C30-7 escapees

By far the largest group of SPSF escapees were the 30-some SPSF-painted C30-7's turned or leased back to GE. Tracing exactly where they all went, let alone what colors they wore when they went, is tough.

Units 8010-8098 were turned back to GE in 1989. Most of the units that wore SPSF paint were still in those colors at the time. Units like 8087 that were not subsequently resold by GE were pressed into GECX lease service. They lingered in their tattered Santa Fe colors until 1997, when GE finally repainted them solid Conrail blue and numbered them into the GECX 0580-series. ATSF 8087 is believed to have become GECX 0593. Many of these were subsequently resold to Helm Leasing.

GE resold approximately 65 C30-7's from the 8010-8098 group to Conrail in 1993, to become part of their newly-formed lease fleet. Conrail renumbered most of the C30-7's into the 500-series and repainted them solid blue with simple white lettering. CRL 549 above is believed to be ex-ATSF Kodachrome 8080, though the exact renumbering plan, and even the number of units Conrail acquired, is not known. Most published renumbering plans end at 562, but the series probably goes as high as 569.

About 15 of the units Conrail acquired were never renumbered nor repainted, and were sent to scrap at Cycle Systems in Roanoke, VA in 1997. The hulk of red and yellow 8013 lingered on the property well into 1998 before moving to RDI Industries at Pittston, PA. The units that made it into the 500-series continue to migrate - ten were sold to RDI Industries in late 1997, and most of those have subsequently been rebuilt for Union Pacific as "C36M's." Altogether, about 30 ex-CRL or ex-GECX (nee-ATSF) C30-7's were slated for the UP rebuild program.

It is believed that all SPSF-painted units from the 8010-8098 series have been either scrapped or repainted.

C30-7's in the 8099-8152 group were also turned over to GE for use in their lease fleet, but Santa Fe retained ownership of the units initially. Unlike their 8010-series cousins, these units generally retained their Santa Fe or SPSF paint. The only hint of their new assignment was occasional "GE Lease" sublettering, which is barely visible in 1-inch lettering under the road number on 8148 above.

GE wasn't always terribly careful about keeping the right doors in the right spots on the ex-ATSF C30-7's entrusted to its care. The result has occasionally been an unpronouncible name on the side of a unit, or in the case of C30-7 8109, a door borrowed from a red and yellow unit.

SPSF-painted C30-7 8104 was among thirteen C30-7's from the 8099-8152 group that Santa Fe sold to Livingston Rebuild Center in January, 1996. The unit became part of the LRCX lease fleet, and by March, 1996 it had been been repainted in LRC's simple black and yellow scheme. A year or so later, it received a somewhat livelier LRC yellow and green paint job. ATSF 8148 joined it on the LRC roster in September 1997, and has also presumably been repainted.

Burlington Northern acquired many of the remaining members of the 8099-8152 group, and with the BNSF merger, many of those C30-7's returned to Santa Fe rails. The big GE's were allocated numbers in the BNSF renumbering plan and, in a highly ironic move, red and yellow C30-7 8139 was renumbered to BNSF 5182 in January 1998 while still wearing SPSF paint! By October 2000, all of the remaining kodachrome C30-7's had received BNSF numbers. A big yellow "BN" in the spot intended for the "SP" on the side of these units would certainly be poetic justice, but in truth the survivors would not last to see a coat of real BNSF paint. SPSF-painted BNSF 5189, laid up with a bad engine, was one of several BNSF C30-7's sent to the shops in West Burlington, IA to be stripped of usable parts in August 1999. The balance of the C30-7's were formally retired in May of 2002.

The table below lists the C30-7's from the 8010-8152 group that were at one time painted SPSF along with their dispositions, as best as can be determined. Units marked with asterisks are confirmed to have retained their red and yellow paint after 1990. CR, GCEX, and LRCX units have presumably been repainted.