By Tony Cook
General Electric’s (GE) U30C production enjoyed a decade run from late 1966 to late 1976 with around 600 sold, making it the largest seller of the diesel builder’s six-axle U-boats of the 1960s and 1970s. As was common GE practice, the first U30Cs largely could pass for late-production U28Cs (which had a brief year’s production cycle in 1966 and sold approximately 70 units). The bulk of U30Cs included what is spotted as a Phase III body (which is the style of the BN units covered in Diesel Era‘s Second Quarter 2022 issue).

ABOVE: Chesapeake & Ohio 3308, built by GE (serial number 36771) in June 1968, shows the tapering given to Phase II U30Cs. This style U30C arrived in late 1967.  — James EuDaly photo

Owners of U30Cs included Atlantic Coast Line; Burlington Northern; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Chesapeake & Ohio; Chicago & North Western; Delaware & Hudson; Department of Transportation; Detroit Edison; Kaiser Steel; Louisville & Nashville; The Milwaukee Road; Missouri Pacific; Norfolk & Western; Mexico’s FCP; Pennsy; Reading; Rock Island; Southern Railway; Southern Pacific; Soo Line; and Union Pacific.

ABOVE: They were few and didn’t remain on the roster long, Atlas reproduces Chicago & North Western’s U30C in two schemes for a recent Master series release. Watch for a review of this model in Model Railroad News. There is a Phase III style U30C and was the most common of the variations for this U-Boat. There are variations, perhaps most notably the arrival of an anticlimber-type lip on the front pilot for later U30Cs

Atlas Model Railroad Co.
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