EMD GP 30 #522
GP30 #522 holds a special place in railroad history as the first of 47 GP30 locomotives built for the Norfolk & Western Railway. Manufactured by the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors in December 1962, the GP30 represented a leap forward in diesel-electric locomotive design. Its most distinctive feature—the raised “hump” on the cab roofline—was unique to this model and served both aesthetic and aerodynamic purposes.
Throughout its career, GP30 #522 served primarily in freight service for the Norfolk & Western, demonstrating the locomotive’s power, versatility, and reliability across the railroad’s extensive network throughout the southeastern and midwestern United States.
Today, GP30 #522 is preserved by the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS). As the class leader of the Norfolk & Western’s GP30 fleet—and the only known surviving N&W GP30—it stands as a vital piece of railroading heritage.
Its preservation underscores the importance of maintaining tangible links to America’s industrial past and highlights the engineering innovation of the 1960s, a transformative era for diesel-electric technology. Through the Roanoke Chapter NRHS’s efforts, GP30 #522 continues to educate and inspire, serving as a living testament to the Norfolk & Western’s legacy and the technological progress that helped shape modern railroading.
| Builder: | EMD |
| Locomotive Model: | GP30 (General Purpose Model 30) |
| Engine: | 16-567D3 |
| Horsepower: | 2250HP |
| Built: | 6/1962 |
| Builder Number: | 27355 |
| Built For: | Norfolk and Western |
| Reporting Mark: | RNRH 522 |
| Other Reporting Marks | NW 522, CSIX 522, RPCX 522 |