EMD GP38

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EMD GP38
EMD GP38 of the Gateway Western Railway
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderGeneral Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM-EMD)
General Motors Diesel (GMD)
ModelGP38
Build dateJanuary 1966 – December 1971
Total produced706
Specifications
Configuration:
 • AARB-B
 • UICBo'Bo'
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Fuel capacity2,600 US gal
(9,800 L; 2,200 imp gal)
Prime moverEMD 16-645E
Engine typeV16 Two-stroke diesel
AspirationRoots type supercharger
Cylinders16
Performance figures
Power output2,000 hp (1.49 MW)
Career
LocaleNorth America

The EMD GP38 [1] is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and December 1971. The locomotive's prime mover was an EMD 645 16-cylinder engine that generated 2,000 horsepower (1.49 MW). The company built 706 GP38s for North American railroads.[2]

In 1972, EMD began making an updated model, the GP38-2, as part of its Dash-2 line.[3]

Original orders[edit]

Railroad[4] Quantity Numbers Notes
Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad 1 400
Altos Hornos de México 4 130-131, 135-136
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 61 3500-3560 Rebuilt to GP38us and renumbered to 2300-2360, To BNSF
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 70 3800-3849, 4800-4819 To CSX 2000–2049, 2100-2119
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad 8 81-88
Burlington Northern Railroad 6 2072-2077 Ordered as SP&S 200-205, To BNSF
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway 60 3850-3899, 4820-4829 To CSX 2050–2099, 2120-2129
Clinchfield Railroad 10 2000-2009 To Seaboard System then CSX 2180-2189
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad 7 200-206 To GTW 6200-6206
Erie Mining Company 2 700-701
Ferrocarriles Unidos del Sureste 2 512-513
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad 20 701-720 To Illinois Central Gulf then Illinois Central Railroad 9520-9539
Louisville and Nashville Railroad 20 4000-4019 To Seaboard System 6221–6240, then renumbered to 2130–2149, then to CSX
Maine Central Railroad 13 251-263 252 & 254 To B&M after Guilford merger. 252 & 255 now at Conway Scenic.
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad 4 300-304 To Union Pacific
Missouri Pacific Railroad 6 572-577
Monongahela Railway 5 2000-2004 To Conrail
Southern Railway 7 2001-2007 To Norfolk Southern Railway renumbered 2871-2878
Penn Central Transportation Company 265 7675-7939 Biggest order of GP38s, to Conrail same numbers, and then to Norfolk Southern 2880 and 2885-2957 and CSX Transportation 1950–1998, Rest to various short lines.
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines 15 2000-2014 Built with dual control stands and an extended cab face. To Conrail 7660–7674, and then Norfolk Southern 2943-2957
Phelps Dodge Corporation 8 47-54
Southern Railway 107 2716-2822 Built with high hoods. To NS with original numbers
Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway 1 80 To Southern then NS 2879
Texas Mexican Railway 4 857-860
Totals 706

Rebuilds[edit]

A number of GP38s have been rebuilt into the equivalent of a GP38-2.

Conversely, a number of higher horsepower 40 Series locomotives have been rebuilt into the equivalent of a GP38-2 (GP38AC), by the removal of the turbocharger and the substitution of twin Roots blowers.

In 2007, Norfolk Southern rebuilt #2911 which is an ex Penn Central GP38 into an experimental zero-emissions Battery-Electric locomotive known as the Altoona Works BP4. The new locomotive was renumbered as NS #999.[5] It has since been sold to Rail Propulsions Systems, where it was upgraded for eventual use in the Los Angeles Basin region. [6] [7]

Preservation[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bachand, Jean-Denis. "EMD GP38". The Diesel Shop. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  2. ^ Foster, Gerald L. (1996). A field guide to trains of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 34. ISBN 0-395-70112-0.
  3. ^ McDonnell, Greg (2002). Field guide to modern diesel locomotives. Waukesha, Wisc.: Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 108–109. ISBN 0-89024-607-6. OCLC 50411517.
  4. ^ Sarberenyi, Robert. "GP38 Roster". www.trainweb.org. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Norfolk Southern 2014 Sustainability Report - Environmental Performance | A Battery-Powered Alternative". nssustainability.com. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
  6. ^ Corselli, Andrew (2 June 2020). "Agent 999: RPS Restores Zero-Emission Locomotive". Railway Age. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023.
  7. ^ Cupper, Dan (November 12, 2019). "NS to dispose of executive F units, other roster oddities". Trains. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Franz, Justin (2021-10-19). "Conway Scenic Acquires Second Maine Central GP38". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  9. ^ Cotey, Angela (2016-05-09). "Museum unveils Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia-painted GP38 NEWSWIRE". Trains. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  10. ^ "History of TAG Railway 80 Locomotive". Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  11. ^ Speicher, Jake (19 December 2012). "Exelon Power Donates Locomotive to West Chester Railroad". Patch. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  12. ^ Laepple, Wayne (10 December 2012). "West Chester Railroad receives GP38 donation". Trains. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Equipment Roster". West Chester Railroad. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  14. ^ "B&O #3802". B&O Railroad Museum. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Cape May Seashore Lines acquires predecessor diesel". Trains. 2023-09-20. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  16. ^ "The Return of Engine 2000!". Seashore Lines. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-12.

External links[edit]

Media related to EMD GP38 locomotives at Wikimedia Commons