The GE P30CH was one of the first brand-new Diesel-electric locomotives built for Amtrak

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 in the company's early years. The design was based on the GE U30C

GE U30C

The GE U30C was one of the earliest successes from General Electric in the diesel locomotive market. With 600 units sold, the U30C proved to be a choice for customers who weren't able to purchase SD40's or SD40-2's from EMD due to mass orders...

, but had a cowl carbody like its EMD competitors.

25 P30CHs were ordered by Amtrak in 1974, just after Amtrak ordered 40 EMD SDP40F

EMD SDP40F

The EMD SDP40F was a 6-axle Diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division from 1973 for Amtrak service. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder turbocharged Diesel engine, which generated 3000 tractive horsepower .-Origins:The SDP40F was the first locomotive...

s in 1973. Unlike the SDP40F, the P30CH was the first Amtrak locomotive built from the factory to offer HEP (Head End Power

Head end power

Head end power or electric train supply is a rail transport term for the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive at the front or “head” of a train or a generator car, generates all the electricity used for lighting, electrical and other...

).

The six axle P30CHs, which cost Amtrak $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

480,000 each, were plagued with mechanical problems and were never very popular with crews or Amtrak management.