EMD GP38 explained
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 2000hp. 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
| 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
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
- Conway Scenic Railroad 252, built as Maine Central (MEC) 252, is preserved and operates on excursions on the former MEC Notch Route.[8]
- Conway Scenic Railroad 255, built as Maine Central 255, was acquired in October 2021 and serves alongside 252.
- Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway 80, is preserved in operational condition at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.[9] [10]
- West Chester Railroad 7706, built as Penn Central 7706, is preserved and operates on tourist trains on the former PRR line.[11] [12] [13]
- Chessie System 3802, built as Baltimore & Ohio 3802, is preserved and operates at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.[14]
- Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines 2000, is preserved on the Cape May Seashore Lines in Tuckahoe, New Jersey.[15] [16]
See also
References
Notes and References
- Web site: Bachand . Jean-Denis . EMD GP38 . The Diesel Shop . 18 July 2021.
- Book: Foster . Gerald L. . A field guide to trains of North America . 1996 . Houghton Mifflin . Boston . 0-395-70112-0 . 34.
- Book: McDonnell, Greg. Field guide to modern diesel locomotives. 2002. Kalmbach Publishing. 0-89024-607-6. Waukesha, Wisc.. 108–109. 50411517.
- Web site: Sarberenyi . Robert . GP38 Roster . www.trainweb.org . 3 August 2021.
- Web site: Norfolk Southern 2014 Sustainability Report - Environmental Performance A Battery-Powered Alternative. 2021-08-03. nssustainability.com.
- News: Corselli . Andrew . Agent 999: RPS Restores Zero-Emission Locomotive . . 2 June 2020 . 14 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231014223054/https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/agent-999-rps-restores-zero-emission-locomotive/ . live.
- News: NS to dispose of executive F units, other roster oddities . November 12, 2019 . Dan . Cupper . . November 15, 2019 . February 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210226171542/https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2019/11/12-ns-to-dispose-of-executive-f-units-other-roster-oddities . dead .
- Web site: Franz . Justin . 2021-10-19 . Conway Scenic Acquires Second Maine Central GP38 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221204061733/https://railfan.com/conway-scenic-acquires-second-maine-central-gp38/ . 4 December 2022 . 2024-03-12 . . en-CA.
- Web site: Cotey . Angela . 2016-05-09 . Museum unveils Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia-painted GP38 NEWSWIRE . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240312164118/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/03-tvrm-unveils-tennessee-alabama-and-georgia-railway-gp38/ . 12 March 2024 . 2024-03-12 . . en-US.
- Web site: History of TAG Railway 80 Locomotive . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231129045416/https://www.tvrail.com/equipment/tennessee-alabama-and-georgia-railway-80/ . 29 November 2023 . 2024-03-12 . . en-US.
- Web site: Speicher . Jake . 19 December 2012 . Exelon Power Donates Locomotive to West Chester Railroad . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240312201707/https://patch.com/pennsylvania/westchester/exelon-power-donates-locomotive-to-west-chester-railroad . 12 March 2024 . 12 March 2024 . Patch.
- Web site: Laepple . Wayne . 10 December 2012 . West Chester Railroad receives GP38 donation . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121223062236/http://trn.trains.com:80/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2012/12/West%20Chester%20RR%20receives%20GP38%20donation.aspx . 23 December 2012 . 12 March 2024 . Trains.
- Web site: Equipment Roster . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221205144058/https://www.wcrailroad.com/equipment.html . 5 December 2022 . 12 March 2024 . West Chester Railroad.
- Web site: B&O #3802 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240312205159/https://borail.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/903FD86A-4634-4272-8087-402114970989 . 12 March 2024 . 12 March 2024 . B&O Railroad Museum.
- Web site: 2023-09-20 . Cape May Seashore Lines acquires predecessor diesel . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240312214949/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/cape-may-seashore-lines-acquires-predecessor-diesel/ . 12 March 2024 . 2024-03-12 . . en-US.
- Web site: The Return of Engine 2000! . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240312214952/https://www.seashorelines.org/Passenger/2000 . 12 March 2024 . 2024-03-12 . . en-US.
