as UP steam locomotive #8444 from 1962 to 1989 due to this unit.
	Union Pacific		849		Union Pacific		Western Pacific Railroad Museum		Portola, California		Preserved
	Louisville and Nashville (Seaboard System)		1030		Waldens Ridge Railroad		Southern Appalachia Railway Museum		Knoxville, Tennessee		Operating
	Southern		2561		Waldens Ridge Railroad		Southern Appalachia Railway Museum		Knoxville, Tennessee		Preserved
	Southern		2608		Waldens Ridge Railroad		Southern Appalachia Railway Museum		Knoxville, Tennessee		Preserved
	Pennsylvania Railroad		2249		Western Maryland Scenic		501		Western Maryland Scenic		Cumberland, Maryland		Stored awaiting maintenance
	Reading Company		5507		Western Maryland Scenic		502		Western Maryland Scenic		Cumberland, Maryland		Retired and stored; serves as parts donor for #501
	Soo Line		715		Wisconsin Central		715		National Railroad Museum		Green Bay, Wisconsin		On exhibit
	Baltimore & Ohio		6955		Baltimore & Ohio		6955		Cincinnati Scenic Railway		Cincinnati, Ohio		Undergoing refurbishment

See also

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

Bibliography and external links

• Goodman, Eric. ATSF GP30u Project. Accessed February 1, 2005.
• Komanesky, John. Preserved EMD Locomotives: Excluding Cab Units and Switchers. Accessed February 2, 2005.
• Sarberenyi, Robert. Original Owners of EMD GP30. Accessed August 27, 2006.
• Strack, Don. Union Pacific's EMD GP30 Locomotives. Accessed February 2, 2005.
• Trainpix.com. BNSF Motive Power Roster. Accessed February 1, 2005.
• Alberta Railway Museum official website. Accessed February 19, 2011.
• Construction dates, serial numbers, and order details