EMD GP38-2

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The EMD GP38-2 is an American four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors, Electro-Motive Division. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP38-2 was an upgraded version of the earlier GP38. Power is provided by an EMD 645E 16-cylinder engine, which generates 2,000 horsepower (1.5 MW).[1]

EMD GP38-2
BNSF GP38-2s 2273 and 2778 in Lincoln, Nebraska
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderUnited States - Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD)
Canada - General Motors Diesel (GMD)
ModelGP38-2
Build dateJanuary 1972–July 1986
Total produced2,264
Specifications
Configuration:
 • AARB-B
 • UICBo'Bo'
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length59 ft 2 in (18.03 m)
Width10 ft 4.5 in (3.16 m)
Height15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)
Loco weight250,000 lb (113,400 kg)
Prime moverEMD 16-645E
Engine typeV16 Two-stroke diesel
AspirationRoots-type blower
AlternatorAC alternator,
Traction motorsDC traction motors
Cylinders16
Transmissiondiesel electric
Loco brakeStraight air, Dynamic
Performance figures
Maximum speed65 mph (105 km/h)
Power output2,000 hp (1.49 MW)
Tractive effortStarting: 61,000 lbf (271 kN) at 20%
Continuous: 54,700 lbf (243 kN) and 11.1 mph (17.9 km/h)
Career
LocaleNorth America, Saudi Arabia, México
DispositionMost still in service as of 2019
Soo Line 4413 in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

GP38-2W

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Canadian National 4769, a GMD GP38-2, with a CN-spec comfort cab in Saint-Félicien, Quebec

The GP38-2W is a Canadian variant of the GP38-2. It is easily distinguished by its wide-nose Canadian comfort cab. 51 of these locomotives were produced for the Canadian National Railway during 1973–1974.

Although a W is commonly suffixed to the name, it is actually an addition by enthusiasts to help specify the presence of a CN-spec comfort cab. No locomotives built using CN's design of comfort cab ever featured a W in their designation, as the presence of the cab did not mechanically alter the locomotive. This is reflected by the lack of the "W" in the model designation on the builders' plates of these units.

There are snow shields above the inertial-filter central air intakes behind the cab; the electrical boxes and equipment blower behind the cab also differ in detail from a standard GP38-2. They are otherwise identical.[2]

Original buyers

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1,851 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads and industrial concerns, 206 for Canadian railroads and industrials, 156 for Mexican railroads and industrials, and 1 export unit for the Saudi Railways Organization. A total of 51 GP38-2s were built with high-short-hoods containing steam generators for passenger service on Mexican railways. In addition, all 257 of Southern Railway's GP38-2s had Southern's "standard" high-short-hoods.[3]

Railroad Quantity Road numbers Notes
Angelina and Neches River Railroad 1 2000
The American Rolling Mill Company 1 B-84
Atlanta and West Point Railroad 2 6007–6008 Family Lines paint. To

Seaboard System Railroad.

Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railroad 3 508–510
Belt Railway of Chicago 6 490–495
Boston and Maine Railroad 12 201–212 212 was renumbered 200 as a

bicentennial unit.

Burlington Northern Railroad 37 2078–2109, 2150–2154 2150-2154 assigned to Fort Worth & Denver. Most passed on to BNSF Railway.
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway 2 108–109
Chicago and North Western Transportation Company 35 4600–4634 Ordered by Rock Island. To Union Pacific Railroad.
Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad 10 2000–2009
Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company 9 100–108
Clinchfield Railroad 8 6000–6006, 6045 Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System.
Colorado and Wyoming Railway 2 2001–2002
Conrail 119 8163–8281 All units were renumbered when divided between CSX Transportation

and Norfolk Southern Railway.

Curtis, Milburn and Eastern Railroad 4 810, 817-819
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad 8 221–228 228 was renumbered 1776 for

the bicentennial. Renumbered GTW 6221–6228 in 1984–85.

Durham and Southern Railway 4 2000–2003 To Seaboard Coast Line Railroad 556–559.
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway 5 700–704 All to Birmingham and Southern Railroad. 703 re-purchased in the 90s and assigned to Waukegan.
Florida East Coast Railway 11 501–511
Georgia Railroad 4 6009–6010, 6051–6052 Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System
Grand Trunk Western Railroad 25 5812–5836
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad 15 740–754 To Illinois Central Gulf Railroad.
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad 40 9600–9639
Illinois Terminal Railroad 4 2001–2004
Kansas City Southern Railway 12 4000–4011
Lehigh Valley Railroad 12 314–325 To the Delaware & Hudson Railway upon creation of Conrail as 7314–7325. Briefly renumbered to 220-231 during the Guilford ownership of the D&H, upon emergence from Guilford renumbered to 7303–7312.
Long Island Rail Road 28 250–277 251 cab unit serves as a simulator at the Railroad Museum of Long Island. 261, 268, 270–271 to New York and Atlantic Railway.

Delivered in Long Island bicentennial scheme.

Louisville and Nashville Railroad 129 4050–4144, 6011-6044 6011-6044 Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System.
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad 16 350–365 To Soo Line Railroad.
Mississippi Export Railroad 2 65–66
Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad 18 304–321 319-321 has D\B[clarification needed]To Union Pacific.
Missouri Pacific Railroad 274 858–959, 2111–2237, 2290–2334 To Union Pacific.
Penn Central Transportation Company 223 7940–8162 To Conrail, same numbers.
Phelps Dodge 8 1–4, 9, 55, 56, 58
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad 6 2051–2056
Providence and Worcester Railroad 4 2006–2009
Public Service Company of Indiana 2 WG1-WG2 Lettered for AMAX Coal.
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad 68 4300–4355, 4368-4379

Acquired by GTW, MP and P&LE upon dissolution of Rock Island.

San Manuel Arizona Railroad 2 16–17
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad 74 500–555, 6046–6050, 6053-6065 6046–6050,

6053-6065 Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System.

Soo Line Railroad 53 790–799, 4410–4452 790–799 renumbered 4400–4409

soon after delivery.

South East Coal Company 3 3821–3823
Southern Railway 257 5000–5256 High-short-hoods. To Norfolk Southern. 23 rebuilt with an Admiral Cab.[note 1][4] 50 to be sold at auction on August 18, 2016. 5076 sold to Northwestern Pacific in 2017.
Southern Pacific Transportation Company 45 4800–4844
St. Louis–San Francisco Railway 116 400–478, 663–699 To Burlington Northern Railroad.
Texas Mexican Railway 7 861–867 867 was the last La Grange-built GP38-2 in

May '85. All others built at GMDD London, Ont.

Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway 11 2001–2011 All went to Santa Fe then were divided up, with some going to BNSF after merger and others to KCS.
Union Pacific Railroad 60 2000–2059
Vermont Railway 2 201–202
Locomotives built by GMD, London, Ontario
Algoma Central Railway 6 200-205
Canadian National Railway 60 5500–5559 23 renumbered to the 200 series when converted to hump mothers in 1978, these plus one additional renumbered to 7500-7526 (not all #'s used) in 1985. Three more, 7528, 7530, 7532 renumbered in 1990. The balance of these units became 4700–4732 in 1988. Units 4702 and 4728 rebuilt to GP40-3 and repainted to heritage schemes.
51 5560–5610 GP38-2W's. Renumbered 4760–4810 in 1988. 5586 destroyed in the Hinton train collision of 1986.
Canadian Pacific Railway 115 3021–3135 The 3086-3135 were the last GP38-2's built by GMD, between March and July 1986.
Devco Railway 13 216–228
Ontario Northland Railway 10 1800–1809
Texas Gulf Sulphur 2 054–055
Export locomotives built by EMD for other railroads
Altos Hornos de México 6 141, 145, 157–158, 167-168
Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico 12 900-911 910 & 911 have high-short-hoods containing steam generators.
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México 124 9200–9299, 9400–9414, 9901-9909 9200-9219 & 9901-9909 have high-short-hoods containing steam generators.
Ferrocarriles Unidos del Sureste 14 514–521, 528-533
Saudi Railways Organization 1 2000
Totals 2,264

Rebuilds

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Two Providence and Worcester Railroad GP38-2s at Pawtucket/Central Falls station in 2023

A number of higher horsepower 40 Series locomotives have been rebuilt into the equivalent of a GP38-2, by removal of the turbocharger and the substitution of twin roots blowers.

CSX and Norfolk Southern have both started replacing cabs on the aging locomotives. NS still calls them GP38-2 while CSX calls them GP38-3.

Union Pacific has rebuilt 167 of their GP38-2's into GP38N's at their Jenk's shop. These units received a microprocessor control system to increase adhesion, control options, and extend the life of the locomotive.[5][6]

Preservation

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A relatively small amount of GP38-2s are in preservation, with all being ex-Southern, and all operating on tourist lines.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-026-7.
  2. ^ Foster, Gerald (1996). A Field Guide to Trains of North America. Houghton Mifflin Field Guides. pp. 74–75. ISBN 0-395-70112-0.
  3. ^ Marre, Louis A. & Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1989). The Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-89024-088-4. LCCN 88083625. OCLC 19959644.
  4. ^ "What is an Admiral Cab?". altoonaworks.info. L.R. Myers. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  5. ^ Craig, R. "Union Pacific Motive Power". The Diesel Shop. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  6. ^ "Union Pacific Locomotive Roster". Up.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  7. ^ Cupper, Dan (1 February 2024). "Private car 'Loretto' moves to new home at Colebrookdale Railroad". Trains. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  8. ^ Burkhart, M.T. (2021-03-29). "Colebrookdale Railroad Acquires Former LS&I 2-8-0". Railfan & Railroad. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  9. ^ "Revival of Southern Railway GP38-2 No. 5000: A Historical Journey". Tennessee Valley Railroad. 19 May 2017. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  10. ^ "Southern Railway 5000". Tennessee Valley Railroad. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Southern Railway's 5044 & 5109: Powerful GP38-2 Units with Unique High Short Hoods". Tennessee Valley Railroad. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2024.

Notes

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  1. ^ The Admiral Cab was designed by Norfolk Southern for narrow-nose and low-hood cabs that retains the look of a standard EMD cab, the exceptions being sharper angles, angled center windows, raised numberboard section, under-floor air conditioning, and the nose being made of one inch thick steel instead of the quarter inch steel of the original EMD cab.
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