EMD GP38-2

EMD GP38-2

South Shore Line GP38-2s idle near the Michigan City shops.
Type and origin
Power type Diesel-electric
Builder U.S. - GM, Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
Canada - General Motors Diesel (GMD)
Model GP38-2
Build date January 1972 – July 1986
Total produced 2,213
Specifications
AAR wheel arr. B-B
Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length 59 ft 2 in (18.03 m)
Prime mover EMD 16-645E
Engine type V16 Two-stroke diesel
Aspiration Roots-type blower
Alternator AC alternator,
Traction motors DC traction motors
Cylinders 16
Transmission diesel electric
Loco brake Straight air, Dynamic
Performance figures
Power output 2,000 hp (1.49 MW)
Tractive effort 61,000 lbf (271.34 kN)
Career
Locale North America, Saudi Arabia
Disposition Most still in service as of 2015

The EMD GP38-2 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive of the road switcher type 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 2000 horsepower (1.5 MW).[1] Most built still remain in service in the modern era due to ease of maintenance and exceptional reliability.

Spotting features

The GP38-2 differs externally from the earlier GP38 only in minor details. Its most distinctive identifying feature is the cooling water level sight glass on the right side of the long hood. The battery box covers of the Dash 2s are bolted down instead of hinged. It can be distinguished from the contemporary GP39-2 and GP40-2 in that its Roots blown engine had two exhaust stacks, one on each side of the dynamic brake fan, if equipped, while the turbocharged GP39-2 and GP40-2 has a single stack. The GP39-2 has two radiator fans on the rear of the long hood like the GP38-2, while the GP40-2 has three. It was also available with either a high-short-hood, common on Norfolk Southern units, or a low-short-hood, which is found on most other railroads.

BNSF Railway GP38-2 no. 2273 at Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2014.

GP38-2W

Canadian National 4769, an EMD GP38-2W, St Félicien, Québec, Canada

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

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

1,799 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads and industrial concerns, 257 for Canadian railroads and industrials, 156 for Mexican railroads and industrials, and 1 export unit for the Saudi Government Railways. A total of 31 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
ARMCO
1
B-84
Atlanta and West Point Rail Road
2
6007–6008 Family Lines paint. To

Seaboard System Railroad.

Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay Railway
3
508–510
Belt Railway of Chicago
6
490–495
Boston & 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 & North Western Railway
35
4600–4634 Ordered by Rock Island. To Union Pacific Railroad.
Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad
10
2000–2009
Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co.
9
100–108
Clinchfield Railroad
7
6000-6006 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 & Eastern Railroad
4
810, 817-819
Detroit, Toledo & 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 & Eastern Railway
5
700–704 All to Birmingham and Southern Railroad. 703 re-purchased in the 90s and assigned to Waukegan. To Canadian National 703, but retains its EJ&E paint
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 & 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
250–277 261, 268, 270-271 to New York and Atlantic Railway.

Delivered in Long Island bicentennial scheme.

Louisville & Nashville Railroad
129
4050–4144, 6011-6044 6011-6044 Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System.
Milwaukee Road
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 To Union Pacific.
Missouri Pacific Railroad
274
858–959, 2111–2237, 2290–2334 To Union Pacific.
Penn Central Transportation
223
7940–8162 To Conrail, same numbers.
Phelps Dodge Corporation
8
1–4, 9, 55, 56, 58
Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad
6
2051–2056
Providence & Worcester Railroad
4
2006–2009
Public Service Co. of Indiana
2
WG1-WG2 Lettered for AMAX Coal.
Rock Island
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
73
500–555, 6045-6050, 6053-6065 6045-6050,

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 Co.
3
3821–3823
Southern Railway
257
5000–5256 High-short-hoods. To Norfolk Southern. 23 rebuilt with an Admiral Cab. 50 to be sold at auction on August 18, 2016.
Southern Pacific Railroad
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
Ferrocarriles Unidos del Sureste
14
514-521, 528-533
Vermont Railway
2
201–202
Locomotives built by GMD, London, Ontario
Algoma Central Railway
6
200-205
Canadian National Railways
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.
Canadian National Railways
51
5560–5610 GP38-2W's. Renumbered 4760-4810 in 1988. 5586 wrecked and retired in 1986.
Canadian Pacific Railway
115
3021–3135 The 3086-3135 were the last GP38-2's built by GMD, between March and July '86.
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 Mexico
6
 141, 145, 157-158, 167-168
Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacifico
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.
Saudi Government Railways
1
2000

The GP38-2 is a player-drivable locomotive in Microsoft Train Simulator. Parts of the EMD GP38-2 are used to form the children's TV series Chuggington character, Dunbar. It is also used in Team Fortress 2 as a train.

Rebuilds

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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter’s Guide. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
  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.
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