Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Our latest run of Rivet Counter HO Scale EMD GP30s is here. This release includes an exciting group of rebuilds, offered for the first time in mass-produced plastic, featuring multiple road numbers and paint schemes representing Chessie System and CSX GP30s and GP30M rebuilds. Order yours here: scaletrains.com/ho-scale/ho-scale-locomotives/rivet-counter-ho-scale-emd-gp30.html?availability=37
HISTORY
Chesapeake & Ohio purchased a series of GP30 locomotives in the 1960s, numbered 6904-6976, as part of EMD’s response to GE’s U25B. These locomotives featured the signature “eyebrow” cab, vee windshield, tall electrical cabinet, and were powered by the 567D3 prime mover, rated at 2,250 hp. They became a mainstay of C&O’s four-axle fleet, handling freight service across the system and later appearing throughout the Chessie System.
When CSX was formed in 1980, it inherited 34 C&O GP30s, along with 33 B&O GP30s. Many were approaching 20 years of service, so CSX rebuilt numerous units between 1981 and 1983, creating GP30Ms (“Modified”). The rebuilds focused on internal improvements: reducing horsepower to 2,000, replacing complex electrical wiring, and upgrading power assemblies to simplify maintenance. Externally, most GP30Ms retained Chessie colors with CSXT patch lettering, while a few were repainted later in the 1980s, keeping them in service into the early 1990s.
Units not rebuilt as GP30Ms were sometimes converted to Roadmate Slugs or reassigned to Maintenance of Way duties, often painted orange. The last GP30M from the ex-C&O roster, #4216, was retired in 1997. These GP30s and GP30M rebuilds are remembered for their reliability, distinctive design, and long service life, making them favorites among historians and modelers alike.
Our latest run of Rivet Counter HO Scale EMD GP30s is here. This release includes an exciting group of rebuilds, offered for the first time in mass-produced plastic, featuring multiple road numbers and paint schemes representing Chessie System and CSX GP30s and GP30M rebuilds. Order yours here: scaletrains.com/ho-scale/ho-scale-locomotives/rivet-counter-ho-scale-emd-gp30.html?availability=37
HISTORY
Chesapeake & Ohio purchased a series of GP30 locomotives in the 1960s, numbered 6904-6976, as part of EMD’s response to GE’s U25B. These locomotives featured the signature “eyebrow” cab, vee windshield, tall electrical cabinet, and were powered by the 567D3 prime mover, rated at 2,250 hp. They became a mainstay of C&O’s four-axle fleet, handling freight service across the system and later appearing throughout the Chessie System.
When CSX was formed in 1980, it inherited 34 C&O GP30s, along with 33 B&O GP30s. Many were approaching 20 years of service, so CSX rebuilt numerous units between 1981 and 1983, creating GP30Ms (“Modified”). The rebuilds focused on internal improvements: reducing horsepower to 2,000, replacing complex electrical wiring, and upgrading power assemblies to simplify maintenance. Externally, most GP30Ms retained Chessie colors with CSXT patch lettering, while a few were repainted later in the 1980s, keeping them in service into the early 1990s.
Units not rebuilt as GP30Ms were sometimes converted to Roadmate Slugs or reassigned to Maintenance of Way duties, often painted orange. The last GP30M from the ex-C&O roster, #4216, was retired in 1997. These GP30s and GP30M rebuilds are remembered for their reliability, distinctive design, and long service life, making them favorites among historians and modelers alike.
