The maintenance base for the C30-7 has been Lincoln, Nebraska. Lincoln's role is to keep these units in operation when economically feasible. Locomotives requiring heavy repair and are not economically repairable are parked for final disposition in Forth Worth, Texas. Those that belong to leasing companies and designated for return in the short term are stored until the lease expires, and are usually in good order but identified as Laid Up Pending Expiration (LUPE).

     The first C30-7s on the BNSF roster were reactivated to service in October 2000. They included both owned, as well as lease units. These specific locomotives were: 5008, 5012, 5053, 5056, 5076, 5077, 5080, 5082, 5085, 5090, 5096, 5100, 5110, 5113, 5115, 5118, 5124, 5555, 5573, 5575, and 5578. As of November 2001, about the same number of C30-7s were in service, however the exact locomotive numbers have changed due to high failure rates due to the locomotives' advanced age.

     The high number of Laid Up Good Order (LUGO) locomotives is of special interest as quite a number of these units are leased, and they have been parked due to weak traffic levels, rather than pending lease expiration and pending return to there owner. For a locomotive to be acceptable for lease return, it must be in a good operating condition.

     At Springfield, Missouri, thirty four other C30-7 locomotives, having already been retired and returned to their owners, are currently being stored here on BNSF property.

     At the beginning of the Santa Fe / BN merger, the combined fleet of C30-7 locomotives stood at 290 units. This number has been reduced to 100, with about 25 units in active service, and even this varies everyday according to traffic needs. In 2002, the fleet again experienced a huge reduction in numbers as two major leases expired.

Reference:

Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway 2002 Locomotive Review
and Freight Car Directory by Robert C. Del Grosso. page16.

GIFS are by Erik Rasmussen.