Doug McDonnell's version of the Kalmbach "Diesel Spotter's Guide" some years back said that the C30-7A (the 12-cylinder version of the C30-7, sold only to Conrail: one order for 50, in 1984) had a GTA-11 main generator, but McDonnell is not infallible, so I didn't pay much attention. BUT: there are some Conrail locomotive rosters (in house Conrail documents) available on the Conrail page of George Ellwood's "Fallen Flags" railphoto site... and they also say the C30-7A had a GTA-11. (In contrast to the B36-7 of 1983 and the C36-7 of 1985, which had the GTA-24.)
Significance. I ***believe*** that the change from GTA-11 to GTA-24 was part of GE's new ("Sentry") adhesion system, introduced at the end of the 1970s. So, with the GTA-11, the C30-7A would have had the same sort of adhesion control as the ordinary C30-7 (of which Conrail had had 10 units for several years when they ordered the C30-7A).
Suggesting that... (i) Conrail felt, on the basis of experience with the C30-7, that "retro-tech" adhesion control was good enough for a 3,000 hp six-axle unit, and
(ii) that when placing a large order in less-than-great economic conditions they were happy to forgo the latest technology in favor of something they knew worked (and was probably cheaper).
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I ***believe*** but am not sure that the 12 cylinder B30-7A units built for Missouri Pacific, Southern, and Burlington Northern all had Sentry adhesion control and GTA-24 traction alternators. Can anyone confirm or disconfirm?
Significance. I ***believe*** that the change from GTA-11 to GTA-24 was part of GE's new ("Sentry") adhesion system, introduced at the end of the 1970s. So, with the GTA-11, the C30-7A would have had the same sort of adhesion control as the ordinary C30-7 (of which Conrail had had 10 units for several years when they ordered the C30-7A).
Suggesting that... (i) Conrail felt, on the basis of experience with the C30-7, that "retro-tech" adhesion control was good enough for a 3,000 hp six-axle unit, and
(ii) that when placing a large order in less-than-great economic conditions they were happy to forgo the latest technology in favor of something they knew worked (and was probably cheaper).
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I ***believe*** but am not sure that the 12 cylinder B30-7A units built for Missouri Pacific, Southern, and Burlington Northern all had Sentry adhesion control and GTA-24 traction alternators. Can anyone confirm or disconfirm?