Conrail GP30 and GP35 Finale
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- čas přidán 22. 01. 2014
- A motive power shortage in the autumn of 1988 caused Conrail to bring out a few GP30 and GP35 units that were in storage awaiting scrap. This was to be their last gasp, and I was fortunate to catch one of each model working in Reading during that time.
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Great video, the GP30 was such a lovely locomotive!
franburke Conrail's old E.M.D GP-30 unit # 2175 these day's is at The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad numered 501 and is painted in the classic Western Maryland Freight Red,White,Black Stripe's in Ridgley,W.Va and Pulls the Train from Cumberland to Frostburg,Maryland and Back on a 45mile round trip,1:58
True gp30 lock the best out of the gp seiries
GP30's are my favorite untis....B&O 6910 was the second unit I was ever in.....
Reading Railroad owned and ran a lot of these GP 30's . I always liked the design and look of these units .
2171 is ex rdg, caught it several times in green/yellow.
This power shortage was causing by 100 GP38's departing the roster when their 15-year lease ran out. The lease was begun under PC, but was transferred to Conrail.
CSX Productions Guilford Transportation Industries / Guilford Rail System / Pan Am Railways has the same 15 year lease thing. In the 80s Guilford had quite the number of SD40s, SD26s, SD45s and a few SD39s.
Nice video! Absolutely love those Conrail GP30’s!
Only recently have I learned that the GP35 was built on the same frame as a GP9/GP30, and is about four feet shorter than a GP38/GP40.
GP35 made some strong horsepower for it's time at 2500 horses. Was designed to compete with the powerful, new GEU25B.
From what I read, GP35 was a very successful model.
GP30s are striking with that staggered roofline. And at 2,250hp, more piwerful than a GP38. I always wondered why EMD would regress to a less powerful, non-turbocharged engine like the '38? GP38/GP38-2 are super reliable and versatile locomotives.
The GP38 and GP38-2 filled a gap in the market between low horsepower switchers and the increasing horsepower of road units. Class 1 branch lines and many shortline/regional roads didn't have track capable of utilizing the full capabilities of high HP units. Also the lack of a turbo reduced maintenance requirements and costs. The decreased fuel efficiency didn't become a factor until fuel prices rose significantly in the 70s, leading to the turbocharged 12 cylinder GP39-2 taking some of the GP38-2 market. The GP38 was basically the follow on model of the GP9/18 in terms of utilization.
Great diesels of great country! There are last 567-engine based locomotives. Impressive!
It seems strange, that they were only 25 years old at their last ran in 1988
On 1520mm gauge railways many mainline engines are 30 and even 40 years old.
There are many older locomotives still running in the US, but the big problem with the GP30 and GP35 was their overly complicated control systems. Older locos with simpler systems lasted longer. The development of solid state controls eliminated this. Some survived to be rebuilt on other roads, but Conrail scrapped theirs. Another reason for the increased age of 1520mm locos is lack of capital to replace them until recently.
Railways of Kazahstan and Mongolia rebuild their soviet-built mainline diesel locs using new angines from US and China. On Russian and Ukraine railways amount of new (not rebuilt) power increased dramatically in last 10 years. But old time-proved locomotives are still used widely on many railroads.
Vast majority of freight cars on 1520mm gauge are new, built in 2000-s and later 2010. It's really hard to note freight car older then 25 years.
Modernization of ex-soviet rail network goes rapidly.
In Finland railways also use 1520mm gauge, but they are farther European-style, differ from North American, Soviet and Chinese RR.
fmnut
I worked for Conrail as a engineer and Conrail had started an upgrade program on the GP-30/35 locomotive's. Don't remember the company that produced it but it brought the control to 9 individual steps which turned them into good working locomotive's. I had them on freights before the upgrade and when they went wrong power levels would exceed what they should have and the engine would go from 200 amps to well over 1200 amps pouring out black smoke until the governor finally unloaded the engine.
Use to hate to see them in at consist because until they were fixed they would play havoc on train handling.
Outstanding video
if i remember correctly, in 1994-95 they brought out some 30/35s
i caught several of them in yard service.
oh, and some U23Bs too!
WOW! That sure brings back a lot of memories! How appropriate to end this amazing VIDEO with a former READING GP30 2171! I have photos of this classic GEEP when she was still in READING livery! Although CONRAIL re numbered! Thankfully there's still a few former CONRAIL GP30s still around. Like New Hope &IVYLAND GP30 2198 former NEW YORK CENTRAL. And READING 5513 now at the READING Technical Society MUSEUM in SOUTH HAMBURG PA. She was the VERY first GP30 ever built! By EMD as the READING purchased the DEMONSTRATORS! Maybe one day this locomotive will run again.
The 5513 was the first Production Model GP30. The demos were purchased by Union Pacific and Seaboard. There are also ex Conrail GP30s on the Western Maryland Scenic.
@@fmnut Thank you for the correction fmnut . So the 1963 ALL diesel issue of TRAIN'S magazine was incorrect on the READING buying the GP30 DEMONSTRATORS. And that's right the WESTERN MARYLAND SCENIC RAILROAD also has at least 2 GP30s.
I've missed the sound of a gp30 high pitched wine of a locamotive
CR 2353 lives on as Webb Asset Management (WAMX) 3516
Classic EMD power
I know the heart will railroad had at least two gp30 locomotive until 2012 which were numbered 3016 and I think 3021 if you look on CZcams there is video of 3016 in operation back in 2009
GREAT VIDEO
I'm curious concerning the gp30 central mounted headline above the cab why were they always mounted upside down with the little light covers on the bottoms instead of the tops? Was that to prevent like a gleam or something
Yes. They kept the beam from shining on the top of the low hood, making it easier for the crew to see ahead at night.
@@fmnut ah okay
Went rail action an bid on a sixteen cylinder gp30 bid ten thousand a year
So, were all Conrail GP30's, but the museum unit, scrapped? And, were any Conrail F7's, inherited from old railroads, ever painted in the beautiful blue Conrail scheme? I have never seen a blue Conrail F7, though Penn Central and Erie Lackawanna had bunches of them. That'd be a wonderful video idea.
Several Conrail GP30'S were sold to shortlines. The Western Maryland Scenic has two, one ex PRR and one ex RDG. The West Shore RR had one restored in PRR paint, not sure where it is now. Several others went down south and out west. At least one Conrail F7 got blue paint, but the only lettering was the small PC style "CR". I have a slide of it. I'm not sure any got the full treatment with logos.
I saw the CR blue F7A. No EL,RDG F got the blue paint. The one painted blue was former NYC.
Actually, at time of CR. EL had few Funits running, most were stored.
CR was power short so they put as many EL F's into service, but they did not last long.
Interesting to note, EL still had a few F3's on roster at time of CR.
Only a very few EL F7(A&B) were renumbered CR.
Also, at the very end of CR F's, a few F's were renumbered to make room for GP15's.
I rode in a CR(NYC) F7A no. 1693. (not very far though)
The train was a transfer from CNW-Wood to Elkhart.
the New Hope Railroads 2198 is an ex conrail gp30 and also ran for the penn central and the PRR
Couple ABBA AABBAA of locamotives six axal GP 39 Thur 45 lines looking to lease
a train's a commin 😄alboard!,alboard!,track #29,alboard sound the horn nice long and loud!😄
Man, what a waste. They weren't even 25 years old when they stopped using them. I love CR, but this is easily the dumbest thing they did.
What the hell was Conrail thinking..........boring blue..........
Yes N&W 'nowhere' billboard scheme was way more imaginative.