GE: U30C
In June and July of 1967, the Reading took delivery of five General Electric U30-C locomotives. These six-axle, 3000 horsepower locomotives were numbered 6300 through 6304. Delivered in the 1960s yellow and green scheme, these units were the first to carry the "Bee Line Service" logo on the long hood, and were also the heaviest diesels on the Reading.
After initial shakedown runs hauling loaded ore trains on the Bethlehem Branch, the "U-Boats" were placed into general service on most parts of the system. They did NOT operate on the Wilmington & Northern, Perkiomen and Doylestown branches account their size and weight. They were most commonly seen in mainline through freight service, running in multiple with other units, or paired with a 4-axle locomotive.
MODELING NOTES: As the Reading's U30Cs were some of the first produced, the long hood more closely resembles the earlier U28C locomotives as far as the arrangement of doors, etc. Bear this in mind when selecting a model as a starting point. Operationally, these units were seen all over the system, except for lighter branch lines as noted in the above text.
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A variety of Reading Company operations related documents, etc. that may be of use in your modeling efforts.
A variety of Reading Company operations paperwork, such as train orders, clearance forms, etc. that will help you operate your Reading layout in a prototypical manner.
Public Timetables, Employe Timetables, and Rulebooks that provide much useful operational information.
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Downloadable reference documents on the various classes of Reading Company Freight and Passenger rolling stock.