The General Electric U30C locomotive was put into production in 1966, replacing the similar looking U28C. Offering 200 more horsepower than its predecessor, the U30C allowed GE to compete with the EMD’s SD40 in the horsepower race. The U30C proved to be very popular, selling 600 units during its 10 year production span, making it the best selling Universal Series GE locomotive.
This new model from Atlas represents a Phase 1 U30C. The primary spotting feature is constant width long hood (later phase models featured a wider radiator section), as well as various radiator intake arrangements. Note that Atlas also offers the later Phase 2 and Phase 3 models, so the Phase 1 allows you to select the most accurate U30C for your favorite railroad.
Features:
- All new tooling.
- Etched metal grilles.
- Several cab, headlight and nose light variations to accurately match the prototype.
- Newly tooled Adirondack truck sideframes.
- Separately applied details parts.
- New! Factory equipped with metal knuckle couplers.
- DC and Sound versions available.
ANALOG (DC) OPERATION FEATURES:
- Please note that the Atlas Quantum Engineer will NOT operate an Atlas Gold Series locomotive equipped with a LokSound Select decoder on an analog (DC) layout. However, the sound and lighting functions of the LokSound Select decoder in the Atlas Gold Series U30C locomotive can be controlled by an easy-to-use basic DCC system
- Also note that on a DC-powered layout, a DCC and sound equipped locomotive (such as the Atlas Gold Series U30C) CANNOT be consisted with another locomotive that does not also have both DCC and sound. (This statement does NOT apply to DCC-equipped locomotives operating on a DCC layout.)
Gold Series Features (Gold Models with ESU Sound Only ):
- ESU LokSound decoder, supporting all DCC programming modes.
- Flexible mapping of function keys F0 to F31.
- Follows all NMRA DCC standards and recommended practices.
- Lighting effects to match the prototype, including Gyralight and Mars light where appropriate.
- Over 20 sound effects are available, including engine start-up and shutdown, prime mover sounds through all eight notches, bell, air horn, air compressor, dynamic brakes and more.
DCC OPERATION FEATURES:
- Supports all DCC-programming modes
- Flexible mapping of function keys F0 to F28.
- A total of six DCC function outputs are available
- Follows all NMRA DCC standards and recommended practices.
Note: Due to the higher starting voltage required to operate the sound system, it is not possible to MU a non-sound-equipped loco in DC (analog) mode
