GP30 Diesel Locomotive

Prototype Information

EMD launched the GP30 in 1961 to challenge GE’s new U25B and push its road switcher line forward. The locomotive packed 2,250 horsepower from a 16-cylinder 567D3 engine and outperformed the earlier GP20. Its stepped cab roof gave it a bold, distinctive look that set it apart on the rails. Railroads like Union Pacific, Santa Fe, Pennsylvania, and Southern bought more than 900 units before production ended in 1963. The GP30 kept EMD at the front of the horsepower race in the 1960s, and railroads extended its career through rebuild programs like the GP30u, keeping many of the locomotives in service for decades.