The E60C is a six-axle electric locomotive designed by GE for heavy coal traffic on the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad in Arizona. Their line was electrified at 50 kV and 60 Hz to provide a conveyor belt like service between the mine and the power plant. Six locomotives were built in 1972 to operate two trains simultaneously, which were each hauled by three locomotives and weighed between 11,500 and 13,000 tons.

Each locomotive weighed 426,000 pounds and delivered 6,000 hp. Gearing allowed a top speed of 72 mph (116 km/h), but normal operating speed of the coal trains was 35 mph. They were controlled by a thyristor and had DC traction motors. Other features were two cabs and one pantograph. Two more were delivered to the Deseret-Western Railway that operated between Utah and Colorado.

Amtrak, searching for a replacement of the PRR GG1 in express service, ordered 26 E60C which were 39,000 pounds lighter and had gearing for 120 mph (193 km/h). A variant called E60CP had steam train heating, while another variant called E60CH had electric train heating. They could operate under 11, 12.5 and 25 kV AC.

They were originally used on the North East Corridor, but the bogies originally designed for freight service sometimes derailed at speeds of more than 90 mph. As early as in the late seventies, Amtrak's E60C were replaced in service on the North East Corridor by the lighter and more powerful EMD AEM-7 that was based on the Swedish Rc4. Now Amtrak used them on slower long distance trains and ten were even sold to New Jersey Transit in 1984. The last ones were retired in 2003.

The biggest order came from the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (NdeM) and encompassed 39 E60C-2 which were delivered in 1982 and 1983. They were intended for an electrification program on the line between Mexico City and Querétaro, but this program needed a lot of time. After a short service between 1994 and 1997, the electrification program was cancelled and the locomotives were sold, some without having operated at all.

Some locomotives from the NdeM came to the Black Mesa and Lake Powell and replaced the older locomotives. These, like others bought by the Deseret-Western, were now used under 50 instead of 25 kV and were re-geared for 90 mph. Another buyer was Texas Utilities, which discontinued electric operation in 2011.