CORIAN SINK REPAIR

According to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, this powerful general purpose GP-30 diesel electric locomotive was designed for both high speed and heavy low speed freight trains. Having already replaced most steam locomotives in the 1950's, railroads now demanded larger and more powerful diesels to supplement and replace the earlier models. This marked the beginning of what is now commonly called the "Second Generation" of diesels. Thow of the three top diesel manufacturers in the country, General Electric and Alco, introduced their first high horsepower lines in 1960. In an effort to keep pace, the Electro Motive Division of General Motors (EMD) unveiled the first GP-30 in 1963.

The GP-30 used the same engine as many earlier locomotives, including our GP-9 No. 7006, but added a turbocharger, new electronics and a new air blower and filtration system to get the most out of the model 465 prime mover. Its horsepower to weight ratio was unusually high for a single unit carried by two 4 wheel trucks; the standard 1500 horsepower diesel freight locomotive of the 1960's era weighted 115 tons. The internal arrangement of these new features lead to the distinctively styled roofline, unique to the GP-30's.

Not long after the GP-30 was introduced, newer and more powerful models were unveiled. These improved locomotives quickly replaced the GP-30's on the premier mainline trains. Many GP-30's were reassinged to hevier mainline trains, or yard and local switching jobs. Like driving in the city as opposed to driving on an expressway, these new roles placed much harder loads on the locomotives, making them old before their time. By the mid 1980's , GP-30's were becoming rare on America's railroads.

The Pennsylvania received 52 GP-30's, including No. 2233, in 1963. Painted in a somber shade of solid Brunswick Grean, the only ornamentation on the locomotives were the number under the cab window and two small keystone decals applied to the ends and sides.

No. 223 became part of Penn Central's roster on its creation in 1968, trading its dark green pait for black. THe Penn Central operated 62 GP-30's, including the 52 from Pennsylvania and 10 from the New York Central. The success of Penn Central, much like that of the GP-30's, was brief in 1976, No. 2233 became part of the new roster of the Consolidated Rail Corporation, known as Conrail.

Conrail's fleet of GP-30's also included 20 units inherited from the Reading. Although the GP-30's were among the newest on Conrail's roster in 1976 (only about 13 years old), most were taken out of service within the railroad's first decade of operation. Conrail sold No. 2233 to the West Shore Railroad in 1985, where it was returned to its PRR livery and served on excursion, dinner trains, and occasional freight runs through the 1990's. In 1998, the locomotive was donated to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Four years later, No. 2233 was sent to Altoona one last time to be restored to Conrail livery by the locomotive repair shots of Norfolk Southern.

Continuing along our flightpath from Salt Lake City to Orlando, we flew over Keystone Ski Resort just after passing Dillon Reservoir (see previous photo).