GE Dash 8-40C

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C40-8
UP 9214 19910510 CA Cajon.jpg
UP 9214, a C40-8, leads an eastbound train up California's Cajon Pass on May 10, 1991.
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderGE Transportation Systems
ModelC40-8
Build date1987 – 1992
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • AARC-C
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm), Brazil
Length70 ft 8 in (21.54 m)
Width10 ft 3.5 in (3.14 m)
Height15 ft 4.5 in (4.69 m)
Loco weight391,600 lb (177,600 kg)
Career
OperatorsVarious
LocaleNorth America, Brazil
CN 2109 in Waukesha, Wisconsin

The GE C40-8 is a 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between 1987 and 1992. It is part of the GE Dash 8 Series of freight locomotives, and its wheel arrangement is of a C-C type.

This locomotive model is often referred to as a Dash 8-40C or simply "Dash 8". "Dash 8" in general refers to the electrical control series, "Dash" being a carryover from the older syntax of C40-8. The "40" refers to the baseline horsepower rating (4,000 hp or 3,000 kW) of the unit, although some units may be re-rated to 4,100 hp (3,100 kW).

Later units were supplied with a wide-nose cab and are designated Dash 8-40CW, the "W" indicating a wide-nose cab.

C41-8[]

Some railroads, the Chicago and North Western Railway in particular, upgraded some of their units to ~4,135 hp (3,083 kW) and designated them as C42-8. This designation was modified by the Union Pacific Railroad to C41-8 after its takeover of C&NW in 1995. Former C&NW units are usually identified by a grab-iron on the front nose just above the Union Pacific shield logo, and/or the "C41-8" designation on the cab side. The final three C&NW C40-8s were built with 4,135 hp (3,083 kW), and the prior 32 units were similarly modified as well. Although none of these units were ever officially classed as C41-8 by GE, a safety cab version was built as the Dash 8-41CW.

Current and former owners[]

Railroad Quantity Road numbers Notes
Canadian National Railway 77 2000-2041, 2100-2134 All units were originally bought by CNW and sold by UP; 2127 sold to Rock Island Rail in 2020-2021
Chicago and North Western Transportation Company 77 8501-8577 8575-8577 were 4,150 hp (3,090 kW), all units were passed on to UP and later sold to CREX
Cimarron Valley Railroad 7 4050-4056 All units are ex-CSX, painted in a Santa Fe inspired paint scheme
Citicorp Railmark Inc. (Citirail) 42 9023-9064 Originally bought by CNW, sold by UP and sold to CN
Conrail 25 6025-6049 Split between CSX and NS, all units remaining in Conrail colors are retired
CSX Transportation 55 7489-7498, 7500-7646 Classed as C40-8, 7489-7498 are ex-Conrail. All retired from May 2016 to February 2017, most have been sold off to other railroads or have been scrapped.
Estrada de Ferro Carajás 4 501-504
Everywhere West Locomotives Leasing, LLC. 1 9129 Currently at Mondovi, Washington, for sale or lease
GE Capital 15 7516, 7522, 7524, 7533, 7537, 7544, 7560, 7569, 7570, 7586, 7612, 7619, 7629, 7640, 7642 All units are former CSX, currently on lease to NS except for 7522 and 7612
New Orleans Public Belt Railroad 4 4001-4004 All units are former NS
Norfolk Southern Railway 89 8300-8313, 8689-8763 8300-8313 are ex-Conrail. All units were to be rebuilt with a new wide cab, upgraded electronics, etc. 8500-8504, 8506-8513 being rebuilt with an NS "Crescent" nose/cab (The same on the SD60Es), 8505 being rebuilt with a GE widenose and cab. They are classified as a Dash 8.5-40CW but are labeled as D8.5-40CW. However, due to repeated failures, all Norfolk Southern C40-8's will be sold or scrapped, and 47 new ET44AC and three ES44AC locomotives will replace them. Last remaining units retired in 2017.
Pan Am Railways 24 7489 7500 7517-7518 7523 7528

7534-7535 7541-7542 7545 7552 7561 7575 7585 7594-7595 7605 7609 7620 7622 7627 7635 7643

Classed as C40-8, all ex-CSX. 7489 is ex-Conrail.
Providence and Worcester Railroad 4 4050-4053 All units are ex-NS
Union Pacific Railroad 255 9100-9355, 9185 (2nd) 9185 (first) returned to GE, became testbed. As of early 2019, all units have been sold/auctioned off.
Rock Island Rail 1 2127 Ex-CN, originally built for CNW, and later UP

The companies that still own C40-8 locomotives as of 2006 include: CSX Transportation with 146, the Norfolk Southern Railway with 88, and the Union Pacific Railroad with 298 (includes former C&NW C41-8 units). In 2010, CN bought 35 C40-8 locomotives (2100-2134) from UP and 67 C40-8W locomotives (2098-2099, 2135-2199) from BNSF. Another 42 C40-8s were bought by CN in 2013 (these 42 units are numbered between 2000-2041) marking all 77 of the ex CNW Dash 8-40Cs now owned by CN. CN has 6 C40-8s that were painted for the 15th anniversary and they are numbers 2107, 2112, 2113, 2115, 2124, and 2128.

In 2016, Pan Am Railways bought 20 C40-8 locomotives (7489, 7517-7518, 7523, 7528, 7534-7535, 7541-7542, 7545, 7552, 7561, 7585, 7605, 7609, 7620, 7622, 7627, 7635, 7643) from CSX. In 2017, Pan Am Bought 4 More C40-8s: 7500, 7575, 7594, and 7595. As of early 2019, Pan Am has painted numbers 7518, 7552, and 7635 into their Phase 3 paint. In 2018, the Providence and Worcester Railroad bought 4 C40-8 locomotives from Norfolk Southern. All units are painted in the Genesee & Wyoming orange paint scheme. As of early 2020, Pan Am has painted 4 more C40-8s: 7523, 7542, 7561, and 7585 into the Phase 3 paint.

See also[]

External links[]

Media related to GE C40-8 locomotives at Wikimedia Commons

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