GE "U30B" Locomotives: Specs, Roster, History

Last revised: January 10, 2025

In many ways, the U30B was a milestone locomotive, allowing General Electric to finally offer a 3,000 horsepower road-switcher under a single hood.

During the horsepower race of the 1960's, all three builders worked towards, and finally achieved, a 3,000 horsepower variant.

The U30B witnessed modest sales (295 units) as the industry began recognizing the benefits of six-motored, high-horsepower locomotives.

GE locomotives continued to grow in popularity thanks to the builder's dedication to its product. However, most crews never liked the U-boat, complaining of their rough ride and reliability.

The U30B featured a number of upgrades during its production run, a trait that continued throughout the Universal line and into the later "Dash 7" line.

Today, there are at least two U30Bs preserved; Burlington Northern #5789 at the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society in Ohio and Western Pacific #751 at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, California.

Photos

A group of new Western Pacific U30B's, just a little over a month old, layover at the Rio Grande's Roper Yard in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 27, 1967. C.G. Heimerdinger, Jr. photo. Author's collection.

Overview

The U30B began production in May, 1966. General Electric's introduction of its 3,000 horsepower road-switcher was largely without fanfare.

As Greg McDonnell notes in his book "U-boats," demonstrators #301-304 rolled out of Erie, Pennsylvania quietly that spring and began testing on the New York Central.

There were almost no noteworthy features on the locomotives to distinguish them from any other U-boat; they were adorned in a solid black scheme with a small GE logo under the cab window.

Milwaukee Road U30B's #6006 and #6004 are serviced at the engine terminal in Bensenville, Illinois in April, 1968. Fred Byerly photo. American-Rails.com collection.

The U30B also represented General Electric's efforts to play catchup as Alco and Electro-Motive had already released their own 3,000 horsepower units.

In his book, "GE Locomotives," Brian Solomon notes how GE was able to finally achieve a stand-alone 3,000 horsepower road-switcher; the AC-DC transmission system.

The company's 7FDL16 prime mover was already capable of producing the needed horsepower. The problem was in transferring this power to the traction motors and axles where it could be utilized.

Milwaukee Road U30B #6005 leads a long freight westbound/northbound over the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern diamonds at Rondout, Illinois during June, 1968. Fred Byerly photo. American-Rails.com collection.

Solomon notes: "The new system used an alternator rather than a generator and employed silicon diodes to rectify alternating current to the direct current needed by traction motors.

This reduced the number of components, decreased maintenance, and, most significantly, allowed for higher output to traction motors."

Reception

For General Electric the soft sales of the four-axle U30B, and particularly with the two latter models (the U33B and U36B), was a sign that B-B main line locomotives were losing demand within the industry.

Understanding this, General Electric instead began to focus more heavily on six-axle designs by the early 1970s.

Its late model C-Cs like the U30C, U33C, and U36C sold quite well for the company as more than 1,000 were produced. It was just a start but soon EMD would have serious competition by the early 1980s.

Data Sheet and Specifications

Entered Production	5/1966 (GE Demonstrators #301-302)
Years Produced	5/1966 - 3/1975
GE Class	U30B
Engine	7FDL16 (16 cylinder)
Engine Builder	General Electric
Horsepower	3000
RPM	1050
Length	60' 2"
Height (Top Of Rail To Top Of Cab)	14' 9"
Width	9' 11"
Weight	254,800 Lbs
Fuel Capacity	1,700 or 2,900 Gallons
Air Compressor	3CDC (Westinghouse)
Air Brake Schedule	26NL (Westinghouse)
Trucks	B-B
Truck Type	Swing Bolster, Drop-Side Equalizer (GSC) or Floating Bolster FB2 (GE)
Truck Wheelbase	9' 4"
Wheel Size	40"
Traction Motors	752 (4), GE
Traction Alternator	GTA-11AC, GE
Auxiliary Generator	GY27, GE
MU (Multiple-Unit)	Yes
Dynamic Brakes	Optional
Gear Ratio	74:18
Tractive Effort (Starting)	70,000 Lbs
Tractive Effort (Continuous)	64,000 Lbs at 10.7 mph
Top Speed	70 mph

Production Roster

Owner	Road Number	Serial Number	Order Number	Completion Date	Quantity
General Electric (Demonstrator)	301-302*	35880-35881	9005	5/1966	2
General Electric (Demonstrator)	303-304**	35935-35936	1424	6/1966	2
Seaboard Air Line	800-814***	36121-36135	1548	12/1966-1/1967	15
Atlantic Coast Line	975-978	36144-36147	1546	1/1967	4
Illinois Central	5000-5005	36200-36205	1554	2/1967-3/1967	6
New York Central	2830-2839	36246-36255	1552	11/1966-2/1967	10
Norfolk & Western	1930-1944****	36256-36270	1555	3/1967-5/1967	15
Norfolk & Western	1945-1956****	36326-36337	1573	6/1967	12
Norfolk & Western	1962-1964****	36338-36340	1573	7/1967	3
Norfolk & Western	1960-1961****	36341-36342	1573	7/1967	2
Norfolk & Western	1957-1959****	36343-36345	1573	7/1967	3
New York Central	2840-2857	36379-36396	1575	7/1967-9/1967	18
New York Central	2860-2889	36411-36440	1577/1588	7/1967-9/1967	30
Louisville & Nashville	2505-2509	36443-36447	1589	11/1967	5
Milwaukee Road	6009	36449	1584	1/1968	1
Western Pacific*****	751-755	36451-36455	1587	9/1967	5
Milwaukee Road	6005-6008	36500-36503	1584	1/1968	4
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy	150-154	36520-36524	1583	1/1968	5
Western Pacific*****	756-759	36833-36836	1404	9/1968	4
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco)	832-835	36850-36853	1406	10/1968-11/1968	4
Western Pacific*****	760-769	36998-36707	1435	4/1969-5/1969	10
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco)	836-843	37164-37171	1453	8/1969-9/1969	8
Norfolk & Western	8465-8514***	37441-37490	1454	8/1970-1/1971	50
Norfolk & Western	8515-8539***	37747-37771	1462	5/1971-11/1971	25
Chesapeake & Ohio	8200-8209	38218-38227	1471	12/1971-1/1972	10
Chesapeake & Ohio	8210-8222	38475-38487	1482	11/1972-12/1972	13
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco)	854-857	39901-39904	1435	8/1974-9/1974	4
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco)	844-853	39928-39937	2578	5/1973	10
Chesapeake & Ohio	8225-8234******	40068-40077	1446	12/1974	10
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco)	858-862	40257-40261	1471	3/1975	5

* Became Chesapeake & Ohio #8223-8224.

** Became Western Pacific #770-771; equipped with Blomberg trucks.

*** Equipped with Blomberg trucks from trade-in F3's.

**** Equipped with a high, short hood.

***** Equipped with Blomberg trucks.

****** Equipped with General Electric's new floating bolster "FB2" truck, released in 1974.

XR Series

During the course of production the U30B enjoyed several improvements, most notably the rear radiator whereby GE began "flaring" the compartment a few inches wider than the carbody.

This became a notable trait of GE locomotives that carries on today under GE successor Wabtec Freight. The U30B was also the first too feature GE's new "XR Series" of 1972, which stood for Extra Reliability.

The series featured more than 50 upgrades to the U-boat line such as improved wiring, insulation, wheel slip controls, and more. There were even a few locomotives to sport a special "XR" livery including Louisville & Nashville U30C #1409 and St. Louis-San Francisco U30B #846.

Sources

Foster, Gerald. A Field Guide To Trains. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1996.

Marre, Louis A. Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years, A Guide To Diesels Built Before 1972. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 1995.

McDonnell, Greg. U-boats. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing, 1994.

Pinkepank, Jerry A. Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 1967.

Solomon, Brian. GE Locomotives: 110 Years Of General Electric Motive Power. St. Paul: MBI Publishing, 2003.

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