GE B30-7
St Louis Southwestern (SSW), aka Cotton Belt #7784 in Rosenberg, Texas, January 5, 2001, very late in life.
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderGE Transportation Systems
Build dateDecember 1977 – October 1983
Total produced399
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • AARB-B
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length61 ft 2 in (18.64 m)
Prime moverGE FDL-16
Engine typeV16 diesel
V12 diesel for B30-7A variants
Cylinders16
12 for B30-7A variants
Performance figures
Power output3,000 hp (2,200 kW)
Career
OperatorsSee table: Original owners
LocaleNorth America

The GE B30-7 is a diesel-electric locomotive model produced by GE from 1977 to 1983 as part of their Dash 7 Series, featuring a 16 cylinder engine producing 3,000 horsepower. A total of 399 units were produced, including 120 cabless B30-7A units.[1] The B30-7AB/A(B) is an unofficial model. The B30-7 was GE's successor to the U30B.

Design and production history

BN 4010, a B30-7A, working in Aurora, Illinois, in 1993.

The B30-7 was designed from the B23-7, and was nearly identical in appearance. However, the B30-7 featured 3,000 horsepower, compared to the B23-7's 2,300 horsepower. Almost all were built with FB2 trucks.[1]

GE produced several variants of the B30-7. These were developed from an experimental modification of the B23-7's 12-cylinder engine in June 1980 to uprate it to 3,000 horsepower. By using the 12 cylinder prime mover instead of the 16 cylinder version, railroads saved money on fuel and maintenance, and most subsequent B30-7s incorporated a 12-cylinder engine. Variants using this engine were the B30-7A, B30-7A1 and the cabless B30-7A. The B30-7A without a cab is unofficially known as the B30-7A(B) to distinguish it from the version with a cab.[1]

B30-7As were built only for the Missouri Pacific Railroad and are externally identical to the 16-cylinder version B30-7. B30-7A1s, which featured a high short hood, were built only for the Southern Railway.

Cabless B30-7A(B)s were built only for the Burlington Northern Railroad.[1]

Operational history

Shortline railroad Providence and Worcester Railroad acquired five ex-BN B30-7A(B) cabless units, reclassified as B30-7AB units, numbered #3004-3008, in 2001. National Railway Equipment acquired these locomotives in 2015.[2] Most of the remaining B30-7A(B)s were retired in 1999.[1]

In early 2017, Chesapeake and Ohio unit 8272 was repainted by CSX into its original Chessie System livery and donated to the Lake Shore Railway Museum.[3]

Original owners

Railroad Quantity Road numbers Notes
Burlington Northern Railroad 120 4000-4119 model B30-7A(B) cabless units
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway 64 8235-8298 Chessie System Paint
Missouri Pacific Railroad 58 4800-4854 model B30-7A. The first three were an experimental modification of the B23-7.
St. Louis - San Francisco Railway 8 863-870 rode on Alco trade in trucks
St. Louis Southwestern Railway 26 7774-7799
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad 17 5500-5516 Family Lines Paint
Southern Pacific Railroad 84 7800-7883
Southern Railway 22 3500-3521 model B30-7A1

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 McDonnell, Greg (2002). Field guide to modern diesel locomotives. Waukesha, Wisc.: Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 20–25. ISBN 0-89024-607-6. OCLC 50411517.
  2. ↑ Hartley, Scott A. (January 2, 2015). "Last Northeast diesel booster units depart". Trains. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  3. ↑ Grabowski, Ray (March 24, 2017). "Lake Shore Railway Historical Society Receives Restored Vintage General Electric Dash-7 Locomotive". Lake Shore Railway.
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