C30-7 Diesel Locomotive

Prototype Information

The Dash 7 Series was intended to redress the ensuing imbalance between the two competing manufacturers.

GE commenced production of the Dash 7 Series in 1976. By the time Dash 7 production ceased in 1985, about 2,800 Dash 7 locomotives had been built – roughly the same number of units as the total production of the Universal Series. By contrast, EMD built more than 8,000 Dash 2 locomotives.

Although the Dash 7 Series failed to surpass the Dash 2 in terms of market share, its 4-stroke engine returned better fuel consumption figures than the 2-stroke engine fitted to GM-EMD locomotives after the 1970s oil crisis. The Dash 7 Series was therefore positively received. The C30-7 model was manufactured between 1976 and 1986 and was fitted with a 16-cylinder 7FDL engine, and replaced the U30C model. A total of 1,137 C30-7s were built, all of them for North American railroads. These production numbers include the 50 C30-7A variants delivered to Conrail.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GE_Dash_7_Series