A former Baltimore & Ohio GP30 is returning to Ohio thanks to a deal between the Cincinnati Scenic Railway and the Raritan Central Railway. On February 21, Cincinnati Scenic announced it was acquiring Raritan Central 5, originally B&O 6923. 

The GP30 locomotive was built in 1962 by EMD in La Grange, Ill., one of 948 built between 1961 and 1963. B&O owned 77 GP30s, and it’s likely that 5/6923 traveled through Ohio countless times during its time on the railroad. Later, it became part of the Chessie System and CSX, where it was eventually rebuilt into a GP30M with new components, new traction motors, and a reduced horsepower rating. In the 1990s, the engine was retired from the CSX roster and eventually ended up on the Raritan Central in New Jersey. 

Cincinnati Scenic, which offers excursion rides throughout Ohio, plans to paint the locomotive in a special scheme to celebrate America 250. Long-term plans call for it to be restored to its historic B&O “sunburst” livery.

—Justin Franz