| AT&SF U30CG 8005 at Joliet, Illinois on June 24, 1973, Ektachrome by Chuck Zeiler. Built in November 1967 as AT&SF U30CG 405 ( c/n 36351 ), it was basically a U30C with a cowl superstructure. The original design had the rounded nose flush with the pilot front, but the Santa Fe rejected this, and the locomotives were fitted with a front walkway. Only six U30CG's were built, numbered 400-405. The intended assignment was the Grand Canyon Limited, but that ended on February 9, 1969 when a U30CG derailed hauling the Grand Canyon Limited on Edelstein Hill near Chillicothe, Illinois. The U30CG design was suspected, and both classes of GE passenger locomotives ( U30CG and U28CG ) were placed on freight assignments and the U30CG's renumbered to 8000-8005. The folks pictured were waiting for Southern 2-8-2 4501, due in Joliet soon after this train passed. |