| EMD SW8 | |
| Powertype: | Diesel-electric |
| Buildmodel: | SW8, TR6 |
| Builddate: | September 1950 - February 1954 |
| Aarwheels: | B-B |
| Uicclass: | Bo’Bo’ |
| Length: | 44feet |
| Width: | 9feet |
| Height: | 14feet |
| Locoweight: | 2300000NaN0 |
| Primemover: | EMD 8-567B |
| Enginetype: | V8 Two-stroke diesel |
| Aspiration: | Roots-type supercharger |
| Cylindercount: | 8 |
| Maxspeed: | 650NaN0 |
| Poweroutput: | 800abbr=onNaNabbr=on |
| T/E Starting: | 570000NaN0 at 25% |
| T/E Continuous: | 360000NaN0 at 110NaN0 |
The EMD SW8 is a diesel switcher locomotive manufactured by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel between September 1950 and February 1954. Power is supplied by an EMD 567B 8-cylinder engine, for a total of 800abbr=onNaNabbr=on. A total of 309 of this model were built for United States railroads and 65 for Canadian railroads. Starting in October 1953 a number of SW8s were built with either the 567BC or 567C engine.
The United States Army ordered 41 SW8s, numbered 2000–2040, for service in Korea during the Korean War. These were shipped in the spring of 1951.
After the Korean War, many US Army-owned SW8s were turned over to the South Korean government while others were retained by the Army and assigned to various Army posts, depots and ammunition plants. Most were retired around 1990 and replaced in service by rebuilt geeps, such as GP10s from VMV in Paducah, KY, and other rebuilders.Of all of the locomotives turned over to the Korean National Railroad, only one, KNR #2001, believed to be ex-USAX #2011, still exists. As of May 2011 it was stored in the back of a locomotive shed in the Korea Railroad Busan Rolling Stock Workshop, 125 Sincheon-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan, Korea 614–765. Diesel Locomotive Team Leader Kim Hyun-Sik stated KORAIL is in talks with the city of Pusan to put the locomotive on display in the city as a part of Korea's heritage, as it is the oldest diesel locomotive in the country.
Two examples of these locomotives, ex-USAX #2019 and #2022, are preserved at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Alabama. After serving in Korea,
was sent back to the manufacturer for reconditioning in 1953.
was rebuilt in 1955. Both served in military bases in the United States until the early 1990s, finishing their careers at Fort Campbell, Ky. The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum acquired them in 1995.[1]
In addition, 12 TR6 cow-calf paired sets were produced.
In May 1953, a single example of the SW8 was built with a hydraulic transmission as model DH2. This locomotive was displayed at a trade show in 1955, but no sales of the DH2 followed. The locomotive was rebuilt with a standard electrical transmission, and served EMD as plant switcher #105 until 1968.
The first TR6A, Southern Pacific 4600, later numbered 1100, is preserved at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California.
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electro-Motive Division (plant) | 1 | 105 | Built as model DH-2 |
| Electro-Motive Division (demonstrator) | 1 | 800 | to Illinois Terminal Railroad 725 |
| 1 | 801 | to Georgia Northern Railway 801 | |
| 1 | 500 | to Cuyahoga Valley Railway 855 | |
| 3 | 800–802 | Built with 567BC engines | |
| 10 | 50–59 | ||
| 2 | 601–602 | ||
| 8 | 800–807 | ||
| 4 | 40–43 | 42-43 were built with 567C engines | |
| Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway ("Crandic") | 3 | 91–93 | Built with 567BC engines |
| 1 | 801 | ||
| Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway ("Omaha Road") | 4 | 126–129 | |
| 28 | 811–838 | 836-838 were built with 567BC engines. 838 was acquired by Pfizer Incorporated in 1989 and then donated to the Danbury Railway Museum in 2002.[2] | |
| 5 | 42–46 | ||
| 8 | 30–37 | ||
| 12 | 201–212 | ||
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 11 | 501–511 | ||
| 1 | D-3 | ||
| 2 | 900–901 | ||
| 10 | 802–811 | ||
| 3 | 98–99, 101 | 98–99 to Burlington Northern. 101 was rebuilt from an NW1 | |
| 4 | 821–824 | ||
| 2 | 13–14 | ||
| 29 | 128–129, 250–276 | 256-273 built with dynamic brakes. | |
| 2 | 40–41 | ||
| 1 | 16 | ||
| 1 | 15 | ||
| 2 | 22, 26 | ||
| 3 | 1–3 | Built with 567BC engines | |
| 26 | 9602–9627 | To Penn Central then Conrail 8602–8627, 8618 is preserved on the Strasburg Railroad | |
| New York Central Railroad (Chicago River and Indiana Railroad) | 2 | 9600–9601 | To Penn Central then Conrail 8600-8601 |
| New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad ("Nickel Plate Road") | 8 | 107–114 | |
| 2 | 37–38 | Built with 567BC engines | |
| 1 | 4 | ||
| 1 | 801 | ||
| 2 | 1200–1201 | ||
| 1 | 200 | ||
| 1 | 12 | to Illinois Central Railroad 802 | |
| 20 | 4604–4623 | All built with dynamic brakes; 4622-4623 built with 567BC engines | |
| Southern Pacific (Texas and New Orleans Railroad) | 5 | 12–16 | |
| 1 | 26 | ||
| 6 | 750–754, 770 | ||
| 8 | 811–818 | ||
| 2 | 75, 77 | to Illinois Central Railroad 800 and 801 | |
| 1 | 53 | ||
| 41 | 2000–2040 | All 41 served in the Korean War, including the 2019 and 2022 now at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum. 2002 is on display at the National Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, Missouri.[3] | |
| 1 | 109 | ||
| 9 | 120–121, 125–126, 128–132 | ||
| 2 | 1152–1153 | ||
| 2 | 801–802 | to Rock Island 839–840 | |
| 2 | 60–61 | ||
| Total | 309 | ||
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 140–141 | ||
| 1 | 50 | ||
| 1 | 356 | ||
| Canadian National Railways | 34 | 8500–8533 | |
| 10 | 6700–6709 | ||
| Dominion Foundries and Steel Company ("Dofasco") | 2 | 11–12 | |
| 2 | 11–12 | ||
| 2 | 102, 104 | Essex Terminal 104 last SW8 built 2/54 | |
| 7 | 71–77 | ||
| 4 | 122–124, 127 | Bought for use in Canada | |
| Total | 65 | ||
| Railroad | Quantity A units | Quantity B units | Road numbers A units | Road numbers B units | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electro-Motive Division (demonstrator) | 1 | 1 | 1600 | 1600B | to Southern Pacific 4600 (A), 4700 (B) |
| 8 | 8 | 1207A–1213A, 1216A | 1207B–1213B, 1216B | ||
| 3 | 3 | 4601–4603 | 4701–4703 | ||
| Total | 12 | 12 | |||