Atlas O Premier U30C

Locomotive

In 1953, Alco and General Electric went their separate ways, ending the partnership that had produced some of the handsomest first-generation diesel units, the FA and PA. Seven years later, GE was back in the market with the U25B, its first self-produced road locomotive and the product of an intensive research and development effort. By 1963, GE sales surpassed those of its former partner, and the company became a serious threat to EMD’s market dominance. The nation’s diesel builders were locked in a horsepower race as railroads bought second-generation power to replace the first-generation diesels that had killed the steam engine. In 1966, General Electric introduced the six-axle, 3000 hp U30C, aimed directly at EMD’s equally powerful SD40.

While the U30C did not outsell the SD40, it became General Electric’s best-selling “U-boat.” It set the stage for GE to pull ahead of EMD in diesel sales by 1983, and stay ahead to this day. Over the course of a 10-year production run, nearly 600 U30Cs were sold to 17 class one railroads, while other roads such as Conrail acquired them in mergers. Union Pacific and Burlington Northern owned the largest fleets, with BN using its U30Cs to haul coal from the massive Powder River Basin deposits in Montana and Wyoming. Many U30Cs served nearly three decades before retirement in the early 1990s.

The tooling for the U30C is engineered to produce a multitude of different, railroad-specific versions of this engine. Details found on all versions include etched safety tread on the walkways; opening cab doors; folding drops steps on the end platforms; optional snow plow; underframe air tanks with pipes; superbly detailed trucks with speed recorder cable, shock absorbers, and brake cylinders; legible builders plate and warning labels; and separately added grab irons, windshield wipers, and platform safety chains, MU cables, and coupler lift bars.

The U30Cs also feature variable exhaust smoke, General Electric diesel motor sounds, and our new speaker system with improved bass response to more accurately reproduce the ground-shaking rumble of the prototype.

Features Include:

  • Intricately Detailed, Durable ABS Body
  • Die-Cast Truck Sides, Pilots and Fuel Tank
  • Metal Chassis
  • Metal Handrails and Horn
  • Metal Body Side Grilles
  • Detachable Snow Plow
  • Authentic Paint Scheme
  • Metal Wheels, Axles and Gears
  • (2) Remote-Controlled Proto-Couplers
  • O Scale Kadee-Compatible Coupler Mounting Pads
  • Prototypical Rule 17 Lighting
  • Directionally Controlled Constant Voltage LED Headlights
  • Lighted LED Cab Interior Light
  • Illuminated LED Number Boards
  • Lighted LED Marker Lights
  • (2) Precision Flywheel-Equipped Motors
  • Operating ProtoSmoke Diesel Exhaust
  • Onboard DCC/DCS Decoder
  • Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments
  • Proto-Scale 3-2 3-Rail/2-Rail Conversion Capable
  • 1:48 Scale Proportions
  • Proto-Sound 3.0 With The Digital Command System Featuring Freight Yard Proto-Effects
  • Unit Measures: 17 1/2” x 2 1/2” x 4 5/16”
  • Operates On O-42 Curves

Check availability of this product on the Atlas Online Store

3-Rail Item# Road Name Road Number 2-Rail Item#
January 2025
MSRP 3-rail & 2-Rail: $679.95
O U30C Locomotive
30138498 Delaware & Hudson (Blue/Gray/Yellow) 703 30138513
30138499 Delaware & Hudson (Blue/Gray/Yellow) 708 30138514
30138500 Detroit Edison (Blue/Silver) 8 30138515
30138501 Detroit Edison (Blue/Silver) 11 30138516
30138502 Guilford (ex Detroit Edison) (Blue/Silver) 640 30138517
30138503 Louisville & Nashville* (Gray/Yellow) 1543 30138518
30138504 Louisville & Nashville* (Gray/Yellow) 1548 30138519
30138505 Louisville & Nashville (XR)* (Black/Gold/White) 1499 30138520
30138506 SOO LINE (Red/White) 802 30138521
30138507 SOO LINE (Red/White) 808 30138522
30138508 Union Pacific (Yellow/Gray/Red) 2825 30138523
30138509 Union Pacific (Yellow/Gray/Red) 2952 30138524
Atlas Collector's Series
30138510 CSX ex-L&N Patch* (Gray/Yellow) 7204 30138525
30138511 Rock Island (Blue/White) 4594 30138526

Products bearing Union Pacific (UP) marks are made under trademark license from Union Pacific Railroad Company.
*CSX Licensed Product