EMD GP38

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This article is about the locomotive. For the family of glycoproteins, see Glycoprotein.
EMD GP38
GWWR 2037 EMD GP38.jpg
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+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Fuel capacity2,600 US gal
(9,800 l; 2,200 imp gal)
Prime moverEMD 16-645
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[]

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 60 3500-3560 Rebuilt to GP38us and renumbered to 2300-2360
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
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
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad 4 300-304
Missouri Pacific Railroad 6 572-577
Monongahela Railway 5 2000-2004
Southern Railway 7 2001-2007 To Norfolk Southern Railway renumbered 2871-2878
Penn Central Transportation Company 263 7675-7937 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

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]

Preservation[]

  • Conway Scenic Railroad 252, built as Maine Central 252, is in Maine Central ‘harvest gold’ paint with Conway Scenic reporting marks, and currently operates on excursions on the former MEC Notch Route. This locomotive suffered a broken crankshaft in August 2020 and is awaiting repair. It is currently on display in the yard.
  • Conway Scenic Railroad 255, built as Maine Central 255, is in Vermont Railway Red paint with Conway Scenic reporting marks.
  • TAG Railway 80 is preserved in operational condition at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.
  • West Chester Railroad 7706, built as Penn Central 7706, is preserved and operates on tourist trains on the former PRR line.
  • Chessie System 3802, built as Baltimore & Ohio 3802, is preserved at the Baltimore Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland

See also[]

References[]

  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.
  • 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.
  • Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-026-7.
  • Sarberenyi, Robert. EMD GP38 and GP38AC Original Owners

External links[]

Media related to EMD GP38 locomotives at Wikimedia Commons

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